Dave Mustaine might still have some beef with Metallica, but not Kirk Hammett.
In an interview with Guitar World, Mustaine was asked if he felt all the hate around Hammett's solos on 72 Seasons were warranted. Mustaine said he hasn't gotten around to listening to 72 Seasons, but praised Hammett as a guitarist overall and even admitted that might've been a little too hard on the guy over the years.
"It depends on which solos you're talking about. [Laughs] Jokes aside, I've always kind of poked fun at Kirk. And unfairly so, as he never did anything to me. Whenever I felt singled out, picked on, or antagonized by James or Lars, it was really easy to pick on Kirk.
"But the truth is Kirk did me an honor by trying to play my solos on those early songs the way he did… Well, I think that some people would have just started over again. So, I thought it was honorable that Kirk took my solos and did his best to play them as I did. That couldn't have been easy. But as far as his new solos on the new Metallica album, I haven't heard them, so I can't comment. But I will say that I think it's sad how quickly some people can turn on people.
"There was a time when Kirk won every guitar contest in the world, and I don't think he's gotten any better or worse as a player. He's always been really good. Kirk was a good player when he was in Exodus. And he's been steady the entire time he's been in Metallica. But does that mean Kirk Hammett is Dave Mustaine? No. And is Dave Mustaine Kirk Hammett? Also, no."
It's also well-worth remembering that not only has Hammett ripped some of metal's most classic solos over the years, but the dude also put out a cinematic EP that showcases his compositional skills. All I'm saying is that yeah, maybe the solos on 72 Seasons were a little whatever. But Hammett's career totally speaks for itself.
