Metallica New Album: 10 Old-School Thrash Lessons They Need To Relearn

Kirk Hammett was one of the band's biggest assets in the early years.

Wah-wah memes aside, Hammett's masterful touch behind the fretboard turned Hetfield's compositions into some of the most awe-inspiring guitar showcases in metal history. It's just a shame considering the more lacklustre performance Hammett has pulled off in recent years.

Granted, it's not like Hammett just sits on his hands throughout the duration of a Metallica song, with almost each one showing him shred to the best of his ability.

However, on the past few records, the leads that Hammett has pulled off seem less thought out and more spontaneous than actually memorable. As opposed to the jaw-dropping fretwork he did in the '80s, most of the mindset behind these latest tracks seem to be "well...we need a solo here, Kirk flip on the wah pedal."

In case anyone has forgotten, this is the same guy who was able to weave together beautiful musical pieces, from the glorious build in "Fade to Black" to the maniacal squeals on "The Shortest Straw." Hell, even when Kirk screwed up during a recording like on Master of Puppets' solo, it was so tasteful they actually left it in the final mix.

Metallica have more guitar chops than other bands have in a lifetime, but if they want to really get people to do a double take, they seriously need to clean up their lead work.