Kirk Hammett isn’t sorry for loving wah pedals: “I can’t think of anybody who uses the wah pedal as much as I do”
“The wah enables me to mirror the inner voice in my head and in my heart”.
Image: Theo Wargo / Getty
Kirk Hammett has spoken up in defense of his love for the wah pedal, proclaiming, “I can’t think of anybody who uses the wah pedal as much as I do”.
In a new interview with Guitar World, the Metallica guitarist explained that the wah enables him to express himself better, saying, “The wah enables me to mirror the inner voice in my head and in my heart”. He continued, “That’s what I’m hearing. All these manipulated notes and tones, because that’s what the human voice is like. We cycle through all these different tones and frequencies when we speak. When I step on that wah pedal and hear that click… well, I’m hearing that clicking in my brain and in my heart at the same time.”
When asked about his reaction to criticism for his use of the pedal, Hammett replied, “I don’t care what anyone fuckin’ says,” adding, “If I feel like stepping on the wah pedal, I step on the fuckin’ wah pedal, because it brings me closer to what I’m hearing internally. And that’s the whole point of gear – to help bring the thing you hear internally out into the external world.”
Metallica’s new album 72 Seasons is set for release on 14 April. The band have already released the singles Lux Æterna, Screaming Suicide and If Darkness Had A Son from the album, and are set to hold a 2023/24 world tour in support of the album with tickets now on sale.