Kirk Hammett recalls the first time he ever saw Metallica in new Gibson Icons trailer

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Gibson TV has released stellar episodes of its Icons series focused on Tony Iommi, Jerry Cantrell and producer Bob Rock, and now the company has announced the newest installment, which dives into Kirk Hammett’s musical history.

In the upcoming episode, the electric guitar player sits down to discuss his early days in the San Francisco metal scene, the formation of Exodus and his 37 years as the lead guitarist of Metallica.

Regarding how he came to join the band, he recalls in the above trailer, “I remember just sitting around one day and the singer of Exodus, a guy named Paul Baloff, he walked into the rehearsal and said, ‘Metallica – so heavy! They’re so heavy!’ And I was like, ‘Metallica?’ He said, ‘Yeah, they’re playing the Stone tonight. We gotta go check them out.’ ”

Hammett continues, “I remember watching Metallica that night and thinking, wow, these guys are pretty goddamn good. That was the beginning of my relationship with them."

To watch the full episode when it comes available, head over to Gibson TV.

In other Gibson/Hammett news, the company recently built Kirk a replica of his “Greeny” 1959 Les Paul Standard, leading to speculation that a Custom Shop run could be on the cards.