Kirk Hammett denies ever composing a guitar solo using a wah pedal

Metallica, the world’s biggest metal band, is the subject of many recurring jokes. One of them is guitarist Kirk Hammett’s solos, in which he has made rather lavish use of the wah pedal.

In a recent interview with Guitar World magazine, however, Hammett asserts that he has never composed a solo with a wah pedal in the first place, saying that it was always an afterthought.

“I think a lot of that was just a culmination of having been on tour for ‘…And Justice for All’ and just having fun on stage, stepping on my wah for a lead break, or in between songs, or whatever.

“But when I really think about the solos on the ‘Black Album,’ I came up with all of them within about a week. ‘Enter Sandman’, I had that one complete by the second or third time we played it.

“Because when the songs are strong, the solos come easy. And back then, I’d compose a solo and then, if it felt appropriate in the studio, I’d bring in the wah and see if it brought anything more out. I’ve never really written a guitar solo with a wah pedal. It’s always been after the fact.”