For over four decades, Kirk Hammett has been a key part of Metallica, contributing not only to the band’s sound but also helping to keep the peace within the volatile dynamic of its members. However, in a new interview with The Telegraph, the guitarist pushed back on his reputation as the band’s mediator.

“I have to say, I do have a temper. And I can butt heads with people,” Hammett admitted. “I butt heads with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich occasionally.” While tensions are inevitable after spending so many years together, he described it as part of the territory. “Oh, everything. It’s just part of being in a band and being with someone for 40-plus years.”

When Hammett first joined Metallica in 1983, replacing Dave Mustaine, he was just as brash as the rest of the group. “I was equally as ornery as Lars and James. When I joined the band, I was right in there talking shit and doing crazy stuff, just as much as James and Lars and Cliff Burton were,” he reflected. “Sometimes prickly people turn on other people around them.”

In those early days, the band was driven by an intense, often aggressive energy—something Hammett links to their shared upbringings. “We were like a gang of youths and just looking for somewhere to belong,” he said. “I came from a broken home, James came from a broken home, Lars came from a broken home. The most well-adjusted person was Cliff Burton. We were all basket cases. But we created this thing called Metallica that’s been our refuge. It’s been the one constant in our lives.”

He also touched on his own upbringing, describing an environment where aggression was commonplace. “My dad was a full-blooded Irishman who liked to drink and liked to scrap. He was always fighting people, even fighting his friends,” he said. “It was just one big fucking toxic soup of masculinity, and that’s what I came out of.”

“In the last two or three years, I’ve gotten way into ancient history, and the interesting thing is that, back then, almost all the major civilizations were led by women. Matriarchal societies are very, very successful. This patriarchal society, with all this f—ing masculinity stuff, it’s ingrained in all us males that, if males are leading at the top, that means all males in our culture need to be a leader,” Hammett added.

Despite the conflicts and challenges, Hammett remains committed to the band that has defined much of his life. “Leaving Metallica is not an option,” he stated. “If I ever left Metallica, everyone in the world would remind me that I used to be in Metallica.”

Before joining Metallica, Hammett was a founding member of Exodus, even coming up with the band’s name and recruiting original frontman Paul Baloff. But his path ultimately led him to one of the biggest metal bands in history, where he played a crucial role in shaping Kill ‘Em All and everything that followed.