Metallica’s Kirk Hammett to release new book exploring “extraordinary guitar collection and life in music”

Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett is set to release a new coffee table book exploring his guitar collection and life in music.

• READ MORE: Metallica – ’72 Seasons’ review: metal masters make a relentless return

The 400-page book, The Collection: Kirk Hammett, will delve into the guitarist’s life, charting the years through his extensive guitar collection, which includes his 1979 Flying V and “Greeny” – the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard previously owned by Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green and Thin Lizzy’s Gary Moore.

It comes with interviews conducted by Chris Vinnicombe and Mark Agnesi, as well as photography shot on location in Hawaii and Los Angeles by rock photographer Ross Halfin, as well as some rarer images from his archives.

“I’ve worked diligently on this curated collection of vintage and modern guitars for the book,” Hammett said of the book in a statement. “I feel the book captures the rich history and artistry behind each of these unique and rare instruments. Every picture tells a story and thanks to Ross Halfin and his exceptional photography, every picture in this book is worth a million words.”

A Jason Momoa-narrated video accompanies the release, in which the Aquaman actor says: “Every guitar has a story, and the thrill of finding the right one can be as electrifying as any song it will play. Collecting is an obsession, a passion, and a neverending quest for discovering the perfect tone. No one knows this more than Kirk Hammett.”

The Collection: Kirk Hammett will be published in three formats and is available to order here. It comes as a standard edition, a deluxe edition (limited to just 1,500 copies), and a custom edition (limited too just 300 copies) – with both the deluxe and custom editions signed by Hammett.

Meanwhile, earlier this month Metallica announced details of an “immersive” new VR film concert. The thrash metal pioneers teamed up with Apple and developed a new virtual reality concert film compatible with Apple Vision Pro.

Simply dubbed ‘Metallica’, the film incorporates footage taken from the band’s recent run of ‘M72’ tour dates, which took place in countries around the world and celebrated the release of their latest album ‘72 Seasons’.

The footage used for the new collaboration with Apple was filmed at their final date, held in Mexico City last year, and features full performances of hit tracks ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘Whiplash’ and ‘One’.

Back in 2023, the band’s European dates were given a four-star review from NME. “Metallica have always been a gateway band for heavy music, but there’s a renewed excitement around them now. Tonight’s surprising, ambitious and giddy gig matches that energy at every turn,” it read.

“Their closing crossover track ‘Master Of Puppets’ naturally goes off, but then so do all of the songs on the setlist. From the gorgeous ‘Nothing Else Matters’ through to the unifying ‘Seek & Destroy’, the majesty of heavy music is on full display throughout the gig as Metallica prove why they’re clearly still the greatest metal band around.”

The band are set to play more North American shows later this spring, featuring support from Pantera and Limp Bizkit. Visit here for remaining tickets. They’re also set to join Black Sabbath on their final-ever live show on July 5 at Villa Park.

The post Metallica’s Kirk Hammett to release new book exploring “extraordinary guitar collection and life in music” appeared first on NME.