METALLICA's KIRK HAMMETT Collaborates With Music Director EDWIN OUTWATER On Horror-Themed Instrumentals

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett has collaborated with music director Edwin Outwater on two horror-themed instrumentals that were supposed to be played with the Vancouver Symphony next month. Outwater previously worked with METALLICA and the 70-piece San Francisco Symphony on the chart-topping album "Metallica And San Francisco Symphony: S&M²".

Speaking to the METALLICA fan-club magazine So What!, Hammett said: "I recorded those tracks with Edwin, a small chamber orchestra and some other musicians." Adding that the songs "feel like the best fucking things I've ever done," he said: "One of them is called 'High Plains Drifter' and the other one's called 'The Incantation'. They're not done yet. [They are] still in the rough mix stages. I mean, I have to get the rough mixes, but I have four tracks now. And the four tracks are like four different movies, man. They're not movie soundtracks; they're like movies. They tell a story."

"Metallica And San Francisco Symphony: S&M²" documents METALLICA's September 2019 sold-out shows with the San Francisco Symphony. The package was made available in various formats, ranging in price from $17 to $300, in August.

The "S&M²" concerts were historic on multiple levels: They served as the grand opening of San Francisco's Chase Center, reunited the band and Symphony for the first time since the 1999 performances captured on the Grammy-winning "S&M" album, and featured the first-ever symphonic renditions of songs written and released since those original "S&M" shows.

In a recent interview with WaterlooChronicle.ca, Outwater stated about his collaboration with METALLICA: "I'm just so amazed at how METALLICA has cultivated their fan base.

"There are superfans in every genre. The thing that really struck me from this experience is that for people not used to this kind of music, who find it intimidating, violent and negative, the vibe in the concert was so positive and uplifting.

"When you walk in, it's a welcoming environment. You're part of a family."

Regarding his pre-concert strategy sessions with drummer Lars Ulrich and singer James Hetfield, Outwater said: "They're the most lovely people to work with. They were all up for this adventure. My job was translating ideas for classical jargon to metal jargon."

He added: "They're incredibly supportive of each other and comfortable," comparing the founding duo's interactions to "an old married couple."

"They've done all that craziness and reached the point of maturity."