Good Riffs from Kirk Hammett Metallica

[sambencuda]

[QUOTEhe's still a terrible lead player][/QUOTE]

Man thats a stong statement. You can like him or hate him, but terrible? He's the lead guitarist in one of the biggest bands of all time. You may not like him and I'll even admit that he's not my favorite, but I'm pretty sure he's not terrible.

[Bob From Accounting]

GOR: the problem is the country music they put out in the mid 90s. Everyone including me, waited 5 years for a great record and got some weird ass crap instead. Big betrayal of the fans.

Imagine not eating the entire day, then going to a pizza place in the evening. Having awaited that pizza the entire day, and when it comes it's a turd on a plate...

Having said that, I did enjoy watching this video of Kirk playing

[GodOfRhythm]

I don't mind that 'country' one bit. More bluesy orientated stuff. I like most of the stuff on there (although some of it is just regurgitated crap, true). Matter of taste.

If they had really sold out they'd have made The Black Album II. Anyways they didn't change one bit as people during those load days ('95ish).

Nothing personal at all, but whenever I hear 'they betrayed, us, their fans' I have to start laughing.

[Top Jimmy B]

Metallica is one of the greatest bands of all time. Hetfield is a legend whose contributions to music will not be fully appreciated until he's gone. He so inspired me, in many ways, that I named my son after him - Evan Hetfield. I should mention that I did this while my wife was out cold after giving birth.

As for Kirk, I think he's great. He has recorded some of the most memorable solos in metal history. I love how he could be blazing through the solos in songs like Battery, Master, or Ride The Lightning and throw in these killer melodic licks. He was never the best, and I don't think he ever claimed to be, but his influence is undeniable.

Kirk's playing turned my head around more than once.

[DenimBrigade]

You know, as much as I dislike him, I love his solos on Kill 'Em All. When I heard it, I started to like him....then I found out DAVE MUSTAINE wrote almost all of the solos on that album.

Don't belive me? Check the videos on youtube of the really old metallica concerts.

[FSU_Seminoles]

First four albums:

James pretty much wrote everything (together with Cliff) except most of the solos. Hetfield primarily was and still is Metallica.

He did have his own solos though (MOP, To Live Is To Die, etc). Lars would help bring sructures to the songs and it astonishes me how much of a natural ear and talent Lars has for these kind of things, pretty amazing.

Kirk's solos were written by Kirk mostly, however he did get some help from Cliff and Lars and sometimes James. But hey who never gets any help from some buddies when they're stuck in the middle of a solo by getting shown a cool lick to use?

Rest of the albums: same dealy. Eventhough on Load, Reload & Saint Anger Kirk played and recorded some of the riffs as wel, regardless of whom they were written by. Solos are a mix of Kirk's and James's, but still it's mostly Kirk playing the solos.

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Now, I agree pretty much completely with what VitaminG said. I personally think Kirk was a great leadguitarplayer in the 80's, nowhere near the best, but he could shred it up and play his solos damn good and fast as hell. The Black Album was the beginning of the almighty Wah imposing on his playing, unfortunatly. Eventhough some solos on that album are still awesome: The Struggle Within, The Unforgiven and yes, Enter Sandman. Anyways, to me Kirk and Metallica are more than a sum of their abilities. They're my number one band and will be 'till I die. Sue me.

Now that we're talking about it anyways. I find it so funny how double standards are used so often by almost anyone who pisses on Metallica (which is the fashionable thing to do nowadays). Metallica came out with the Black Album (which is one of the greatest hard-rock albums of all time, no matter how you cut it) and omg did they SELL OUT or what! They fucking suck, blabla. Yes they did widen they fanbase and they did it while writing music they still love. What's the fucking problem? Now here comes the double standard: the same guys that blame and hate Metallica for selling out and whatnot often do praise the likes of AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Kiss, etc etc to the moon and back because they're so good. The problem is just Metallica started as a metalband, I guess, and the contrast between their as-good-as-zero radio exposure pre-88 and their skyrocketing to success in 91 was too big to handle for most supposed 'fans'.

Anyways fuck it, I'll go spin my AJFA vinyl right after this Mr. Big CD is done.

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(That concludes this lecture! :p)

amen

[FSU_Seminoles]

on a side note ... I don't think it's fair to compare Kirk and guys like him who are in big time bands. Like Metallica toured for like 3 years in a row, 3 hour show every night. I think sometimes people forget that Kirk and guys like Slash maybe and other guitarists who play in that kind of band, can't sit down night after night practicing because when they get back from tour they're dead tired and last thing they want to hear about is playing guitar.

Guys like Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen and so on make their living on being sharp and having the best solos every night. But Kirk was part of a major band and just didn't have that much time to practice.

I'm not saying this in the sense that people can't criticize Kirk because if you're not as good as he is then shut up. That's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying, hey Kirk is not in the same bag as guys who play a gig once in a while and then go back practicing.

[craprapx2001]

kirk cant do vibrato though...i dont think theres a way to defend that...you can even hear it on his albums... even 20 years after he wrote his best stuff you can see on the little video of him playing that he cant do vibrato. he sounds like a little kid playing in a music store, thats why so many people hate him... i think that its reasonable that he could have put a little more effort into it...ive heard people cover his solos and do a way better job...guys like metallica get tired after touring though so they shouldnt be expected to get better...but arch enemy, megadeth,nevermore, pantera, testament, zakk wylde, van halen, dont gig enough so they have/had more time to practice? i doubt this very much...kirk is one of the most overrated metal guitarists ever....he sounds like someone who has just finally figured out how to play a few licks as fast as they can and has put no time into trying to develop their own sound...comparing slash to kirk is not fare to slash...slash is by no means one of my favorite guitarists but thats becaushe his style is different than what i really like...not because he sounds like a child...

[GodOfRhythm]

You're missing the point and you're looking at these with the wrong set of spectacles.

Put your early-80's-the-beginning-of-all-metal glasses on.

Kirk and the others just wanted to get together play fast, aggressive shit and nail as many chicks and do as much drugs as they could. Stop projecting your 'I know 10.000 virtuosos' ideas onto other people.

He does have very weak vibrato, yes, indeed. But why don't you go bag on Kerry King and his leadskills? :p

[nateb]

He does have very weak vibrato, yes, indeed. But why don't you go bag on Kerry King and his leadskills? :p

because... KK would probably wake up in his beauty sleep of Auschwitz, Serial Killers, and Satan drop kicking puppies just to come look at you tell your head melts.

-Nate

[Top Jimmy B]

Hal, is that you?

Each of these guys is living the dream, Kirk even more than Kerry. I wish you guys were having this pissing match over my recorded works.

[toejam]

Satan drop kicking puppies

Hey, I think I've heard of that band!

[VitaminG]

Hal, is that you?

Each of these guys is living the dream, Kirk even more than Kerry. I wish you guys were having this pissing match over my recorded works.

you missed that thread? Should've been here last week. We got REALLY fired up on that one

[craprapx2001]

You're missing the point and you're looking at these with the wrong set of spectacles.

Put your early-80's-the-beginning-of-all-metal glasses on.

Kirk and the others just wanted to get together play fast, aggressive shit and nail as many chicks and do as much drugs as they could. Stop projecting your 'I know 10.000 virtuosos' ideas onto other people.

He does have very weak vibrato, yes, indeed. But why don't you go bag on Kerry King and his leadskills? :p

Dude, i disagree with you. i dont give a shit if the guy was in a band to play shit he liked, rebel against his mom, or to impress chicks. This thread started out about some video that shows kirk soloing at the start of it, and ive already stated that i think he sucks and its a joke that he gets as much praise as he does. so thats fine, its my "problem" if i feel this way. its great for him that he had the success that he did. but when i see a video of him play like that, or on the live shit binge and purge dvd, or the making of the black album, and then some one says wow hes good i feel like explaining why he sucks...what does kerry king have to do with this?

[RacerX]

...then I found out DAVE MUSTAINE wrote almost all of the solos on that album.
Don't bel...?

Common knowledge...Kirk got hired after KEA was written.