KIRK HAMMETT Explains Why Leaving METALLICA Is 'Not An Option' For Him

In a new interview with U.K.'s Telegraph, METALLICA's Kirk Hammett addressed his "peacekeeper" reputation within the band, saying: "I have to say, I do have a temper. And I can butt heads with people. I butt heads with [METALLICA frontman] James [Hetfield] and [METALLICA drummer] Lars [Ulrich] occasionally."

Asked what they disagree on, Hammett said: "Oh, everything. It's just part of being in a band and being with someone for 40-plus years."

According to Hammett, he "equally as ornery as Lars and James" when he first joined METALLICA in 1983. "When I joined the band, I was right in there talking shit and doing crazy stuff, just as much as James and Lars and Cliff [Burton, then-METALLICA bassist] were. Sometimes prickly people turn on other people around them."

Elaborating on the toxic masculinity that "fueled" METALLICA in the band's early days, Hammett said: "We were like a gang of youths and just looking for somewhere to belong. I came from a broken home, James came from a broken home, Lars came from a broken home. The most well-adjusted person was Cliff Burton. We were all basket cases. But we created this thing called METALLICA that's been our refuge. It's been the one constant in our lives.

"My dad was a full-blooded Irishman who liked to drink and liked to scrap," he added. "He was always fighting people, even fighting his friends. He would get together with my uncles and it was just one big fucking toxic soup of masculinity, and that's what I came out of."

Despite his occasional disagreements with his METALLICA bandmates, Hammett said that he has no intentions of exiting the group. "Leaving METALLICA is not an option," he explained. "If I ever left METALLICA, everyone in the world would remind me that I used to be in METALLICA."

Hammett was a member of EXODUS's original lineup before replacing Dave Mustaine in METALLICA in 1983. In fact, Hammett was not only the person who came up with the EXODUS name, but also the first from the band to meet original EXODUS singer Paul Baloff and brought him into the group. With Hammett on guitar, METALLICA went on to record its debut album, "Kill 'Em All", later in 1983.

In a 1994 interview with Metal Hammer, Hammett said his EXODUS bandmates were less than happy about his decision to leave the band.

As previously reported, Kirk has partnered with Gibson Publishing to release "The Collection: Kirk Hammett", available in three premium formats now in The Metallica Store, on Gibson.com and in Gibson Garage locations. The 400-page luxury coffee table book explores Kirk's arsenal of guitars in unprecedented detail, including exclusive new interviews with Kirk conducted by Gibson editor-in-chief Chris Vinnicombe and director of brand experience Mark Agnesi. The book features photos from Ross Halfin, shot on location in Hawaii and Los Angeles, alongside rare images from the photographer's archives.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin