5 Albums I Can’t Live Without: Kirk Hammett of Metallica

Kirk Hammett shares his favorite albums that he can’t live without. Metallica’s famous guitarist Kirk Hammett shares his 5 albums of all time.

As Metallica‘s main guitarist, Hammett has permanently influenced the band’s reputation and the landscape of heavy music. When he joined Metallica in 1983, Kirk Hammett provided an impressive combination of technical skill and emotional playing that catapulted the band to the forefront of metal.

James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett were named 23rd on Rolling Stone’s list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003. Hammett was named number 15 in Joel McIver’s book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists, which came out in 2009.

After his arrival in the band at a difficult time in creating Metallica‘s sound coincided with the production of “Kill ‘Em All,” the band’s debut album. Hammett‘s skill at complex solos in Metallica‘s thrash-based songs became an identifying feature of their style.

Albums like “Ride the Lightning” and “Master of Puppets,” both released in the mid-1980s, showcased Hammett’s guitar prowess at an all-time high. Hammett‘s skills to balance technical accuracy and emotional resonance, as heard in the haunting melodies of “Fade to Black” and the frantic fury of “Creeping Death,” helped establish Metallica as the genre’s leaders.

Hammett also loved horror movies since the late 1960s and this is something that many people know about him. Hammett’s parents put him in front of the TV after he hurt his arm in a fight with his sister when he was five years old. This is when he saw The Day of the Triffids for the first time. After hearing his brother Rick‘s huge collection of records, Hammett became interested in music.

He sold his scary magazines to buy records, which led him to start playing the guitar properly when he was 15. The first guitar Hammett owned was a “wholly unglamorous” Montgomery Ward catalog special. It came with a shoebox amp with a four-inch speaker. After getting a copy of a 1978 Fender Stratocaster, Hammett tried changing the sound of his guitar by adding different parts until he finally bought a 1974 Gibson Flying V.

Let’s look at Kirk Hammett‘s favorite albums he can’t live without below!

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Kirk Hammett’s Favorite Albums That He Can’t Live Without

Metallica‘s famous guitarist Kirk Hammett has shared his respect for various musicians. And Hammett picks his favorite albums he can’t live without. Regardless, he loves to listen to different genres but also loves heavy metal, rock and roll, progressive rock, and classical rock musicians, specifically those who influenced him for life.

Which music albums does Kirk Hammett listen to?

“Absolution” – Muse
“Ashes Of The Wake” – Lamb of God
“Welcome To Jamrock” – Damian Marley
“Turn On The Bright Lights” – Interpol
“Kid A” – Radiohead

1. “Absolution” – Muse

Muse‘s third studio album, “Absolution,” was released in 2003. “Apocalypse Please,” the album’s first song, is about the end of the world. It sets the mood for the big story that plays across their songs. The next song, “Time Is Running Out,” shows that Muse can make a radio-friendly hit without giving up their usual level of depth.

When the first song, “Stockholm Syndrome,” came out as a file, it was claimed more than 20,000 times. Muse couldn’t let people download it for free because they had to follow their deal, so the price was set at $0.99 in the US. Muse played in stadiums for the first time on the tour for Absolution. In 2004, they were the main act at Glastonbury Festival.

Songs were also written by Matthew Bellamy, Dominic Howard, and Chris Wolstenholme. Matthew Bellamy wrote the lyrics.

2. “Ashes Of The Wake” – Lamb of God

“Ashes of the Wake,” released in 2004 by Epic Records, is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Lamb of God. The album opened at number 27 on the Billboard 200, selling 35,000 copies in its first week and was named by Guitar World as the 49th best Guitar Album of all Time.

Songs like “Ashes of the Wake” (which features excerpts of former Marine Staff Sergeant Jimmy Massey in an interview after his return from the Iraq War), “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For,” “One Gun,” and “The Faded Line” were all inspired by the events of the war in Iraq.

The opening line of “Omerta” paraphrases the Mafia‘s code of silence in Sicily.

Let’s look at how many copies of “Ashes of the Wake” are sold worldwide. In the United States alone, Ashes of the Wake has sold 398 thousand copies as of August 2010. Lamb of God’s best-selling album has sold over 400,000 copies since its 2004 release. In February 2016, the album received gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.

Kirk Hammett shares why he likes Lamb of God’s “Ashes of the Wake” as one of his favorite albums he can’t live without:

“As a long-time Lamb of God fan. I just want to say that this album is Seriously Greaty! @lambofgod.

3. “Welcome To Jamrock” – Damian Marley

Damian Marley‘s “Welcome to Jamrock” album was released in 2005. Damian Marley is the famous Bob Marley‘s youngest son, emerged from his father’s towering legacy with a distinct voice and a fresh viewpoint, as seen by the breakthrough album.

“Welcome to Jamrock,” the album’s title tune, acts as the album’s centerpiece and an anthem in its own right.

Tracks like “There for You” and “Pimpa’s Paradise” showcase Damian Marley’s flexibility as a musician, merging soothing vocals with conscious lyrics that represent Jamaica’s hardships and successes. The album also includes duets with Nas on “Road to Zion,” which adds a hip-hop feel to the record and broadens its appeal.

“Welcome to Jamrock” shows Damian Marley‘s passion to continue on his father’s heritage of using reggae as a platform for social commentary and action. The album received critical acclaim and multiple honors, including the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2006.

Kirk Hammett reveals why he likes Damian Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock” as one of his favorite albums he can’t live without:

“Damian Marley’s ‘Welcome to Jamrock’ – the original and, for some reason, a live version with Jack Johnson — and it doesn’t stop there.”

4. “Turn On The Bright Lights” – Interpol

Interpol‘s debut album, “Turn On The Bright Lights,” released in 2002, is a post-punk masterpiece that heralded the beginning of a new era in indie music and established the band as one of the defining groups of the early 2000s.

The album reached number 101 on the UK Albums Chart when it was released. It peaked at number 158 on the Billboard 200 and spent 73 weeks on the Billboard Independent Albums list, peaking at number five. The songs “PDA,” “Obstacle 1,” and the double a-side single “Say Hello to the Angels” / “NYC” were released as singles, with all but “Say Hello to the Angels” receiving music videos.

In a short interview about the “Turn On the Bright Lights” album’s 15th anniversary, guitarist Daniel Kessler revealed that the album’s opening track, “Untitled,” was composed expressly to launch the band’s live shows. This explains why the song is labeled “Untitled,” as the band considers it the intro song. The song’s riff was called as “Signature Daniel” by lead singer Paul Banks.

5. “Kid A” – Radiohead

Radiohead‘s “Kid A,” released in 2000, is regarded as a pioneering and genre-defying album that defied rock music traditions, signifying a drastic divergence from the band’s previous style.

Also, “Kid A” is an important album from Radiohead‘s earlier guitar-driven anthems, showing the band’s willingness to embrace experimentation, electronic elements, and avant-garde composition.

In its first week, “Kid A” sold more than 207,000 copies in the US and became Radiohead‘s first number-one album on the Billboard 200. It also opened at number one in the UK.

But by the end of the decade, Kid A was voted the best album of the 2000s by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and the Times. In 2020, Rolling Stone updated its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” and put it at number 20. Another Grammy Award winner, this one for Best Alternative Album. It was also nominated for Album of the Year. Platinum awards have been given to it in Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the US, and the UK.

Eight months later 2004, a second record called Amnesiac was released. It had songs from the first album. The anniversary version of “Kid A Mnesia” was released in 2021. It included Kid A, Amnesiac, and stuff that had not been released.

Fans have said that “Kid A” is one of the best records of all time since it won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2001.

Kirk Hammett talks about why he likes Radiohead’s “Kid A” as one of his favorite albums he can’t live without:

“My musical tastes change every week. I get stuck on a certain CD and play the s*** out of it, driving everyone around me crazy. But the best guitar thing I’ve heard in a long time is the new Radiohead album. I listen to so much different music.”

What are your thoughts on Metallica‘s guitarist Kirk Hammett‘s favorite albums that he can’t live without? Let us know in the comment section!