kirk hammet?

armitaan

least has always been instantly recogniseable from his sound and technique, and agree hasn't really progressed as some others have done over such a long career but think he was right for the sound and style of the band. There are many "better" guitar players out there who have achieved very little in comparison and who will be quickly forgotten as just another shredder

usedtobe

I don't really know much of their stuff, and I'm not really that familiar with his playing.
As for writing stuff, songwriting credits aren't always shared fairly in bands, are they..? So, I dunno. Maybe some of you know better than I, how the band ticks..?

I do find all the hating rather tiresome, I must say. I did watch the 'Some kind of monster ' film, though, and I thought he came across as a very nice chap, indeed!

MattFGBI

Metallica is the Lars and James show. Kirk is still there because they can tell him what to do. Mustaine wouldn't be pushed around. 

Anyway, Master of Puppets was the last Metallica album in my opinion. 

DulcetJones

ICBM said:

I believe that Marc Bolan used to get the same sort of hate forty years ago, for being a terrible guitarist - for seeming to know about two chords, not being able to string together a listenable solo, having about two different rhythms that he always played, all that sort of thing… which depending on how you look at it is mostly true. But he had *something* else - hard to define exactly what, but a unique feel and sense of groove is part of it, as well as a knack for writing catchy songs.

Forty years later, who is remembered - Bolan, or anyone who criticised him?

I agree 100%, I still have almost everything he did on vinyl and still like listening to him.  Conversely, I only have one Hendrix album even though I would rate Hendrix much higher on the guitar skills scale.  It's a matter of taste for me.  Bolan had something he injected into every aspect of his songs, his words, vocal inflections and his limited guitar skills that just worked.  I've never been able to get through a whole Metallica album, not my thing, and as for all the 80's pointy guitar, tap a million notes a minute guys, "so many notes, so little music".

blueskunk

Jealous cunts usually

Monstronaut

I think his solos are fine and are well composed. The problem with his playing is his vibrato. It makes everything he plays sound sound slightly out of tune. I don't begrudge him his position at all. Whilst James and Lars are clearly in charge, Kirk has written some great riffs over the years(Enter Sandman being one of his) and clearly works hard and seems reasonably unaffected.

siraxeman

Who wrote sad ut true?  Thats a great song of theirs....guessing it was a hetfield number?  

Steffo

Robert Trujillo is the best musician in the band in my opinion, Just love the way he plays. None of the others are bad at all but no virtuoso. As a group they are awesome, my fatourite band.

octatonic

siraxeman said:

Haha.....i was waiting for this very response. So kirky doesn't write anything or any of his rhythm parts? Does james spoonfeed him all his rhythm parts? If kirky really was so bad i think your hero hetfield would have twigged by now....

You tell me...

octatonic

Monstronaut said:

I think his solos are fine and are well composed. The problem with his playing is his vibrato. It makes everything he plays sound sound slightly out of tune. I don't begrudge him his position at all. 

Neither do I.
I don't hate the guy- but he just isn't a player who I admire.
And yes, he has a major problem with intonation on the instrument- you see that every time you see them live.

guitarfishbay

I thought Hetfield played all the rhythms on the albums 

octatonic

guitarfishbay said:

I thought Hetfield played all the rhythms on the albums 

I've heard this- not sure I believe it though.
But live you can see who is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to the rhythm playing.

Sassafras

Kirk who?

ICBM

octatonic said:

But live you can see who is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to the rhythm playing.

Or alternatively not leaving any space for anyone else…

Not criticising, this is one of my faults as a guitarist and why I eventually discovered I was happier in a one-guitar band - I have a tendency to try to play the whole song, all the time, rather than 'parts' - especially with things I wrote where I've often worked out the whole thing on one guitar. As the main songwriter Hetfield may be similar.

MattFGBI

ICBM said:

octatonic said:

But live you can see who is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to the rhythm playing.

Or alternatively not leaving any space for anyone else…

Not criticising, this is one of my faults as a guitarist and why I eventually discovered I was happier in a one-guitar band - I have a tendency to try to play the whole song, all the time, rather than 'parts' - especially with things I wrote where I've often worked out the whole thing on one guitar. As the main songwriter Hetfield may be similar.

Nah. Kirk just can't keep the pace. 
......and all the good solos are Hetfield. 

Lebarque

This is reminding me of the 'dictators' thread. Most bands have dictators and passengers. Don't have a go at the passengers - if it wasn't for them, there would be no band harmony. In fact, traditionally I'm quite opinionated in bands - can't help it. So with my latest one, I'm trying to be more of a passenger.

IvanMC

You're right. He was all right for the band. Actually he was good in those days. I'm talking about the 80's and early 90's. Metallica have been finished for a long time. They make some money nowadays, and that's what Kirk does: he gigs with Metallica, play his old, everlasting licks, has some fun, and that's all. That's MY opinion indeed, some might love their new material. I seriously don't. Hasn't Kirk ever released a solo album?

Philly_Q

IvanMC said:

Hasn't Kirk ever released a solo album?

He hasn't.  Do you think he should?

ICBM

Anyway, look on the bright side... by playing that way, he's made so much money he's been able to buy Peter Green's Les Paul and probably caused a couple of blues purists to drop dead of apoplexy.

BloodEagle

MattFGBI said:

ICBM said:

octatonic said:

But live you can see who is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to the rhythm playing.

Or alternatively not leaving any space for anyone else…

Not criticising, this is one of my faults as a guitarist and why I eventually discovered I was happier in a one-guitar band - I have a tendency to try to play the whole song, all the time, rather than 'parts' - especially with things I wrote where I've often worked out the whole thing on one guitar. As the main songwriter Hetfield may be similar.

Nah. Kirk just can't keep the pace. 
......and all the good solos are Hetfield. 

Absolute cack - youve heard Creeping Death? Seek & Destroy? Whiplash? The guy, for the frist 3 or 4 albums at least, was amazing. This internet wisdom that he's a terrible guitar player is spouted by people mostly too young to have ever seen them play when they were an utterly fantastic live band, and Kirk Hammet was a huge part of that