Kirk Hammett said in a new interview that the success of Metallica’s 1991 self-titled album (aka: “The Black Album”) helped pave the way for rock radio to embrace grunge.
Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Hammett said, “Rock radio embracing our sound – our heaviness – helped the whole grunge thing take hold. Not long after the Black Album came out, Nirvana put out ‘Nevermind.’ I like to think we had something to do with the acceptance of Nirvana.”
Hammett also said, “Kurt Cobain came to one of our shows in Seattle, on the Black Album tour, I knew Kurt kind of well, and I hung out with him quite a bit. He was a pretty big Metallica fan. I was surprised at how much of a Metallica fan he was.”
As for the impact “The Black Album” had on music, Hammett said, “It’s a cultural force in itself. As much as modern culture changes and morphs, there’s something within that album that continues to resonate around the world. And I mean the world, because it’s big everywhere.”
