Kirk Hammett admits he felt “a lot of guilt there for a while” over leaving Exodus for Metallica

While he truly made his name as the wah-wielding lead guitarist of the biggest metal band on the planet, Metallica, Kirk Hammett’s music career was well under way prior to joining the band in 1983.

In 1979, at the tender age of just 16, he formed the Bay Area thrash outfit Exodus alongside vocalist Paul Baloff, guitarist Tim Agnello, bassist Geoff Andrews, and drummer Tom Hunting. The band still exists and is going strong 45 years later in 2024, albeit having undergone numerous lineup changes during that time.

Consequently, with the lead guitarist spot vacant, Metallica gave Kirk Hammett a call and invited him to audition for the band. Kirk flew to New York for an audition several days later, and the rest was ultimately history.

But the guitarist has expressed the “guilt” he felt at leaving his first band to join Metallica, but ultimately recognises that it was the right decision. As he explains in the new Metal Hammer, some of the ideas he had written while in Exodus were used on Kill ‘Em All.

“The [riffs] came from songs that I had written, music that I had written,” he says. “I consider them my parts. I didn’t feel guilty about that, but I did feel guilty about leaving the band I started in high school.

“I have known [Exodus drummer] Tom Hunting since I was 16 years old, I’ve known [Exodus guitarist] Gary Holt since I was 17. We’re all close to this day, but there was a lot of guilt there for a while. A little bit of remorse. But I really felt that Metallica was my calling. I feel more comfortable playing in Metallica than I ever did in Exodus, so go figure.”

In 1979, at the tender age of just 16, he formed the Bay Area thrash outfit Exodus alongside vocalist Paul Baloff, guitarist Tim Agnello, bassist Geoff Andrews, and drummer Tom Hunting. The band still exists and is going strong 45 years later in 2024, albeit having undergone numerous lineup changes during that time.

But four years later in 1983, Hammett had a decision to make. Prior to the recording of Metallica’s debut album Kill ‘Em All, the band’s founding lead guitarist Dave Mustaine was ejected from the lineup due to various behaviour and substance abuse issues. He went on to form perhaps Metallica’s greatest thrash rivals, Megadeth.