Why in the Hell do you have a video titled with that bullshit ? Back in the day if you said such, me and my jamm head friends would flick a lit cigarette at your head and watch you panic-comb a hot cherry out of your hair and beg you to do something nothing about it.
Crazy that people want to hate.... Over 40 years and still touring, recording, playing is amazing enough. Let alone the COUNTLESS riffs and solos that CREATED musicians today.... People hate just to hate, but we all know it derives from a place of jealousy.
I don't hate Kirk, he just suck, he was barely average in the early years but now is a joke, i like plenty of his solos, seems like a chill good dude that just won't practice or learn anything
I love Kirk's playing, very iconic metal / rock sound. His style since Ride The Lighting got me into playing guitar solos. I don't get the hate. I put up Metallica playing here along with my training.
Totally agree with the Black Album solo work Bernth, there are wonderful solos out there. Bob Rock did a great job trying to get the best from Kirk, like in The Unforgiven.
@@TheBfutgreg Kill Em All were Mustaine's solo Kirk just replicated (and replicated well). Kirk did a lot of arpeggios in Ride The Lightning, and added some sweeps in Master of Puppets as well as more melodic stuff (like Disposable Heroes). Justice is Kirks most technical solos, Black Album has some of his most memorable solos though (Enter Sandman and Unforgiven in particular). Kirk hasn't had a single memorable solo started from Load to current day.
His work on Unforgiven is sublime, its literally the reason so many non metal heads like that album. Nothing Else Matters is such a classic we have openly gay guys at my job who know every single word!! The metal heads and them all get together to sing it at the top of their voices when we have those after hours office party.. kinda funny actually. Everybody pointing at each other going ''YOU know the lyrics to this song?? AWESOME!!'' Kurt is the man!!!!
His solos from their first albums were my favourites when I learned guitar and I know he doesn’t compose like this anymore but it doesn’t cancel it for me
It just shows that he doesn't put in the effort he used to. If he always played wah pentatonic shredding, that would just be Kirk, but we know he can do better. And yes you loose a little with age but guitar isn't a very physical instrument and as long as your hands are okay you'd play maybe 90% as good as you used to. Not 20%. That would indicate brain damage. Even if you don't play for many years it comes back quickly if you put in the time.
@@AndDeathForAll82 My main complaint is note choice not really speed or precision, he has enough of that for what he needs to do but he's turned into a mindless pentatonic, wah shredder that makes Zakk Wylde's notw choices sound almost classically influenced, and he is my go to guy for venting about mindless pentatonic wankery. Now if Kirk always played like that ok, but he used to put a lot more thought into it and come up with good melodies and all that, while also being faster and more precise and less reliant on a wah to express himself. If stuff starts sounding empty without the wah you need to keep it turned off and relearn how to express yourself without a frequency sweep. Kirk seems to have done the opposite and fully committed to what barely sounds like a caricature of himself. And most guitarist don't seem to suffer substantially with age unless it is catastrophic. But a good guitarist is always improving, which counters age related decline. If you stop caring, therefore no longer work at it to improve and you get old and do a bunch of drugs and keep the wah always on, that's how you end up like Kirk Hammet. Seems to be a thing in the band. Lars Ulrich used to be quite good, now he's beibg constatly ridiculous. James seems to be the only one that kept it, so I think he's the only one who still cares from the early lineup.
It's strange because bands like Rush and Van Halen went through a change in "credibility" when they shifted in their approach in the 80's. EVH and Alex Lifeson were not the players people assumed they were, just like Kirk Hammett in the 90's.
I love how you broke this down! Thank you. May I suggest using a lighter color pick? It's hard to see the black pick against the surrounding black and grey color palette.
Many guitar players started playing guitar because of Metallica. They're great entry band, having both easy and catchy songs, as well as more intricate compositions, that really need some skill to play. Kirk showed his genius more than once. Saying he sucks, is nothing more than trying to be edgy. Sure, last Metallica records show, that they don't leave their comfort zone, but do they really have to? They already achieved everything as a band.
Yep. Everyone has their own tastes and preferences, it's not about saying everyone should love Metallica or his solos or whatever. But when it comes to random people just trash talking, I keep 2 things in mind. 1. "Who are you? lol" (at them, not you) 2. It's basically praise - People always come for the king.
I remember a time when thousands of kids around the world took up their guitars because of Kirk. I remember a time when thousands of kids around the world started drumming because of Lars Urlich and his legendary Tama kit. Times change. People change, they get older, they get slower, some things that mattered prior, don't matter nowadays. Thank God I was part of those generations of kids from the 80s and early 90s. Best era ever. Today's Z generation of kids will never understand that.
Kirk is a great guitarist. The definition of what is good is morphing into a stupid competition of who can play the fastest or uses the most scales. Being good is just a sum of sounds created. Period.
They aren't the Rolling Stones. It should stand to reason that the more technical stuff would decline with age. He is 62 years old. Many of us are retired from our profession at that point. People who run legends into the ground, who are past their prime, aren't cool or funny. They are disrespectful.
You mean Metallica didn't get to be at the pinnacle of the thrash metal scene, and a major cross-over act... with 1/2 of their band being terrible musicians? With that logic, Dream Theater should have been the mostest greaterest band of all time, considering the skill of their entire lineup.
No reason to listen to people who’ve never been able to achieve a single thing in their musical career tbh. It’s just envy. There’s a lot of hateful losers on the internet. It’s their escape from reality
Kirk Hammett is one of the most influential players for people of my age. I'm 51 years old, and I grew up listening to Metallica, Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche, Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and so on... KH is no John Petrucci, but what he brought to the guitar world must be respected. I will forever be grateful to Metallica who came in my life at a point where I could have easily slipped into oblivion. They literally saved my life and gave me a purpose in life. I have been playing guitar since 1988 and It's because of KH.
@@tommilitello198 he's living everybody's dream and with your argument, Taylor Swift is really talented, i dond hate the guy, he had accomplished more than i ever dreamed of, he has more talent than everyone here but that doesn't erase the fact that compared with every single one of his peers, he completely sucks
Do a solo as awesome as "Master of Puppets" before calling him that he sucks at guitar. His phrasing on that, blows my mind. Why no body talks about Iron Maiden's solos. All of their tracks solo and phrasing are soooooo impressive that I don't think they get the prase they deserve for.
@@PapiSensei331I mean James is definitely super good no doubt, but from my personal experience his songs are really easy, I wouldn’t rank him up there with people like Kerry King, Scott Ian, Dave Mustaine, Zakk Wylde, Jim root, Mårten Hagström, or Dimebag.
What many people ignore about Hammett is as he himself has said he has so many problems with his body. He said he has major problems with his neck, shoulder, wrist while he also has arthritis I think.
People hold musicians to way too high of a standard. Kirk Hammett is a songwriter, not just a player. They say "I can play this, and I'm only considered intermediate, so therefore he isn't good". Well, he also made the solo, and you didn't. Odds are, the person saying these things generally can't write solos or riffs etc. as well as he can.
@BryceSchwager Yes, man, I also do not get the boasting ones completely, because the only thing that they perfrom great is the boasting around, nothing else. And, by the way, the standart is exceptionally high because now we have nearly an unlimited amount of musicians to listen to. There are too many entries at the statistic analysis booth, that is the reason for having such a high level of standards.
Without wanting to be too contentious and I know that Hammett is a controversial figure in the guitar world (for some reason) I will give my two cents. First of all Kirk is a guy close to my heart cause he is the reason I picked up the guitar. Secondly to his defence he has mentioned many times that he has many problems with his body liek his shoulder, wrist, fingers, neck. Gary Holt mentioned recently that he suffers from arthritis and i think Kirk agreed in the past. Third he never claimed to be anything. He is really quite down to Earth person. He outright said that he was never interested in having great right hand technique. Last but not least Metallica is ruled by James and Lars. The songs take their final form when James and Lars say so. Kirk in his recent EP gave us much much higher quality than what he did in the last two albums which means he still got it but maybe just maybe the leading band members do not agree with this approach. Lets not forget that je wanted solos in St. Anger and he was ignored completely.
He is controversial because he is worshipped by some Metallica fans and held up as one of the best metal guitarists ever, and many of us more experienced players would disagree. The positives are that he seems like a nice dude, he played some memorable solos early in his career and he can keep up with Hetfield live. The negatives for me are that he uses too much wah wah, his solos show no imagination or variation, his vibrato is poor, he hasn't played any great solos for over 30 years and his technical ability is average.
@@GordonHeaney i agree that he is not the most virtuoso player but back then the majority of thrash players weren't. If he had an attitude even a bit "ohhh look at me I am guitar god" I would say hia critiscm is valid but the guy literally never said anything remote to this and he keeps praising his peers like Schenker or Beck and co. He is so down to earth and he is not too blame for the Metallica fans. I have never seen anu guitarist getting so much hate. Being a guitarist myself I have seen Metallica live multiple times. The fact that aftsr 40+ years him and James keep playing in sync never seizes to amaze me. That said he loves using wah, i mean its his prerogative to do so. Wah is not my thing but I have friends who love to.use it all the time. Each to their own tbh. As the other commenter said I liked his solos in Death Magnetic its not peak Kirk but they are good. In addition, i will say what James said during an interview in 2013: "Individually none of us are in top class list as a guitarist, vocalist, drummer or bass...but together we manage to write great songs and put great live performances and this is our strength". And I agree with this statement. They are a great band nothing morr nothing less.
Internet in a nutshell: Bernth, who can play circles around the old school guitar gods: Kirk is fine, Imma make a lesson on his work! Mave Dustaine fanboys: Kirk bad, pentatonic wah bad...Dave gut, no wah, chromatic gut
Kirk on alums is a different story than Kirk live. He was still tight at that Moscow show and started to do some weird stuff around the first S&M..but was still ok. Nowadays, its a different story. He just overuses wah and cant play fast licks properly anymore. It's like 75% pick noise and mosquito vibrato
@saschamarr495 First of all let me say I enjoyed listening to you play, good job.👍 Usually Kirk's critics have no idea what pentatonic means and wouldn't recognize a wah if Kirk's rack unit hit them over the head followed by his five floor controllers. You are a breath of fresh air. Secondly, 24 year old Kirk was better at fast licks than 62 year old Kirk with arthritis in both hands...OK, no argument...Just funny how the Internet thinks Keef and Ronnie are great guitarists, but Kirk sucks. Thirdly, there is no such thing as overuse of wah🧐. Wah is love, Wah is life. Fourthly, you are too harsh with the pick scratches and mosquito vibrato comment. You know it's not true, don't give the idiots new cliches to parrott. Saw him live in 1999, 2009, 2012 and 2024. He was great and the thousands of people around me thought so. Not sure how much longer he will be great, so if you get a chance, go to a concert soon.
@@plamenpenkov2865 I like this reply, I think you summed it all up quite well! I guess I should have mentioned, I did start playing because of Kirk ..(and Dave) Wouldn't be where I am now without him, I guess I just wish people abilities wouldn't change with time ... but yea, time gets everyone. Take care!
Load and Reload are masterpieces. I understand why die-hard Metallica fans never liked them, but having a man open his heart up on two albums for the world to hear, that is something else.
Being able to craft memorable guitar parts requires both skill and talent there's a million instragram guitarists that can play circles around Kirk but very few that can craft a solo as memorable or distinctive
Here some super duper Guitarists: Mark Tremonti Steve Stevens Richie Sambora Randy Rhodes James Hetfield Angus Young These guys writing storys :) Kirk is a great guitarplayer too and he inspired so many people!!! We love all our heros :) Albert King Eric Clapton Jimi Hendrix There are so many out there ❤️🤘🏼🙏🏻
i personally just turn the guitar up and do hammer-ons and do like a mini-bar on the 12 and 14th frets to do that first chunk and then just hammers for the rest of the climb
Mr Hammett wrote some of the best solos in metal history and then stopped giving a fuck about guitar know it alls and did what he wanted when he wanted while selling millions of records.
Kirk is a great teacher and musician- he wrote an awesome metal guitar tutorial book and I really improved my skills with it. He does use wah pedal too much however.
I'm one of those weirdos who prefers Load to The Black Album, song wise. Kirk's playing on The Black Album is superior, but the ideas on Load are way more diverse and adventurous.
Sometimes when we're players ourselves, we're too focused on what we expect others to be playing, meeting our standard for their technical or musical potential, rather than just sit back and enjoy what they've created. Hammett plays what he's inspired to, and i think that shows. The solos from Death Magnetic through 72 Seasons aren't complex, but they're really not simplistic, either. They're fiery and fit the songs, and i would bet they'd be difficult for others to recreate with the same energy. i have to admit it's hard for me at first to turn off the "that's not the way i would have done it" part of my brain, but i enjoy the music much more when i do. Trust your favorite bands that they get the best result when they're doing the most inspiring thing for them.
Hmmm… I am not a huge ’Tallica fan but here are my two cents. There are people who say X is a great guitar player meaning he/she has great technical skill. Yeah, it might be pointless arpeggios all the time and the song might be generic modern metal with no memorable hooks, but it is technically amazing. And there are people who say Y is a great guitar player, because he/she knows how to write cool songs, never overplayed things, has a great ”feel” to the songs and solos. There are players who can be both, but there are lots of players who are just one of these things. Who is right? Well, it is a matter of taste really. As long as you know what you like to hear, it should not matter what others think. No matter how great or bad you play does not make you a great performer, unless you attract an audience. So, Tony Iommi is a great player, Dave Mustaine, Kirk Hammett, Steve Vai, Adrian Smith, Glenn Tipton, Trey Azagtoth, Mathieu Pascal, Alexi Laiho, Jimi Hendrix… each one in his own special way.
Kirk's solos are among the most known solos in the history of 20 century's music......Fade to Black, One, Ride The Lighning, are in the top 10 of any Metal Solo list.......personally, I like the most his solo for Disposables Heroes, Orion, and Welcome Home Sanitarium........all those noobs who claim he can't play, are just armchair opinologist who channeled all their frustration after that clip from Some Kind of Monster bio, where James is having problems teaching Kirk some riff........after that, every frustrated crybaby started to claim he was a fraud and couldn't play guitar...........and all got worse with all those boring DJENT youtubers, who think making a solo means you have to over complicate everything technically and rythmically (all while trying to avoid melodies, because DJENT is basically unlisteanable after 10 measures).......
Saying that he sucks is wrong, but to say that he is top 100 guitar player is also wrong. Yes he had good solo's back when he composed them, then he ran out of tricks and as with all busy bands, they don't have time to expand on their capabilities, and with Kirk it shows.
@@birdsteak9267 This. I find top 100s boring anyway but as much as KH is a nice person he is not even close to being the top 10 metal guitarists I'd think of when talking metal. He seems like a genuinely nice person and slamming his playing is off in so many ways. People turn music into a competition and that is silly and childish. Tbh I personally don't care very much for solos in metal and even less for wah-wah use but that is on me.
Remember back in the Day when the Canon Rock Guy broke the Internet? There wasn’t so much judging back then. Good Old Days of the Internet! Now everybody seems to be an expert.
I like those think that Kirk is in the “wrong” band He is really inspired by blues and 60’s music and he kind off implements it in his thrash metal playing. If you llsten to load and reload, two way softer, rocky bluesy albums you can hear his approach to solos is not that different. Yes, slower but it’s works better for that genre.
Kirk is 💯 the reason i love solos. Hes not the only one buf he us Amazing. It isn't just sbout how technical and definitely not how fast you play. Its got to sound good and make you feel something
Yes but writing is the best thing a person can do not soloing no one cares about 100 notes a second writing songs is the real strength of a guitar player look at Eddie great songwriting randy great songwriting george lynch the same
That picking pattern puts me in mind of the dude from Into Eternity. It’s a quick way to build up speed. Hammering on unpicked notes between downstrokes is pretty quick too but there’s too many notes to sound audible
Anybody who thinks Kirk sucks at guitar, doesn’t play guitar on any level other than strumming a few basic C, D, G chords at a party. If you play guitar, lead guitar, you wouldn’t make such a comment about one of the greatest and most creative guitarists of all time. I love the solo from Sad But True. That beginning of the solo where he slides into a 12/13 two string shape. Such a raunchy sound. Those EMG pickups through that black Les Paul…man, it sounds like a demonic growl. One, Master of Puppets, Battery, Wherever I May Roam-damn Kirk’s guitar technique and accuracy SLAMS and GOES HARD AF.
Kirk Hammet is the reason I play guitar. The reason why his solo's aren't the same as the 80's is because kirk had the time to compose the solo's. Whereas the new recording format requires him to improvise on the spot and record with a live a band. We shouldn't be hating on him as he had a method to his solo's and that was disrupted with the new recording method that band uses. I urge everyone to relisten to ..And justice for all, Load and Reload. That was some of Kirks best work.
Many guitarists are too focused on shredding The average listener will only recognize memorable riffs the majority being very melodic simplest slower riffs are the ones that stand out getting too complicated only pleases metal enthusiasts and they start sounding like the same guitarist undistinguishable where you have recognizable guitar players that play solos that stand out.
I feel like nowadays he just plays as he feels rather than trying to push himself, its both good and bad but honestly that's what I hope to become. Someone who just does what they want
He downgraded his soloing to basicly pentatonc's first box but he sounds better and seems more in his element with this change. Surely I Like him more now.
Absolutely! He sucks ass now but that’s why we love him! Growing up he was one of my favourite players but a lot of it comes down to laziness and refusing to practice/learn new things over the years. His old stuff is still awesome though!
Agree with you Dream Theater did the whole Master of Puppets live and John Petrucci had a hard time holding back on the solos he picked most of the notes.
I find the solo of inamorata incredible soulful, beautiful and powerful! Haters are garbage. You can enjoy ultra-technical stuff like Necrophagist or Obsbcura and also enjoy more bluesy and soulful stuff as well. I swear, some "metalheads" are just immature and envious kids.
Kirk doesn't suck just I think people that are not musicians don't understand that overtime music preferences changes and can change how we as musicians approach new songs. I think they don't understand that and expect the same thing album to album when that is not ideal. I rather just appreciate what they create and learn to understand why they chose to go the route they went instead of complain about it.
El solo de one me motivó, entre otras piezas musicales, a tocar la guitarra, así que, si alguien te motiva de esa forma, ese alguien es especial, con riffs y solos especialmente maravillosos y legendarios, por ende, es uno de los grandes de toda la historia.
i think he needs to take more time writing is all. the fade to black intro solo sounds like he worked very hard and shows me that he does have great technique
I blame the tab books for James being considered a GOD. Anyway, in the last few years (decade), Kirk has been the one who has been holding it down. If you watch a lot of live performances, James is not quite as fast as he was, and it is Kirk who is picking up the slack.
People can like what they want. Apparently a lot of people like Kirk. But if you understand music and have any kind of an ear, you'll know that Kirk plays out of tune, and with very little melody. Sounds like he learned scale shapes and plays patterns mixed with "blues" licks that don't fit the heavy style of Metallica. No feel for blues at all, no groove and stiff. There are many players that play better than Kirk. But he's Kirk. You don't have to be good to be called good.
Admit it or not majority of us guitar players when we start learning the guitar, we all look up and try to imitate the guitar solos of kirk. he is the leaving proof you don't need lighning fast sweeps and shred to be a millionare.
Yup, Metallica is the same reason as well. The way I view Metallica is they matured musically and didn't just want to play thrash. They just want to make music.
Sure, solos like end of the line, now that we’re dead, and darkness had a son are some weird solos. There overheated, and people are forgetting about solos like 72 seasons, spit out the bone, and room of mirrors. Kirk has not not lost the ability to play good solos, just the bad ones get worse and worse
It’s actually insane for anyone to say Kirk sucks at guitar, while he’s not my favorite guitarist I like Dave and Marty much better lol I still respect Kirk and his work, and he’s wildly more successful then like 99% of anyone who has ever picked up a guitar
...what your remedy for sweaty palms...things rust quickly...rusty metal issues...answer : go play the drums instead...but ended up with slipping drumstick...duh!...finally just settled on just listening
He took #1 greatest guitarist of 2003 in rolling Stones top 100 greatest guitarist of all time. And has a net work of 200 million. Wish I sucked that bad.
I agree Kirk should go back to composing solos. If you took the best songs from Load and Reload you would have a bad ass hard rock album. My pick for Kirks best solo is the Unforgiven
Take your guitar technique to a world-class level in 30 days: www.patreon.com/bernth
Yesss sir. I am self taught on guitar. But you alwayssss inspire me not to stopppp
Those pattern keeping me hang, coz I'm still on fretboard visualization.
Agreed
@BERNTHGuitarAcademy I'm trying to purchase guitar lessons but it won't let me ? Thanks
Why in the Hell do you have a video titled with that bullshit ? Back in the day if you said such, me and my jamm head friends would flick a lit cigarette at your head and watch you panic-comb a hot cherry out of your hair and beg you to do something nothing about it.
Kirk can still write interesting riffs and solos as he did in his EP - Portals.
Wait, he made his own EP but Newsted couldn't?
@@Manu-Official after 40 years with the band🤣🤣 probably he had to make a powerpoint presentation to James and Lars to give him the ok
@@MBBGun14 ‘Portals’ is fantastic
@@AndDeathForAll82Its proof he phones in Metallica. I'm convinced.
How the hell did I not know that he had a solo EP!?!?!?!?
Crazy that people want to hate.... Over 40 years and still touring, recording, playing is amazing enough. Let alone the COUNTLESS riffs and solos that CREATED musicians today.... People hate just to hate, but we all know it derives from a place of jealousy.
Sad actually. Not to mention how they destroyed Hair Metal and normalized thrash metal. I grabbed my first Metallica Album off a church burn pile.
Exactly what I was thinking.
I don't hate Kirk, he just suck, he was barely average in the early years but now is a joke, i like plenty of his solos, seems like a chill good dude that just won't practice or learn anything
not hate, he is not musician anymore, just function! he is awful, that's all
I love Kirk's playing, very iconic metal / rock sound. His style since Ride The Lighting got me into playing guitar solos.
I don't get the hate.
I put up Metallica playing here along with my training.
Totally agree with the Black Album solo work Bernth, there are wonderful solos out there. Bob Rock did a great job trying to get the best from Kirk, like in The Unforgiven.
I think Bob called him a lazy musician. Kirk has always been good, but doesn’t work at it enough. That’s why the wah really became a staple of his.
Kirk just relied too much on the pentatonic scale during the Load and ReLoad era, and haven't stopped since.
@@TimmyJay02 I mean all of his solos on Kill 'Em All were pentatonic, more or less......AJFA is where he got the most creative
@@TheBfutgreg Kill Em All were Mustaine's solo Kirk just replicated (and replicated well). Kirk did a lot of arpeggios in Ride The Lightning, and added some sweeps in Master of Puppets as well as more melodic stuff (like Disposable Heroes). Justice is Kirks most technical solos, Black Album has some of his most memorable solos though (Enter Sandman and Unforgiven in particular). Kirk hasn't had a single memorable solo started from Load to current day.
His work on Unforgiven is sublime, its literally the reason so many non metal heads like that album. Nothing Else Matters is such a classic we have openly gay guys at my job who know every single word!! The metal heads and them all get together to sing it at the top of their voices when we have those after hours office party.. kinda funny actually. Everybody pointing at each other going ''YOU know the lyrics to this song?? AWESOME!!'' Kurt is the man!!!!
His solos from their first albums were my favourites when I learned guitar and I know he doesn’t compose like this anymore but it doesn’t cancel it for me
It just shows that he doesn't put in the effort he used to. If he always played wah pentatonic shredding, that would just be Kirk, but we know he can do better. And yes you loose a little with age but guitar isn't a very physical instrument and as long as your hands are okay you'd play maybe 90% as good as you used to. Not 20%. That would indicate brain damage. Even if you don't play for many years it comes back quickly if you put in the time.
@221b-l3t his main point still stands.
@@221b-l3tHe does have arthritis, so that’s probably contributing.
@@AndDeathForAll82 My main complaint is note choice not really speed or precision, he has enough of that for what he needs to do but he's turned into a mindless pentatonic, wah shredder that makes Zakk Wylde's notw choices sound almost classically influenced, and he is my go to guy for venting about mindless pentatonic wankery. Now if Kirk always played like that ok, but he used to put a lot more thought into it and come up with good melodies and all that, while also being faster and more precise and less reliant on a wah to express himself. If stuff starts sounding empty without the wah you need to keep it turned off and relearn how to express yourself without a frequency sweep. Kirk seems to have done the opposite and fully committed to what barely sounds like a caricature of himself. And most guitarist don't seem to suffer substantially with age unless it is catastrophic. But a good guitarist is always improving, which counters age related decline. If you stop caring, therefore no longer work at it to improve and you get old and do a bunch of drugs and keep the wah always on, that's how you end up like Kirk Hammet. Seems to be a thing in the band. Lars Ulrich used to be quite good, now he's beibg constatly ridiculous. James seems to be the only one that kept it, so I think he's the only one who still cares from the early lineup.
@ I guess I can’t disagree there, but he still has his moments. “Halo on Fire”, the last solo of “Spit Out the Bone”, and “Inamorata”, in particular.
Kirk is one of the most well-known students of Joe Satriani, even doing two guitar lesson sessions per week.
And it didn't do much.
@@billydeewilliams9104 It did, years ago...
So what went wrong?
Its wierd because his playing is uninspired from how Joe plays, like he didn't learn from Joe Satriani, but he sounds self taught
It's strange because bands like Rush and Van Halen went through a change in "credibility" when they shifted in their approach in the 80's. EVH and Alex Lifeson were not the players people assumed they were, just like Kirk Hammett in the 90's.
That was the start to the Creeping Death solo by the way!
Yes, he said that in the video.
Yes, he said that in the video.
A fun run to play!
best metallica solo imo, even feels like death creeping up on you and killing you
I love how you broke this down! Thank you. May I suggest using a lighter color pick? It's hard to see the black pick against the surrounding black and grey color palette.
Nah he doesn’t suck, people don’t like him only because he has a one million dollar les paul 😂😂😂
😂
The hate for Kirk goes way before he bought that guitar
* two million dollars
It wasn't even half a million,and he got to make a payment plan for it, wow ,we're like peers now ,I'm broke too. Lol
Wtf are you talking about dude, No people don't like him because he took over for Mustaine
Many guitar players started playing guitar because of Metallica. They're great entry band, having both easy and catchy songs, as well as more intricate compositions, that really need some skill to play. Kirk showed his genius more than once. Saying he sucks, is nothing more than trying to be edgy. Sure, last Metallica records show, that they don't leave their comfort zone, but do they really have to? They already achieved everything as a band.
Easy songs. My ass.
They left their comfort zone in the 90s and got bashed for it
@@dermetzgermeister7336 That depends on your skill-level, if you are a begynner, all songs will have a level of difficulty, even ACDS
Yep. Everyone has their own tastes and preferences, it's not about saying everyone should love Metallica or his solos or whatever.
But when it comes to random people just trash talking, I keep 2 things in mind.
1. "Who are you? lol"
(at them, not you)
2. It's basically praise - People always come for the king.
I remember a time when thousands of kids around the world took up their guitars because of Kirk. I remember a time when thousands of kids around the world started drumming because of Lars Urlich and his legendary Tama kit. Times change. People change, they get older, they get slower, some things that mattered prior, don't matter nowadays. Thank God I was part of those generations of kids from the 80s and early 90s. Best era ever. Today's Z generation of kids will never understand that.
Metallica and Iron Maiden motivated me to learn guitar ! Love their work and passion.
Kirk is a great guitarist. The definition of what is good is morphing into a stupid competition of who can play the fastest or uses the most scales. Being good is just a sum of sounds created. Period.
definitely
They aren't the Rolling Stones. It should stand to reason that the more technical stuff would decline with age. He is 62 years old. Many of us are retired from our profession at that point. People who run legends into the ground, who are past their prime, aren't cool or funny. They are disrespectful.
You mean Metallica didn't get to be at the pinnacle of the thrash metal scene, and a major cross-over act... with 1/2 of their band being terrible musicians? With that logic, Dream Theater should have been the mostest greaterest band of all time, considering the skill of their entire lineup.
Kirk in particular has bad arthritis in hands and wrists, could easily be argued he shouldn't tour anymore for his own well being
The rolling stones are absolute garbage man, what you talking about.
@DennyG995 , exactly. Easy to play garbage.
No reason to listen to people who’ve never been able to achieve a single thing in their musical career tbh. It’s just envy. There’s a lot of hateful losers on the internet. It’s their escape from reality
Kirk Hammett is one of the most influential players for people of my age. I'm 51 years old, and I grew up listening to Metallica, Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche, Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and so on... KH is no John Petrucci, but what he brought to the guitar world must be respected. I will forever be grateful to Metallica who came in my life at a point where I could have easily slipped into oblivion. They literally saved my life and gave me a purpose in life. I have been playing guitar since 1988 and It's because of KH.
Absolutely 💯 correct 🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟
1000% agree with you, all that you said is correct but that doesn't erase the fact that Kirk suck and he just don't care anymore
@@georgorothhaven’t never seen your name mentioned in the guitar world,upset he’s living your dream is what it sounds like
@@tommilitello198 he's living everybody's dream and with your argument, Taylor Swift is really talented, i dond hate the guy, he had accomplished more than i ever dreamed of, he has more talent than everyone here but that doesn't erase the fact that compared with every single one of his peers, he completely sucks
NOOOOOO HE IS NOT!
Do a solo as awesome as "Master of Puppets" before calling him that he sucks at guitar. His phrasing on that, blows my mind. Why no body talks about Iron Maiden's solos. All of their tracks solo and phrasing are soooooo impressive that I don't think they get the prase they deserve for.
The Kirk from the pre-Black album era sounds different from after. These days it feels like he's doing the same pentatowah thing again and again.
Master of Puppets is a terrible solo and LITERALLY an example of why he is shit. WTF
What’s he done since 1988 that was as good as those three albums he wrote the solos for?
@@notsure1135 Granted they weren't but that doesn't qualify that he sucks at it
@@Addahasan you can’t remember how any solo post 1991 goes because they all sound the same. Admit it.
Everybody considers James one of the best rhythm guitarists of all time. Kirk plays all that stuff too
With respect intended, they certainly don't.
@@TripleMHimselfyou are incorrect
@@PapiSensei331I mean James is definitely super good no doubt, but from my personal experience his songs are really easy, I wouldn’t rank him up there with people like Kerry King, Scott Ian, Dave Mustaine, Zakk Wylde, Jim root, Mårten Hagström, or Dimebag.
@@ShredTarnished-1you think battery is easy? Or downpicking blackened?
@@ElevatedLevetatorI could play them at 10 years old but then again I was obsessed with guitar back in the day playing 5 hr a day
Well, the fact is that he is already 62 years old and I believe no one lives forever, especially the musicians.
What many people ignore about Hammett is as he himself has said he has so many problems with his body. He said he has major problems with his neck, shoulder, wrist while he also has arthritis I think.
People hold musicians to way too high of a standard. Kirk Hammett is a songwriter, not just a player. They say "I can play this, and I'm only considered intermediate, so therefore he isn't good". Well, he also made the solo, and you didn't. Odds are, the person saying these things generally can't write solos or riffs etc. as well as he can.
@BryceSchwager Yes, man, I also do not get the boasting ones completely, because the only thing that they perfrom great is the boasting around, nothing else.
And, by the way, the standart is exceptionally high because now we have nearly an unlimited amount of musicians to listen to. There are too many entries at the statistic analysis booth, that is the reason for having such a high level of standards.
Except keef
Without wanting to be too contentious and I know that Hammett is a controversial figure in the guitar world (for some reason) I will give my two cents.
First of all Kirk is a guy close to my heart cause he is the reason I picked up the guitar. Secondly to his defence he has mentioned many times that he has many problems with his body liek his shoulder, wrist, fingers, neck. Gary Holt mentioned recently that he suffers from arthritis and i think Kirk agreed in the past. Third he never claimed to be anything. He is really quite down to Earth person. He outright said that he was never interested in having great right hand technique.
Last but not least Metallica is ruled by James and Lars. The songs take their final form when James and Lars say so. Kirk in his recent EP gave us much much higher quality than what he did in the last two albums which means he still got it but maybe just maybe the leading band members do not agree with this approach. Lets not forget that je wanted solos in St. Anger and he was ignored completely.
He is controversial because he is worshipped by some Metallica fans and held up as one of the best metal guitarists ever, and many of us more experienced players would disagree. The positives are that he seems like a nice dude, he played some memorable solos early in his career and he can keep up with Hetfield live. The negatives for me are that he uses too much wah wah, his solos show no imagination or variation, his vibrato is poor, he hasn't played any great solos for over 30 years and his technical ability is average.
@@GordonHeaneyhey now, some of his solos on Death Magnetic were pretty sick
@@GordonHeaney i agree that he is not the most virtuoso player but back then the majority of thrash players weren't. If he had an attitude even a bit "ohhh look at me I am guitar god" I would say hia critiscm is valid but the guy literally never said anything remote to this and he keeps praising his peers like Schenker or Beck and co. He is so down to earth and he is not too blame for the Metallica fans. I have never seen anu guitarist getting so much hate.
Being a guitarist myself I have seen Metallica live multiple times. The fact that aftsr 40+ years him and James keep playing in sync never seizes to amaze me.
That said he loves using wah, i mean its his prerogative to do so. Wah is not my thing but I have friends who love to.use it all the time. Each to their own tbh.
As the other commenter said I liked his solos in Death Magnetic its not peak Kirk but they are good. In addition, i will say what James said during an interview in 2013:
"Individually none of us are in top class list as a guitarist, vocalist, drummer or bass...but together we manage to write great songs and put great live performances and this is our strength".
And I agree with this statement. They are a great band nothing morr nothing less.
@@GordonHeaney "many of us more experienced players" wouldnt call a wah a " wah wah"... Dik!
@@GordonHeaney lol okay buddy, im an experienced player too and i disagree with you and your alikes, kirk hammett is an awesome guitarist.
Internet in a nutshell:
Bernth, who can play circles around the old school guitar gods: Kirk is fine, Imma make a lesson on his work!
Mave Dustaine fanboys: Kirk bad, pentatonic wah bad...Dave gut, no wah, chromatic gut
Kirk on alums is a different story than Kirk live. He was still tight at that Moscow show and started to do some weird stuff around the first S&M..but was still ok. Nowadays, its a different story. He just overuses wah and cant play fast licks properly anymore. It's like 75% pick noise and mosquito vibrato
@saschamarr495 First of all let me say I enjoyed listening to you play, good job.👍 Usually Kirk's critics have no idea what pentatonic means and wouldn't recognize a wah if Kirk's rack unit hit them over the head followed by his five floor controllers. You are a breath of fresh air.
Secondly, 24 year old Kirk was better at fast licks than 62 year old Kirk with arthritis in both hands...OK, no argument...Just funny how the Internet thinks Keef and Ronnie are great guitarists, but Kirk sucks.
Thirdly, there is no such thing as overuse of wah🧐. Wah is love, Wah is life.
Fourthly, you are too harsh with the pick scratches and mosquito vibrato comment. You know it's not true, don't give the idiots new cliches to parrott.
Saw him live in 1999, 2009, 2012 and 2024. He was great and the thousands of people around me thought so. Not sure how much longer he will be great, so if you get a chance, go to a concert soon.
@@plamenpenkov2865 I like this reply, I think you summed it all up quite well! I guess I should have mentioned, I did start playing because of Kirk ..(and Dave) Wouldn't be where I am now without him, I guess I just wish people abilities wouldn't change with time ... but yea, time gets everyone. Take care!
@@plamenpenkov2865 Oh and thanks for the complement!
Even funnier when you consider Dave uses pentatonics if not more so than kirk
Load and Reload are masterpieces. I understand why die-hard Metallica fans never liked them, but having a man open his heart up on two albums for the world to hear, that is something else.
It's funny, when they play songs from those two albums, people always sing along. There are great songs on those albums. I love em
I got the personal coaching package on Patreon.
How can I get the custom practice plan?
Being able to craft memorable guitar parts requires both skill and talent there's a million instragram guitarists that can play circles around Kirk but very few that can craft a solo as memorable or distinctive
Sometimes a band don't need a superb guitarist. A "modest" guitarist who fits the band direction will have a bunch of great songs.
Kirk Hammett's solos almost always sound like pentatonic and picking exercises joined together.
You spelled Mave Dustaine wrong.
Lol most players play like this
Dave's solos do not sound like pentatonic exercies you just need a new pair of ears@@plamenpenkov2865
@@plamenpenkov2865Out of everything Dave can be criticized for, his Guitar chops isn't one of them.
@@birdsteak9267 What criticism?
It's a statement of fact. Everything Kirk is accused of, Dave is more guilty of. Except the wah.
Here some super duper Guitarists:
Mark Tremonti
Steve Stevens
Richie Sambora
Randy Rhodes
James Hetfield
Angus Young
These guys writing storys :)
Kirk is a great guitarplayer too and he inspired so many people!!!
We love all our heros :)
Albert King
Eric Clapton
Jimi Hendrix
There are so many out there ❤️🤘🏼🙏🏻
For parts like this I usually chain 3 wah pedals together and put on a larger shoe 😄
i personally just turn the guitar up and do hammer-ons and do like a mini-bar on the 12 and 14th frets to do that first chunk and then just hammers for the rest of the climb
Mr Hammett wrote some of the best solos in metal history and then stopped giving a fuck about guitar know it alls and did what he wanted when he wanted while selling millions of records.
Glad you did such a video.
Kirk is a great teacher and musician- he wrote an awesome metal guitar tutorial book and I really improved my skills with it. He does use wah pedal too much however.
Kirk is an amazing musician- he’s classically trained and then is able to go off into a heavy rock riff! I’ve ultimate respect for Kirk. ❤
The Jeff Beck tribute gig He played his solo in the wrong key. People where looking at him on stage.
Yes finally someone says it. For me Load and Reload are some of the coolest heavy rock/blues records ever. Love them ❤
I'm one of those weirdos who prefers Load to The Black Album, song wise. Kirk's playing on The Black Album is superior, but the ideas on Load are way more diverse and adventurous.
Sometimes when we're players ourselves, we're too focused on what we expect others to be playing, meeting our standard for their technical or musical potential, rather than just sit back and enjoy what they've created. Hammett plays what he's inspired to, and i think that shows. The solos from Death Magnetic through 72 Seasons aren't complex, but they're really not simplistic, either. They're fiery and fit the songs, and i would bet they'd be difficult for others to recreate with the same energy. i have to admit it's hard for me at first to turn off the "that's not the way i would have done it" part of my brain, but i enjoy the music much more when i do. Trust your favorite bands that they get the best result when they're doing the most inspiring thing for them.
Solos on songs like fade to black or Sanitarium are absolutely beautiful. Personally his best stuff for me. Music isn't always a tech demo
Hmmm… I am not a huge ’Tallica fan but here are my two cents. There are people who say X is a great guitar player meaning he/she has great technical skill. Yeah, it might be pointless arpeggios all the time and the song might be generic modern metal with no memorable hooks, but it is technically amazing.
And there are people who say Y is a great guitar player, because he/she knows how to write cool songs, never overplayed things, has a great ”feel” to the songs and solos.
There are players who can be both, but there are lots of players who are just one of these things. Who is right? Well, it is a matter of taste really. As long as you know what you like to hear, it should not matter what others think. No matter how great or bad you play does not make you a great performer, unless you attract an audience. So, Tony Iommi is a great player, Dave Mustaine, Kirk Hammett, Steve Vai, Adrian Smith, Glenn Tipton, Trey Azagtoth, Mathieu Pascal, Alexi Laiho, Jimi Hendrix… each one in his own special way.
Kirk's solos are among the most known solos in the history of 20 century's music......Fade to Black, One, Ride The Lighning, are in the top 10 of any Metal Solo list.......personally, I like the most his solo for Disposables Heroes, Orion, and Welcome Home Sanitarium........all those noobs who claim he can't play, are just armchair opinologist who channeled all their frustration after that clip from Some Kind of Monster bio, where James is having problems teaching Kirk some riff........after that, every frustrated crybaby started to claim he was a fraud and couldn't play guitar...........and all got worse with all those boring DJENT youtubers, who think making a solo means you have to over complicate everything technically and rythmically (all while trying to avoid melodies, because DJENT is basically unlisteanable after 10 measures).......
Saying that he sucks is wrong, but to say that he is top 100 guitar player is also wrong.
Yes he had good solo's back when he composed them, then he ran out of tricks and as with all busy bands, they don't have time to expand on their capabilities, and with Kirk it shows.
@@birdsteak9267 This.
I find top 100s boring anyway but as much as KH is a nice person he is not even close to being the top 10 metal guitarists I'd think of when talking metal. He seems like a genuinely nice person and slamming his playing is off in so many ways. People turn music into a competition and that is silly and childish. Tbh I personally don't care very much for solos in metal and even less for wah-wah use but that is on me.
Damn this guy breaking it down something serious. That’s a lot of work. Good for you man. Wow
Remember back in the Day when the Canon Rock Guy broke the Internet? There wasn’t so much judging back then. Good Old Days of the Internet! Now everybody seems to be an expert.
Good ol’ Jerry C
Anybody that think kurt or anyone from mettalica sucks, should watch the 1989 live dvd. Great performance
What is type of pick in this video? Jazz?
Jazz III
Have you listened Depressive She's axemen.?
Kirk is a great guitarist. I do not know how the people realised that he is bad when the reality and the facts say that he is great?
what Ibanez is that? Great video
I like those think that Kirk is in the “wrong” band
He is really inspired by blues and 60’s music and he kind off implements it in his thrash metal playing.
If you llsten to load and reload, two way softer, rocky bluesy albums you can hear his approach to solos is not that different. Yes, slower but it’s works better for that genre.
Kirk is 💯 the reason i love solos. Hes not the only one buf he us Amazing. It isn't just sbout how technical and definitely not how fast you play. Its got to sound good and make you feel something
Yes but writing is the best thing a person can do not soloing no one cares about 100 notes a second writing songs is the real strength of a guitar player look at Eddie great songwriting randy great songwriting george lynch the same
So he’s good right? I love his riffs
That picking pattern puts me in mind of the dude from Into Eternity. It’s a quick way to build up speed. Hammering on unpicked notes between downstrokes is pretty quick too but there’s too many notes to sound audible
Kirk is one of the most influential guitarist, riffs and legendary solos. It’s funny how I never heard a single song from those “critics” …
I have been trying to play that intro of the creeping death solo for years definitely the hardest passage Kirk ever played pure alternate picking
Thanks for that video, I had never been able to play that part of the solo
Anybody who thinks Kirk sucks at guitar, doesn’t play guitar on any level other than strumming a few basic C, D, G chords at a party. If you play guitar, lead guitar, you wouldn’t make such a comment about one of the greatest and most creative guitarists of all time. I love the solo from Sad But True. That beginning of the solo where he slides into a 12/13 two string shape. Such a raunchy sound. Those EMG pickups through that black Les Paul…man, it sounds like a demonic growl. One, Master of Puppets, Battery, Wherever I May Roam-damn Kirk’s guitar technique and accuracy SLAMS and GOES HARD AF.
😂
People forget how may great riffs Kirk actually wrote. It wasn't just Enter Sandman. His EP is pretty good too.
I've listened to nothing past the black album. But those first 5 i still listen to.
I tried to get back into them with death magnetic , but for me it wasn’t the same. I believe master of puppets was their peak, but I’m old
Kirk Hammet is the reason I play guitar. The reason why his solo's aren't the same as the 80's is because kirk had the time to compose the solo's. Whereas the new recording format requires him to improvise on the spot and record with a live a band. We shouldn't be hating on him as he had a method to his solo's and that was disrupted with the new recording method that band uses. I urge everyone to relisten to ..And justice for all, Load and Reload. That was some of Kirks best work.
These people who talk shit about him are just sad losers online who will achieve nothing in life!
Kirk stopped playing guitar in 1989. Since then, he exclusively played the wah pedal.
Do you use guitar pro with your courses?
If we all walked round with mirrors around our neck, we wouldn't be so quick to judge others.
Many guitarists are too focused on shredding The average listener will only recognize memorable riffs the majority being very melodic simplest slower riffs are the ones that stand out getting too complicated only pleases metal enthusiasts and they start sounding like the same guitarist undistinguishable where you have recognizable guitar players that play solos that stand out.
Exactly. Blackmore’s Stargazer comes to mind. Melodic, memorable with just enough fast runs to give the listener the warm fuzzies
I feel like nowadays he just plays as he feels rather than trying to push himself, its both good and bad but honestly that's what I hope to become. Someone who just does what they want
He downgraded his soloing to basicly pentatonc's first box but he sounds better and seems more in his element with this change. Surely I Like him more now.
You probably put ketchup on everything…
@notsure1135 wrong, mayonaise. 😐
@ we’re not talking Smashing Pumpkins here bro, which I could happily do so for days.
Load and reload are underrated as F*** love these albums.
Someone should ask James what it's like to be the best frontman, guitarist and DRUMMER in the entire band.
Does your wedding band ever affect your playing? I've had to adjust my picking slightly and switch to a silicone ring when picking at fast speeds.
So you're a Lefty
I’m a lefty and no, it doesn’t affect me at all.
Absolutely! He sucks ass now but that’s why we love him! Growing up he was one of my favourite players but a lot of it comes down to laziness and refusing to practice/learn new things over the years. His old stuff is still awesome though!
@BERNTHGuitarAcademy Another cool pattern to practice with is the intro guitar solo from Trial by Fire by Testament.
He's making more money than probably any guitarist out there 😮know one else can play those songs like he does 😁
Name another guitar player who played better solo’s than this guy did from 84-92. Hes awesome.
this stuff is great ive been stuck on rhythm for ever these types of tips are making me think i can do leads after all :)
People realize that not all stars are virtuoso's and instantly claim "they suck." You can be a great guitarist and have off moments-most do
Agree with you Dream Theater did the whole Master of Puppets live and John Petrucci had a hard time holding back on the solos he picked most of the notes.
ride the lightnings solos are insane
The only thing that I don't like about his playing.....his Vibrato...other than that he's a legend 🤘
Original tabs had it on same b string and pulled off the 17th fret. It’s actually way easier to do this way
I find the solo of inamorata incredible soulful, beautiful and powerful! Haters are garbage. You can enjoy ultra-technical stuff like Necrophagist or Obsbcura and also enjoy more bluesy and soulful stuff as well. I swear, some "metalheads" are just immature and envious kids.
Kirk doesn't suck just I think people that are not musicians don't understand that overtime music preferences changes and can change how we as musicians approach new songs. I think they don't understand that and expect the same thing album to album when that is not ideal. I rather just appreciate what they create and learn to understand why they chose to go the route they went instead of complain about it.
El solo de one me motivó, entre otras piezas musicales, a tocar la guitarra, así que, si alguien te motiva de esa forma, ese alguien es especial, con riffs y solos especialmente maravillosos y legendarios, por ende, es uno de los grandes de toda la historia.
Kirk wrote many iconic songs that people want to hear. So many technically proficient guitarists can't write to save their lives.
chunking is what I alwais did as self learner. I didn't know it had a name, but I'm gladI did things correctly for once xD
load reload and st anger are amazing.
Do people know how fucking hard it is to create music let alone 40 years of good music?
i think he needs to take more time writing is all. the fade to black intro solo sounds like he worked very hard and shows me that he does have great technique
The Unforgiven 3 solo is I think Kirk’s best solo past the black album. If you haven’t heard it, you’re missing out
I blame the tab books for James being considered a GOD. Anyway, in the last few years (decade), Kirk has been the one who has been holding it down. If you watch a lot of live performances, James is not quite as fast as he was, and it is Kirk who is picking up the slack.
I don't care about people who judge other musicians. Be one.
People can like what they want. Apparently a lot of people like Kirk. But if you understand music and have any kind of an ear, you'll know that Kirk plays out of tune, and with very little melody. Sounds like he learned scale shapes and plays patterns mixed with "blues" licks that don't fit the heavy style of Metallica. No feel for blues at all, no groove and stiff. There are many players that play better than Kirk. But he's Kirk. You don't
have to be good to be called good.
Admit it or not majority of us guitar players when we start learning the guitar, we all look up and try to imitate the guitar solos of kirk. he is the leaving proof you don't need lighning fast sweeps and shred to be a millionare.
Kirk’s Portals EP is incredible! 🔥
Yup, Metallica is the same reason as well. The way I view Metallica is they matured musically and didn't just want to play thrash. They just want to make music.
*ROTFL*
Exactly.
If I sucked as much as he does I'd be famous too! 😜
Sure, solos like end of the line, now that we’re dead, and darkness had a son are some weird solos. There overheated, and people are forgetting about solos like 72 seasons, spit out the bone, and room of mirrors. Kirk has not not lost the ability to play good solos, just the bad ones get worse and worse
It’s actually insane for anyone to say Kirk sucks at guitar, while he’s not my favorite guitarist I like Dave and Marty much better lol I still respect Kirk and his work, and he’s wildly more successful then like 99% of anyone who has ever picked up a guitar
Would be cool if you can make simmilar video for Annihilator "Crystal ann" solo , it is on acoustic and it is very hard to do it right imo
...what your remedy for sweaty palms...things rust quickly...rusty metal issues...answer : go play the drums instead...but ended up with slipping drumstick...duh!...finally just settled on just listening
He took #1 greatest guitarist of 2003 in rolling Stones top 100 greatest guitarist of all time. And has a net work of 200 million. Wish I sucked that bad.
The solo at the end of “suicide and redemption” is a nice
I bought myself the perfect Christmas gift , a Gibson explorer (WHITE) because of James Hetfield .
I agree Kirk should go back to composing solos. If you took the best songs from Load and Reload you would have a bad ass hard rock album. My pick for Kirks best solo is the Unforgiven
Sounds a lot like racing super bikes and what not in exercise #3 😂