Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Is Finally Going Solo… And He’s Bringing Ancient Greek Mysticism With Him
Kirk Hammett—the man responsible for more face-melting riffs than your uncle’s entire vinyl collection—has announced he’s knee-deep in crafting his first-ever full-length solo album. And no, it’s not just a leftover pile of unused Metallica licks. This one’s got layers, baby.
Speaking to Rolling Stone while showing off his jaw-dropping vintage guitar collection (flex), Hammett revealed the new record will be a genre-hopping fusion of everything from heavy metal and classical progressions to—you guessed it—funk.
“All of a sudden I’m writing classical progressions, then I’m writing heavy stuff, then a funk thing,” Hammett said. “There will be vocals… because the songs scream for it.”
That’s right. This time it’s not just instrumental jam sessions à la Portals—we’re talking full-blown compositions with lyrics, melodies, and maybe even guest vocals (Hammett says it won’t be him, and honestly, fair).
And if you thought Hammett couldn’t get any more unexpected, he also dropped that one track, The Mysterion, is inspired by ancient Greek texts. Yeah, the same guy who gave us “Creeping Death” is now diving into Hellenistic philosophy. Metal scholars, eat your heart out.
Fans of Portals—his 2022 EP of cinematic, instrumental weirdness—should be hyped. That release proved Hammett was more than just Metallica’s shred king. This upcoming project is shaping up to be even bolder and more unfiltered.
But don’t panic, Metallica diehards—Kirk’s still got you. He’s already written over 767 riffs (yes, he counted) for the band’s next album, even though he admits going through them all is, quote, “a nightmare.” Their 72 Seasons tour doesn’t wrap until November in New Zealand, and Kirk says the next Metallica album won’t kick off until sometime after that.
So yeah, the man is busy. Ancient texts. Riffs. Vocals. Probably levitating guitars too.
Until then, we wait—ears wide open and horns in the air.
