Kirk Hammett is Metallica's lead guitarist. Born in San Francisco in 1962, Hammett joined Metallica in 1983 (replacing former Metallica guitarist and Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine) having previously been in the band "Exodus". His lead guitar playing is regarded by some as being more varied than his heavy metal contemporaries, while others regard him as little more than a pentatonic player. In 2002 he was the first inductee into Guitar World magazine's "Hall of Fame."
