Kirk Hammett

Kirk Hammett's career is a masterclass in longevity. Lead guitarist of Metallica since 1983, and a co-founder of Exodus before that, he helped lay the groundwork for thrash metal itself. What I admire most is not just the technical wah-drenched solos that fans can identify in a single bar, but the discipline of staying in one band for four decades through every creative and personal storm. Being co-ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone's greatest guitarists list alongside Hetfield feels almost understated for someone this foundational. His tone is instantly recognizable, and that signature is the real measure of a guitarist who became part of metal's DNA.

Name (English)

Kirk Hammett

Name (Japanese)

カーク・ハメット

Reading

かーく・はめっと

Born

November 18, 1962 (age 63)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Scorpio / Tiger

Origin

San Francisco, California, United States

Occupation

guitarist / songwriter / rock musician / composer

High school

De Anza High School

University

San Francisco State University

• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/kirkhammett/
• Xhttps://x.com/KirkHammett
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk%20Hammett
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AF%E3%83%BB%E3%83%8F%E3%83%A1%E3%83%83%E3%83%88
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q484030

Tags

• California
• guitarist
• songwriter
• rock musician

Last updated

2026-06-16

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.