Anthrax’s Scott Ian Addresses One Aspect of Metallica’s Kirk Hammett’s Playing ‘Nobody Ever Talks About’

Ian also revealed who he thinks to be “technically” the best rhythm guitar player in all of metal.

Anthrax’s Scott Ian noted how Kirk Hammett is one of heavy metal’s most underrated rhythm guitarists due to being in the same band as James Hetfield, and named Meshuggah’s Frederik Thordendal as a player who could stand toe to toe even with Papa Het.

When it comes to playing rhythm guitar, Anthrax co-founder Scott Ian certainly knows his stuff. Back in the early ’80s, Ian’s playing became an important cornerstone of the subgenre of thrash, and he’s kept the bar pretty damn high throughout his 40-year-long career so far.

And while the exact style of playing that Ian championed back in the day couldn’t really be found in any other band that came before, he tells Revolver in a recent interview how he developed it by listening to the older generation of rock greats, some of which he still thinks of as his favorite rhythm guitar players:

“For me, my favorites are the dudes I learned from. [AC/DC’s] Malcolm Young, [The Ramones’] Johnny Ramone and [Scorpions’] Rudy Schenker. That’s where I really learned how to play songs and how to keep it locked down. Those were the dudes for me.”

As for the most underrated metal rhythm guitarist out there, Ian makes the unexpected pick of Kirk Hammett, although the argument he offers for his choice sounds pretty reasonable:

“For me, in the world of metal, I think the most underrated rhythm player is Kirk Hammett. Because he’s in a band with James [Hetfield,] who, when it comes to metal, is the best. There’s no better right hand [than Hetfield’s].”

And while Ian confidently names Metallica’s James Hetfield as “the fucking god” of rhythm guitar, he can’t help but give praise to Meshuggah’s Fredrik Thordendal:

“Frederick [Thordendal] from Meshuggah [might actually] have the best right hand. I’m convinced he was a Terminator sent back [in time].

“But instead of killing Sarah Connor, he was here to make all other rhythm guitarists feel bad about their right hands. So technically, he’s the best, but James is James, he’s the fucking god.

“And Kirk’s in a band with James and he’s the lead guitar player, so nobody ever talks about Kirk as a rhythm guitar player. But he’s gotta go fucking note for note with James. And he can’t cheat. There’s no fucking cheating, he’s down-picking all those fucking parts. Nobody talks about that.

Ian also gave a shoutout to Slayer’s Kerry King, saying:

“So Kirk, to me, is the most underrated. I’ve established that James is the best, Frederick is from another planet — so he doesn’t count, he’s an alien. But I’ve gotta give it up for [Slayer’s] Kerry King.

“Because I’ve watched him close up so many times, standing with him for an hour doing shots before they go on, and he’s warming up the whole time. It’s just jaw-dropping sometimes, the ability and the stamina … I remember talking to [Exodus guitarist] Gary Holt when he joined Slayer and he’s like, ‘My fucking forearms are dying.’”