# Kirk Hammett had been working his up to Metallica since 1979. When he joined, his greatest solo arrived “out of thin air”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/kirk-hammett-had-been-working-his-up-to-metallica-since-1979-when-he-joined-his-greatest-solo-arrived-out-of-thin-air/
- Published: 2026-11-05T19:21:51+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T00:06:01+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/kirk-hammetts-favourite-kirk-hammett-guitar-solo-came-out-of-the-air/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Hammett’s favourite Metallica solo is on “One”.
- He recorded it spontaneously for a demo.
- He says trusting instinct made the moment special.

## Summary

Kirk Hammett says his favourite solo in Metallica’s back catalogue came together almost spontaneously while he was recording a demo for “One”. The moment stands out because, after years of practice, he found that trusting his instincts rather than planning every note produced a performance he still regards as his best.

Hammett had started playing guitar at 15 and formed the thrash metal band Exodus the following year. Metallica recruited him in 1983 after parting ways with Dave Mustaine; six years later, drummer Lars Ulrich called him to add a solo to “One”, which was being developed for the 1988 album *…And Justice for All*. After hearing the track a few times, Hammett began playing and said the solo seemed to come “out of thin air”.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.