Kirk Hammett has said he was “surprised” by how much of Metallica fan Kurt Cobain was.
Speaking to Classic Rock Magazine, Hammett looked back on the release of ‘The Black Album’ (1991) and its subsequent impact as the record nears its 30th anniversary (Nirvana released their seminal second album ‘Nevermind’ that same year).
- READ MORE: Nirvana: Every Album Ranked And Rated
“Kurt Cobain came to one of our shows in Seattle, on the Black Album tour,” he said. “I knew Kurt kind of well, and I hung out with him quite a bit. He was a pretty big Metallica fan. I was surprised at how much of a Metallica fan he was.
“Rock radio embracing our sound – our heaviness – helped the whole grunge thing take hold. Not long after The Black Album’ came out, Nirvana put out ‘Nevermind’. I like to think we had something to do with the acceptance of Nirvana.”
Hammett went on to describe ‘The Black Album’ as “a cultural force in itself”, adding: “As much as modern culture changes and morphs, there’s something within that album that continues to resonate around the world.
“And I mean the world, because it’s big everywhere.”
Metallica are set to mark the 30th anniversary of ‘The Black Album’ with a special reissue and accompanying covers album – ‘The Metallica Blacklist – on September 30 via the band’s own Blackened Recordings.
Recommended
Among the artists who have contributed to the latter collection are St. Vincent, Biffy Clyro, Phoebe Bridgers, IDLES, Mac DeMarco, Weezer, Rina Sawayama and Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor.
Meanwhile, Dave Mustaine has said that he doesn’t think Metallica “could have survived” if he had remained in the band. The Megadeth frontman was ousted from the group back in 1983.