Metallica’s Kirk Hammett is open to revisiting the band’s controversial mid-90s era.
During an interview with the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, the lead guitarist is asked whether he’d want to make music similar to the band’s 90s albums Load and Reload. Despite how divisive those albums were among the more diehard metalheads in Metallica’s fanbase, he answers that more releases in that style aren’t off the table.
“Yeah, who knows? We might just say, ‘OK, let’s go back to the 90s again,’” he says (via Blabbermouth). “It’s not a bad idea.”
- “I like to push some of those buttons. I like the fact that people have a problem with what we’re doing”: How Metallica kicked back against the 1990s haters with Reload
- "We were all basket cases! But we created this thing called Metallica that’s been our refuge." Kirk Hammett on 40 years in one of the biggest bands in the world
Hammett continues by noting how, for all the venom Load and Reload received, some of those albums’ songs go down well live.
“We changed our appearance, we changed our sound, we changed the way we recorded,” Hammett reflects. “I was even playing different guitars and fucking tuning to E-flat and listening to a lot of blues and jazz. And so all those factors came out on Load and Reload to make what Load and Reload are, and Load and Reload are so different from anything that came before it.
“It’s interesting, ’cause nowadays I run into fans and they love that era – they love Load and Reload. But when those albums first came out, it was like, ‘Fuck Load. Fuck Reload. Fuck Metallica.’ But nowadays we play Fuel and people go nuts.”
The Load and Reload period was also controversial as a result of Metallica’s notable image change, with the band cutting their hair short. Hammett says that one of the main reasons he cut his hair was so he’d look better in a suit.
“One of the reasons why I cut my hair, bro, is ’cause I didn't think I looked good with long hair when I wore a suit jacket,” he says. “So I cut my hair so I looked better when I wore a suit jacket. I swear to God. That was one of the only reasons.”
Following the releases of Load and Reload in 1996 and ’97, Metallica switched to a more raw, garage approach for 2003’s St Anger, their first album in 17 years without longtime bassist Jason Newsted. They re-embraced their thrash metal roots with Death Magnetic in 2008.
Metallica, now promoting 2023’s 72 Seasons, will tour North America from April to June. See dates and details below. Hammett and his famously large collection of guitars are the subject of a new coffee table book, The Collection: Kirk Hammett, out now via Gibson.
Metallica 2025 tour dates:
Apr 19: Syracuse MA Wireless Dome, NY*
Apr 24: Toronto Rogers Centre, ON*
Apr 26: Toronto Rogers Centre, ON+
May 01: Nashville Nissan Stadium, TN*
May 03: Nashville Nissan Stadium, TN+
May 07: Blacksburg Lane Stadium, VA*
May 09: Columbus Sonic Temple, OH
May 11: Columbus Sonic Temple, OH
May 23: Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field, PA+
May 25: Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field, PA*
May 28: Landover Northwest Stadium, MD*
May 31: Charlotte Bank Of America Stadium, NC*
Jun 3: Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium, GA*
Jun 6: Tampa Raymond James Stadium, FL+
Jun 8: Tampa Raymond James Stadium, FL*
Jun 14: Houston NRG Stadium, TX*
Jun 20: Santa Clara Levi’s Stadium, CA+
Jun 22: Santa Clara Levi’s Stadium, CA*
Jun 27: Denver Empower Field at Mile High, CO+
Jun 29: Denver Empower Field at Mile High, CO*
* Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies support
+ Limp Bizkit and Ice Nine Kills support
