Kirk Hammett feels guilty for leaving Exodus but believes Metallica is where he belongs.
The guitarist recently spoke with Metal Hammer and said he has no issue with using his Exodus riffs on ‘Kill ‘Em All’:
“The [riffs] came from songs that I had written, music that I had written. I consider them my parts. I didn’t feel guilty about that, but I did feel guilty about leaving the band I started in high school.”
He detailed his relationship with the other Exodus members:
“I have known [Exodus drummer] Tom Hunting since I was 16 years old, I’ve known [Exodus guitarist] Gary Holt since I was 17. We’re all close to this day, but there was a lot of guilt there for a while. A little bit of remorse. But I really felt that Metallica was my calling. I feel more comfortable playing in Metallica than I ever did in Exodus, so go figure.”
Gary Holt’s Words On Kirk’s Departure
In 1983, Metallica kicked out Dave Mustaine for his behavior and replaced him with Hammett. Hammett’s first live show with Metallica was on April 16 in New Jersey, with Anthrax opening for them. His Exodus bandmate Gary Holt previously opened up about how he felt about Kirk’s departure:
“How did I feel when Kirk left? Was I happy? Did I start practicing more? Was I pissed? We were pissed for a minute, and then we were happy, and we had a big party for him. And I already practiced hours and hours a day, and I was kind of happy after the initial thing because it was my band now, and we got violent.”
In 2022, Hammett again chatted with Metal Hammer and reflected on whether he ever thinks about what life might have been like if he’d stayed with Exodus:
“There wouldn’t have been two or three years between albums. And there wouldn’t have been quite the drug problem that they experienced. I’m not saying I’m an angel, but sometimes I pull back.”
Hammett played on every Metallica album the band released since their debut. Metallica’s M72 World Tour will continue with the North American leg in August. The band ended the European leg in Spain on July 14.