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SHOCKING: 3 - What They Never Told You

“I was instantly in a band because nobody wanted to play bass back then”: How Eddie Van Halen led to Les Claypool picking up the bass – and how he nearly joined Kirk Hammett’s band

The Primus bassist and Metallica lead guitarist attended the same high school – and very nearly ended up in the same band

Guitar World

“After Kirk introduced me to Greeny, it felt only right to return the favor”: Kirk Hammett let Al Di Meola play his iconic Greeny – so the fusion virtuoso let him play his prized Elegant Gypsy Black Beauty

The two guitar greats let each other have a go on their cherished Les Pauls

Guitar World

“We all talked to each other before we went on – Kirk, Zakk and Slash. Kirk said, ‘I’m nervous, man!’ I said, ‘I am too’”: Jerry Cantrell looks back at the “walk-off home run” of Ozzy Osbourne’s final show

The Alice in Chains guitarist didn’t catch up with the Prince of Darkness before his death, but he’s satisfied to have been part of Back to the Beginning with musician friends Slash, Zakk Wylde, Kirk Hammett and others

Guitar World

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“The high priests of conceptual rock!”: Every Rush studio album ranked – from worst to best

Manic Street Preachers' Nicky Wire called them “the world’s biggest cult band”

MusicRadar

“I didn't want to put it down. I've missed it ever since!” Jake E. Lee played Kirk Hammett’s legendary Greeny Les Paul backstage at Ozzy Osbourne’s final show – but he almost wishes he hadn’t

Lee was able to enjoy some downtime with the iconic Les Paul before taking to the stage with a mysterious purple Charvel

Guitar World

“Theory C: it’s a scoop knob... they built James’ parametric EQ into the amp”: Metallica spark a Mesa/Boogie mystery as unidentified amp spotted in 50th Anniversary message to ESP Guitars. Could this be a James Hetfield signature?

Speculation surrounding this unidentified chugging object has been ongoing since 2017 when it was spotted in Metallica's studio

Guitar World

“With practice, players can perform swells, shifts, or rhythmic changes in their delay sound as they play”: Jack White’s Third Man Hardware teams up with Black Mountain for the Roto-Echo, the delay pedal you can control with your foot

This delay packs a PT2399 chip under the hood and roller wheel for adjusting parameters as you play

MusicRadar

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"He's the Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart of the riff": Gibson salutes Tony Iommi in star-studded new film series

Iommi: The Godfather Of Heavy Metal features interviews with Brian May, Slash, Dave Mustaine, Kirk Hammett, Scott Ian and more

Metal Hammer

Bruce Dickinson doesn't see the appeal of playing Las Vegas Sphere

Bruce Dickinson doesn't understand why any band would want to play Las Vegas Sphere.

BANG Premier

“I of course fully endorse ANY mods done to any of my designs, let alone from the great Hammett”: Kirk Hammett orders up custom Thinline version of Jack White’s Fender Triplecaster – and gets one for White, too

Jack White's been giving out his Triplecaster to all and sundry and now Hammett returns the favour, with a "cool mod" that White hopes will duly upset Telecaster purists

MusicRadar

“I hope this pisses off some more Tele purists! We have enough ‘regular’ boring guitars out there”: Jack White unveils Thinline version of his wild Triplecaster – which was specifically requested by Kirk Hammett

The new addition to White’s roster of ever-evolving Triplecasters was demoed by Detroit-style guitar slinger Olivia Jean

Guitar World

Metallica want to play Super Bowl 2026 Halftime Show in San Francisco

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has revealed that the rockers are desperate to play the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show, as the game takes place in their base of San Francisco.

BANG Premier

“The idea is Kirk was gonna play rhythms along with James. That changed everything, and some people don’t like it”: Bob Rock says Metallica's divisive Load album redefined the Hetfield-Hammett guitar partnership

New influences, a change in production methods, and moving away from thrash led to the pair switching up their tandem

Guitar World

Metallica rumoured for 2026 Las Vegas residency at Sphere

Metallica are said to be edging a deal to host a residency at Las Vegas' Sphere late next year.

BANG Premier

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Guitar World

“The company's performance has deteriorated due to the rise of the secondhand market and intensifying competition”: Iconic Japanese guitar firm Fernandes Guitars files for bankruptcy again – but there's still hope for fans of the brand

The company – which has been championed by Kirk Hammett, Billie Joe Armstrong, Keanu Reeves and Robert Trujillo – had previously filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations in July 2024

MusicRadar

“Experience one of the rarest and most coveted vintage amplifiers ever”: Mesa/Boogie puts ‘Crunch Berries’ on the menu as it releases the holy grail amp used by Metallica

Mesa/Boogie launches the Mark IIC++ head as a limited edition production model

Guitar World

“I’m just like, ‘Oh my God. This is a compliment and a diss at the same time from Kirk Hammett!’” Tim Henson addresses Kirk Hammett’s mixed response to his ‘boomer bends’ comments

Hammett recently had his own say on the boomer bends controversy, questioning how accessible the Polyphia virtuoso’s style is for casual listeners

Guitar World

“Cliff played guitar as well as bass – I picked up a few things from him that ended up on Master of Puppets”: Before Robert Trujillo and Jason Newsted, Cliff Burton set the musical bar for Metallica and established an indelible legacy

Cliff Burton’s playing style may have been an offbeat fit for the cutting-edge thrash of Metallica, but it worked perfectly

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Guitar World

Kirk Hammett’s mystery SG from Back to the Beginning was built by Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian – and now it’s being auctioned off for charity

The one-of-a-kind metallic silver axe was used to cover a Sabbath classic and is being sold to raise funds for Gibson Gives

MusicRadar

"We played a show at a place in Omaha, Nebraska. It might have been like 12 people there... It's enough to make you quit, for sure”: Exodus’ Gary Holt pulls zero punches in his new autobiography

The guitarist and Exodus mainstay has just released his memoir and let’s just say that his band hasn’t always had an easy ride

Metal Hammer

"I don't sit around listening to Metallica." Kirk Hammett has a new book, a new album in the works and absolutely no plans to retire

Metallica's six-string king has his sights firmly set on the future

Guitar World

“Most of these dudes don’t fall quite as far as I did. They don’t develop a meth habit and end up shoveling dog s**t for $6 an hour”: Gary Holt on his thrash metal redemption story, balancing Exodus and Slayer – and why even Hetfield cheats on downpicking

Exodus and Slayer mainstay Gary Holt reveals what compelled him to finally roll up his sleeves and unflinchingly tell his life story

Guitar World

“I would love to work with artists who have already built up beautiful collections and are ready to let a few things go”: Is Gibson about to start selling artist-owned vintage gems?

Gibson’s Certified Vintage manager has expressed his desire to team up with artists to sell their vintage gems directly to fans – and a few notable six-strings spring to mind

Metal Hammer

"Once you hear their stories, it's hard to not love them." Metallica pay tribute to the "deep emotional human stories" shared by fans, at the premiere of their Metallica Saved My Life documentary

Metallica Saved My Life premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival, with the band and director Jonas Åkerlund in attendance

Metal Hammer

“The goal was to die onstage!” Why retirement is a four-letter word for Metallica’s Kirk Hammett

Metallica’s lead guitarist tells Metal Hammer he doesn’t “believe” in the idea of willingly stepping away from music

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