METALLICA - KIRK HAMMETT On New Album - "It's So Early In The Project - Things Can Shift Drastically"

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett is one of the world’s foremost collectors of horror movie memorabilia, reports Jim Harrington of the San Jose Mercury News. Hammett’s two worlds collide during Kirk Von Hammett’s second annual Fear FestEvil, a celebration of horror movies and metal music that runs this Saturday and Sunday, April 11th and 12th at the RockBar Theater in San Jose, CA.

The 52-year-old Hammett will perform both days. Other acts on the bill include: Meshuggah, High On Fire, Orchid, Ghoul, Agnostic Front and Asada Messiah. FestEvil will also feature appearances by Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour), Slash (ex-Guns N’ Roses), and John 5 (Rob Zombie).

The San Jose Mercury News recently spoke with Hammett about this weekend’s upcoming festivities and more; an excerpt follows:

What is it about horror that fascinates you?

“I’ve always been attracted to the dark side of things. I’ve always related to monsters. I’ve always related to the fact that they were figures on the fringe of our culture and society. I could relate to the misfit, the outcast – people who were isolated. For some reason, that was just my tribe right there.”

It seems like there’s a natural synergy between metal and horror.

“A lot of the same ingredients go into horror movies and heavy metal. A lot of disenfranchised people really enjoy heavy metal. A lot of disenfranchised people can relate to horror movies. My FestEvil (is) a celebration of horror movies and heavy metal and the similarities between the two.”

Of course, I can’t let you off the phone without asking for a Metallica update. When will we see a new album?

“You guys will see the album when it’s done. We have songs. I can verify that. We are working on music. I can verify that. It’s so early in the project – things can shift drastically to the left or the right within a week’s time. It’s hard to comment on anything right now, because nothing is really permanent.”

To read the interview in its entirety, click here.