METALLICA's KIRK HAMMETT Praises New LAMB OF GOD Album

METALLICA's Kirk Hammett has praised the new LAMB OF GOD album, saying it is 'seriously great."

Just days after "Lamb Of God"'s release, Kirk took to his Instagram to share the LP's cover and included the following message: "As a long time LAMB OF GOD fan , I just want to say that this album is SERIOUSLY GREAT !!! @lambofgod"

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe reacted to Kirk's comment, writing: "Thanks bro! We appreciate it!"

Back in 2016, Hammett told Malay Mail Online that he remains supportive of younger generations of heavy metal artists. He said he was fond of LAMB OF GOD, saying he had "high hopes" for the group every time it releases an album. He also praised French progressive metallers GOJIRA, saying that they were "the best thing I've heard in a long time. I love their new album," he said. "I think it's an incredible piece of art. It's heavy, it's vibey, it's moody. It has all the things you want to hear — great complex rhythms, great drumming, great riffs, great songs."

Hammett previously singled out Swedish metallers MESHUGGAH as a band that was doing something different from the rest of the pack. He said in a 2002 interview: "You know, I think MESHUGGAH is brilliant. A lot of that extreme stuff doesn't make much sense to me, but when I heard MESHUGGAH, and everybody was talking about them at Ozzfest, I just sort of... I just respect it a lot. That type of stuff, it's not something that I listen to on a daily basis, but it's interesting to me. And there's not a lot of metal stuff that is that interesting. But like MESHUGGAH, that's really fucking interesting. You sit there and say, how does he actually play that on drums? And then you start getting into like, well, does he actually play that on drums? [Laughs] But it sits in a very different place compared to anything else I've heard."

The guitarist echoed those comments in 2016 after joining MESHUGGAH on stage in San Jose, California during the second installment of his annual horror-themed Fear FestEvil. He said: "They're one of the best metal bands out there for a variety of reasons, man. In terms of technique and virtuosity, in terms of originality, there's no precedent before MESHUGGAH. They have set a precedent, and they are so unique. It's almost 'Dada-esque.' I know I'm using a lot of big fifty-cent words here, but it's the only way I can really explain how I think and how I feel about them."

METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", was released in November 2016 through the band's own Blackened Recordings.