Metallica's Kirk Hammett Talks Recording "Super Heavy" Riff for Next Exodus Album

Tonight, Metallica's Kirk Hammett will jam with his pre-Metallica band, Exodus, at his "Fear FestEvil After Party" at the San Diego Comic-Con International.

However, it turns out Hammett has gone one step further in terms of reconnecting with his old band.

"I play a guitar solo on the new Exodus album," Hammett told Rolling Stone.

"It felt really casual, really cool — just like it did back in 1980 when we were all just hanging out back in the day," Hammett said. "Me, recording a solo on their album was a huge thing for me. Other than the Exodus demo that's been heard by a lot of people, it's the only time I ever recorded with Exodus. It was a huge thing for me."

The song, "Salt in the Wound," will appear on an album that features Steve Souza, Exodus' vocalist from the late Eighties and early Nineties. Hammett calls it a "super heavy" riff.

"I play a pretty cool solo, and then Gary [Holt] comes in and plays another solo, and you know what? I listened to that I thought, 'Wow, it's 1982 all over again and here we are, Gary and I are trying to cut each other's heads off with our guitar solos.' Nothing has changed much in the last 30 years. I love it. I love those guys."

As for tonight's event in San Diego, Hammett added:

"We're going to be playing 10 or 12 cover songs, but Rob [Trujillo] and I are adamant about not playing the usual cover songs that everyone else plays, like 'Communication Breakdown.' People are going to be expecting a bunch of heavy-metal cover songs. There's going to be some of that, but Rob and I, we like to stretch out a little bit so we'll be playing some different stuff, too. We're gonna be playing 'The Real Me' by the Who, which is a song both Rob and I love. And we're going to get funky and play [Kool and the Gang's] 'Jungle Boogie.'"