Portals - Kirk Hammett

I don’t care when the new Metallica album comes out, I just hope it’s soon enough where this EP influences Kirk enough to not fucking improv every solo he plays. Based on this song this release is going to be the most thought out material he’s done since the Load era.

I thought the solo was ok-ish, I prefered all the rest composed by Kirk and the conductor.

Same here. It's gotten many spins on my nighttime walks once the kids are sleeping. If the whole EP has the same vibes and orchestration aspects I will be more than satisfied.

I wonder if James and Lars have heard anything else and what their thoughts are. Like if there was something from all that that they would have liked to have hijacked for Metallica, but given the history, decided to let Kirk have his moment and space with these.

I think both Kirk and Rob are being held back in Metallica so something like this is nice to see. It's not like James and Lars were ever going to use these riffs anyway. They'd be in the riff vault forever.

I've actually built up a little bit of hype for tomorrow in my head. It's always good to hear any of the guys on new music. Kirk also hasn't been featured as a writer on music since Death Magnetic lol

I was very sad this morning when nothing new was posted.

The video definitely improves the song. 

Loved it at first listen. Incantation, and High Plains Drifter seem to be the strongest tracks, but that may change with more listens. The Jinn has a lot going on, a lot to take in.

Early impressions: I think High Plains Drifter is definitely the best of the bunch. It's the shortest and feels the most cohesive. But Maiden and the Monster has a really cool riff around 4-5 minutes in that I absolutely love.

Gave it a quick listen earlier as I managed to escape the family chaos here for 20 minutes. Will give it a proper listen tonight on a nice quiet walk.

100% satisfaction. This is what I thought Lulu was going to sound like when they were hyping that up.
It is so bizarre to listen to this knowing that this is Kirk. Asides from his signature shredding sprinkled throughout, I would never have guessed this was from Hammett.
In many parts It felt like some obscure Black Metal effort with the ambience and darkness.
Lots to take in.
The opening to the first track, we've heard that before right? Was it a preview, or an old guitar clip or something? Anyways, once that one picked up to unfamiliar territory I was happy. Track 2 is the one I like the most so far, but they're all great.

The past decade and a bit longer, the whole 2 guitars, bass, drums and vocals has grown stale for me, I need that extra dimension of ambience layered in there. Besides the classic Metal stuff, pretty much everything I listen to these days has tons of strings, synths, choirs and all that pretty stuff.

This is the direction I wish Metallica would go with, just something new and fresh. The basics riffs just don't do it for me anymore.

How boring would a Kirk Hammett solo EP have been if it was just some cheesy bluesy stuff with some soloing over top.
I am so happy with this, even if it's just 4 songs, it was so unexpected and well exicuted. Here we are in 20 motherfukin 22, the world is falling apart, and Kirk has gifted us with this beautiful project.

Ok, enough happy ramblings. Will burn a fat one tonight on my walk and enjoy this with good headphones as Kirk takes my mind to beautiful, sonic landscapes.



Oh yeah, those beautiful guitar harmonies throughout...🥰 Can't forget to mention those.

I was expecting better but Maiden and the Monster and High Plains Drifter are pretty good. 

Bob Rock is definitely the answer. He pushes when he finds the talent. 

So after a proper listen, alone, with good headphones and the outdoors, this album is a freakin masterpiece. So many little things coming and going, so many jaw dropping moments of disbelief.

The Maiden and the Monster is still the weakest IMO, but still great nonetheless.

The Jinn at first listen was an instant favorite for me at first, but now I don't know anymore. Once it gets going and introduces the violin section followed by that beefy 80s Scorpions style chord progression and the other bit...wow... so good.

High Plains Drifter is another masterpiece which just takes you on this incredible journey.

The Incantation. WTF! Incredible stuff. The opening "Electric Funeral" Sabbath/Ghost riff is just sick and then it goes off into that Carnival Calliope style stuff. Makes me think of "Carnival Creation" by Dimmu Borgir. A circus in hell for sure. The sitar(?) Section is a nice balance and goes in interesting place before the final sections just builds and builds before bludgeoning you with sick riffage and leads.

So the real question is... Did Kirk really lose his phone?