When you think of Kirk Hammett’s most iconic solos, tracks like “Master of Puppets” or “Fade to Black” probably come to mind. But in a recent revelation that’s left METALLICA fans buzzing, the legendary guitarist named “Hero of the Day”—a lesser-hyped gem from the band’s Load era—as the song that features his best guitar solo ever. That’s right—not the thrash classics, not the stadium anthems, but a mid-’90s curveball.
Here’s what Hammett had to say about the solo in a new interview with Guitar World: “The solo in ‘Fuel’ was done on the green Strat from the ‘I Disappear’ video. I love that guitar so much. I still have it; that thing just feels like an old friend. So I really love how that solo came out. But it’s a tough question, bro.”
“I think I’ll say it’s the one from ‘Hero of the Day’. Every note counts and fits perfectly. I feel like everything is in its right place and the solo lifts the song to another level, which I always try to do – even if I’m not always successful. The track has a different level of intensity afterwards.”
While METALLICA’s Load and Reload era remains one of the most divisive periods in their discography, guitarist Kirk Hammett recently expressed his openness to revisiting that sound.
During a recent episode of the “Rolling Stone Music Now”, he reflected on the album’s bluesy, groove-driven style and hinted that he wouldn’t mind crafting another record in a similar vein.
Could fans see a return to the Load era’s bold musical direction? Here’s what Hammett had to say: “Yeah, who knows? We might just say, ‘Okay, let’s go back to the ’90s again.’ It’s not a bad idea. We haven’t said that to each other yet. And it’s interesting because when Load and Reload came out, there was a lot of derision, there was a lot of backlash. It was too much change.
“We changed our appearance, we changed our sound, we changed the way we recorded,” he continued. “I was even playing different guitars and f**king tuning to E flat and listening to a lot of blues and jazz. And so all those factors came out on Load and Reload to make what Load and Reload are, and Load and Reload are so different from anything that came before it. It’s interesting, ’cause nowadays I run into fans and they love that era — they love Load and Reload. But when those albums first came out, it was, like, ‘F**k Load. F**k Reload. F**k METALLICA.’ But nowadays we play ‘Fuel’ and people go nuts.”
“ When I was a teenager, I listened to all the [LED] ZEPPELIN albums except [Led] Zeppelin III, because it was more acoustic and I just wanted the high-energy, aggressive stuff, ’cause that’s what I’d like when I was a kid. But over time, I really came to embrace Zeppelin III and how wonderful it is. And now I f**king fully understand it and its place in ZEPPELIN‘s catalog. And I think a similar theme kind of happened with Load and Reload. After people got over the initial shock and the challenge, people kind of sat down and gave an honest listen and said, ‘Oh, it’s not really that bad at the end of the day.’
METALLICA recently announced a new film, Metallica Saved My Life, directed by award-winning Jonas Åkerlund. The movie delves into the impact of METALLICA on their fans, including the band members, showcasing their shared experiences over four decades. It’s slated for release this spring and summer as a work-in-progress.
Source: metaladdicts.com
