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Anthrax’s Scott Ian names Kirk Hammett as the “most underrated” rhythm player in metal

Scott Ian of Anthrax has recalled who he considers the most integral rhythm guitarists in metal, and has named Metallica’s Kirk Hammett as the most overlooked of them all. READ MORE: Polyphia’s Tim Henson Praises TikTok For Getting Gen Z To Appreciate Guitar Music The discussion took place during a new interview with Revolver, in […]

Anthrax's Scott Ian on Metallica's Kirk Hammett

Ian image: Roy Rochlin/Getty
Hammett image: Kevin Mazur/Getty

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Scott Ian of Anthrax has recalled who he considers the most integral rhythm guitarists in metal, and has named Metallica’s Kirk Hammett as the most overlooked of them all.

The discussion took place during a new interview with Revolver, in which the thrash rhythm guitarist provided an insight into the guitarists who consistently raise the bar with their right-hand techniques.

It was here that Ian was quick to list off thrash founding father, James Hetfield, as the “best” rhythm musician of all time, and fellow Metallica member Kirk Hammett as the most under-appreciated.

“For me, in the world of metal, I think the most underrated rhythm player is Kirk Hammett,” he said. “He’s in a band with James Hetfield, who, when it comes to metal, is the best. There’s no better right hand [than Hetfield’s]… He’s the fucking god.”

He continued, explaining that while Hammett is most widely recognised for his lead abilities, his strength as a rhythm player continually goes unnoticed.

“He’s the lead guitar player, so nobody ever talks about Kirk as a rhythm guitar player. He’s gotta go fucking note for note with James. And he can’t cheat. There’s no fucking cheating, he’s down-picking all those fucking parts. Nobody talks about that,” he added. “So Kirk, to me, is the most underrated.”

Elsewhere in the discussion, Ian also recalled his time starting out as a guitarist – sharing insight into which rhythm musicians first inspired him at the start of his four-decade-long career.

“My favourites are the dudes I learned from. [AC/DC’s] Malcolm Young, [The Ramones’] Johnny Ramone and [Scorpions’] Rudy Schenker,” he listed. “That’s where I really learned how to play songs and how to keep it locked down. Those were the dudes for me.”

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