SOME KIND OF MONSTER

Kirk Hammett set out to write background music. Instead, he created the four horror movie-themed guitar instrumentals that his debut solo effort, Portals.

- ELLIE ROGERS

AS LEAD GUITARIST of one of the biggest-selling bands in history, Kirk Hammett needs little in the way of an introduction. While Metallica have been teasing fans with the promise of a new album since last summer, Hammett has emerged as the first band member to step from the mothership and fly solo with his new four-track horror movie-influenced EP, Portals.

Originally conceived as background music to accompany his It's Alive! exhibition of horror-flick posters and memorabilia, the self-produced Portals, as Hammett explains, evolved to become a collection of "soundtracks to the movies in your mind." The EP contains four high-concept instrumental tracks: "Maiden and the Monster," "The Jinn," "High Plains Drifter" and "The Incantation," each inspired by a different era in horror movie history. The latter two tracks were co-written by conductor Edwin Outwater, whom Hammett met while working on Metallica's 2020 live release, S&M2. Outwater leads orchestral players from the Los Angeles Philharmonic to give Portals its baroque-meets-metal aesthetic.

Speaking from his home in San Francisco, Hammett discussed the origins of his new music and his go-to gear for these new recordings. And tellingly, he dropped a hint about the next Metallica album.

How did Portals come about?

The first couple of songs - "Maiden and the Monster" and "The Jinn” were my attempt to write background music for my museum show of horror movie posters. Then I met Edwin Outwater. He's a big horror fan as well, so I said, "Let's collaborate on something and make it horror movie-influenced and cinematic." That's where "High Plains Drifter" and "The Incantation" came from. It's funny: I have these four pieces of music, and I still don't have any background music for the exhibition. I just realized that!