''Portals'' is the first solo

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by Metallica guitarist

Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist and a contributing songwriter for heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Before joining Metallica, he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, ...

, released on April 23, 2022, through Blackened Recordings. The EP was released digitally as well as on CD and an exclusive ocean blue vinyl pressing for

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

. It consists of four instrumental tracks, described in a release as "a collection of gateways to myriad musical and psychic destinations." The songs were recorded between 2017 and 2020 in multiple locales ranging from Los Angeles to Paris to Oahu. Hammett added: "This music was created with what I describe as an Audio-Cinematic approach. They're soundtracks to the movies in your mind." A single for the EP's third track "

High Plains Drifter ''High Plains Drifter'' is a 1973 American Western film directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Ernest Tidyman, and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Company and Universal Pictures. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious stranger who ...

" was released on April 15, 2022, with an animated music video following April 22.

Style and reception

''Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles''s Nick Balazs calls the EP "more musically interesting then what his main band has done on their recent studio efforts", noting that on Metallica's records "Hammett's solos have been a point of criticism" but here "those criticisms will be put to bed as ''Portals'' shows a talented guitarist utilizing different effects and inspired sounds to create a diverse EP with much replay value." The songs "play out like mini-movies, or soundtracks to a theatrical film", showcasing Hammett's love of horror films and Clint Eastwood with "almost a '70s progressive bent". Balazs closes by calling the EP "a much pleasant surprise" and "a scarily good listen". Joe Daly of ''Metal Hammer'' notes Hammett "flex nghis prog and soundtrack-influenced muscles" and "synthesis nghis biggest influences:

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

, horror movies, classical music and the works of composer Ennio Morricone". "None of the tracks sound like unused Metallica demos, nor do they bleed together in a brain-melting patchwork of sweep picking and speed runs", instead "showcas ngthe compositional and technical strengths of one of heavy metal's most influential and visionary guitarists." ''Pitchfork''s Jason P. Woodbury says the EP "reveals Hammett's aspirations to be a film composer, layering crescendoing horns,

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

interludes, swelling strings—and, naturally, oversized riffs and unhinged shredding—into compositions that could accompany zombie westerns,

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...

thrillers, or apocalyptic sci-fi". On the project, Hammett "often eschews ambiance and scene setting in favor of fully present rock outs", though it "doesn't matter that the territory is more

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...

than

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars and four Grammys, and has been nominated for two Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living G ...

" because "it's a thrill to hear Hammett playing so unabashed." Though Hammett is "often viewed as the soft spoken counterpoint to

Ulrich Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Al ...

and Hetfield", he "relishes this star turn, and his sense of freedom in exploring beyond the confines of Metallica is palpable", bringing out music which "smartly devote plenty of real estate to Hammett's familiar metalhead strengths" but also "reveal ngcompositional breadth and dramatic flair." ''Wall of Sound'' suggests that the EP is "well worth checking out" for those who enjoy

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

albums, and while it "probably won't hold the attention of most Metallica fans, it is a rewarding sonic experience that I will be returning to when the mood strikes."

Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians *

– guitar * Blake Neely – string arrangements *Marcel Feldmar – drums *

Mathilde Sternat Mathilde Sternat is a French cellist and arranger. Life Sternat studied the cello and chamber music, notably with Étienne Péclard, at the Conservatoire de Paris and won her prize in 1995. Since then, she has been playing chamber music in sma ...

–

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

Greg Fidelman Greg Fidelman (born September 4, 1965) is an American record mixer, engineer and record producer. He is a frequent collaborator of producer Rick Rubin, and has worked with many bands in various genres, including Metallica, Slayer, High on Fire, B ...

– bass *Philippe Bussonnet – bass *Julien Charlet – percussion *

Abraham Laboriel Abraham Laboriel López Sr. (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the f ...

– drums *

Edwin Outwater Edwin Maurice Outwater (born 12 April 1971) is an American conductor from Santa Monica, California. About From September 2007 until 2017, he served as the music director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada. From 2001 to 200 ...

– keyboards, orchestra leader *

Emmanuel Ceysson Emmanuel Ceysson is a French harpist and academic. He is principal harpist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Formerly, he was principal harpist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Opéra National de Paris (2005–2015). I ...

– harp *Ben Lash – cello * Andrew Bain –

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

Nadia Sirota Nadia Sirota (born in New York) is an American viola player. Her father is Robert Sirota, a composer and conductor. Life and career Sirota is best known for her singular sound and expressive execution, coaxing solo works from the likes of N ...

–

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

*Nathan Cole –

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

*Akiko Turamoto – violin *Eliza Bagg – vocals *

Jon Theodore Jon Philip Theodore (born December 30, 1973) is an American drummer. He is best known as a former member of the Mars Volta and as the current drummer for Queens of the Stone Age. After contributing to Bright Eyes' 2020 album, ''Down in the We ...

– drums *Brad Cummings – bass Technical * Kirk Hammett –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, mixing *

Bob Rock Robert Jens Rock (born April 19, 1954) is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician, best known for producing rock bands and music artists such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, The Tragically Hip, the Cult, ...

– mixing *

Emily Lazar Emily B. Lazar is an American mastering engineer. She is the founder, president, and chief mastering engineer of The Lodge, an audio mastering facility that has operated in New York City's Greenwich Village since 1997. She won a Grammy Award for ...

– mastering * Chris Allgood – mastering * Mike Gillies –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

* Greg Fidelman – additional engineering, recording * Tim Harkins – engineering * Angel Hammett – photos * Alex Tenta – design, layout

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2022 debut EPs Kirk Hammett albums Progressive rock EPs Heavy metal EPs Classical music EPs Instrumental rock EPs Record Store Day releases