Datebook: How Kirk Hammett broke Metallica’s no-side-projects rule
Side projects have long been taboo in the world of Metallica. Bassist Jason Newsted was famously ousted from the Bay Area hard rock band after he became involved in the power-pop trio Echobrain, less than a decade after appearing on Metallica’s career-defining 1991 self-titled fifth album, known as “The Black Album,” which sold 30 million copies worldwide. Over its four-decade run, members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group have avoided performing individually with other musicians or allowing any extracurricular activities to disturb their united front except on extremely rare occasions. So it’s little wonder that longtime guitarist Kirk Hammett was reluctant to tell his Metallica bandmates about working on his debut solo recording, “Portals,” which comes out on April 23.
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