As one of the biggest heavy metal bands of all time, Metallica gets their fair share of criticism for a variety of subjects. Whether it’s “St. Anger,” “Lulu,” Lars’ drumming, album mixes or whatever else is the hot topic among keyboard warriors, the band is not without its detractors and/or trolls.
In the latest chapter of people in the online community criticizing Metallica, a decent amount of ire has been directed towards guitarist Kirk Hammett for his guitar solo on “Lux Æterna.”
Metallica is set to release their new album, “72 Seasons,” on Friday.
In a new interview with Total Guitar, Hammett dismissed the idea that his solo on the tune is bad because it’s so simple. Instead, the guitarist insists he’s playing what’s right for the song instead of inserting loads of technical wizardry.
“Yeah, my f*cking friends down the street could probably play a better solo than ‘Lux Æterna’ — but what’s the point?” he said. “For me, what’s appropriate is playing for the song and playing in the moment.”
Some YouTubers called it his “worst solo,” and others offered up their own “improved” versions.
Hammett responded and said he had seen some of the videos/comments: “I was just laughing the whole time. I could string together like six or seven three-octave arpeggios in 16th notes, sit there every day and practice it and go, ‘Hey, look what I can do!’ but where am I gonna put it? That won’t work in any Metallica song.
“Arpeggios? Come on! In a guitar solo, mapped out like a lot of people do, four or five chords with a different arpeggio over each one? It sounds like an exercise. I don’t want to listen to exercises and warm-ups every time I hear a song.”
“The only guys out there who I think convincingly play arpeggios as a means of expression are Joe Satriani, Yngwie [Malmsteen] and Paul Gilbert.”
“I know my modes, Hungarian scales, symmetrical scales, I know all that sh*t. Is it appropriate? Maybe earlier in our time, but not now,” he said. “What’s more appropriate is coming up with melodies that are more like vocal melodies. And guess what? The best scale for mimicking vocal melodies is the pentatonic.”
Hammett also said he likes more complicated playing but wants it to come “from the heart.”
“I love from-the-heart playing, and I’ve heard real technical playing that’s from the heart. Allan Holdsworth, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Yngwie — they all play from the heart, but for a lot of guys it’s just like sports or the Olympics. Music is to reflect beauty, creativity, feeling, life. There is a place and there’s an audience for all that stuff, but I feel there comes a time when people just get tired of that.”
“Today, you know, people are doing really interesting stuff with technique,” Hammett said. “Technique is reaching new boundaries and I love that, but I have to stress it’s important to play for the song. If you do that, your music will have that much more integrity and lasting power.”
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