Posted in: Music, Pop Culture | Tagged: High Plains Drifter, kirk hammett, Metallica, portals

Kirk Hammett Releases First Solo Single High Plains Drifter

Kirk Hammett, the iconic Metallica guitarist, is releasing his first solo EP Portals on April 23rd, and the first single, "High Plains Drifter," was dropped this morning. The four-song EP will also have an exclusive release on Record Store Day and is full of riffs that he loved but was not sure how they would slot in with the new music Metallica has been working on for some time now. You can hear the track below and read more about the EP and the history behind the riff as well.

Kirk Hammett Shows A Different Side

"Featuring contributions from Edwin Outwater (with whom Kirk had previously collaborated on Metallica's S&M2 concerts and releases), Jon Theodore of Queens of the Stone Age (and Kirk's Wedding Band bandmate), members of the LA Philharmonic, and more, "High Plains Drifter" shares a unique inspirational relationship with the 1973 cinematic classic of the same name. The song, Kirk explains, "was not meant to be specifically music for that film, but it was once it was written, I immediately thought it conveyed the same sentiment as the film, so the piece was christened accordingly. The music for 'High Plains Drifter' initially came from a Flamenco piece I had written. It was a two-and-a-half-minute piece, and I really liked it, but it was one of those riffs that would be hard to integrate into Metallica. I knew I wanted to do something with it, even though it came out spontaneously. I had been sitting outside messing around with a Flamenco acoustic guitar I'd just bought, and it flowed out in the moment. I was determined it would have a life. It would have its moment."

"Produced by Kirk, Portals is comprised of the songs "Maiden and the Monster" and "The Jinn" on side A, followed by "High Plains Drifter" and "The Incantation" on side B (both co-written with Outwater, who contributes keyboards and leads the orchestral players from the LA Philharmonic on Portals). Other familiar names amongst the Portals players include Abraham Laboriel, Greg Fidelman, Emmy-winning arranger Blake Neely, and Bob Rock. The track opens the second side of Portals, Kirk's four-song EP out April 23, 2022, via Blackened Recordings across digital platforms, on CD, and as a Record Store Day Exclusive Ocean Blue Vinyl EP (including a download card)."

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