James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica have a working relationship that is ‘actually a scary place’

“When it comes to James and me, we both face mentаl challenges, sometimes in similar ways.”

In an interview, Kirk Hammett discussed his relationship with James Hetfield, his bandmate in Metallica, saying that it makes both guitarists uncomfortable.

In a recent interview with Metallica fan club magazine So What, Hammett made some observations that suggested the two are more alike than people realized. “James and I both experience mentаl challenges, sometimes in similar ways,” Hammett said. “As a result, we have this strange emotional connection.” It’s uncomfortable here that we connect. It’s not sentimental. It’s truly a very difficult, gloomy, and frightening environment.”

The guitarist also discussed Hetfield’s previously publicized difficulties maintaining sobriety in 2020, expressing that he thought the circumstances were similar to the stormy era depicted in Metallica’s much-maligned documentary Some Kind of Monster. According to Hammett, “you have to just accept the fact that you don’t know what’s going to happen once the person returns whenever they experience something that’s life-changing or life-moving.” “You have no idea how the procedure could alter them. Thus, it was a double blоw when James entered treatment and CоVID struck! And it seemed as if the future was really dismal.

With the assistance of his fellow musician, bassist Rоb Trujillo, Hammett dealt with that uncertainty by dedicating more of his time to the making of Metallica’s next album, 72 Seasons. “For me, playing the guitar every day embodies positivity. Hammett ended by “playing guitar with an eye toward writing music for the future.” Since I used to do it when I was younger, it’s a very, very positive kind of exercise that I can pretty much always count on to get me to a nice place. I would take up my guitar and find myself in a better place, even in situations when I just didn’t know how to handle things.