“He might not fall under the strict category of ‘metal guitarist,’ but I have to give it up for him, purely for being the metal songwriter for the past however many decades.

“Every Metallica album, from the early records right on through to the ‘Black Album,’ were very strong as far as creative riffs go. How did somebody come up with that many riffs for that many albums? And they’re all awesome!

“Basically, he’s got the right hand that every guitar player wants. Listen to Master Of Puppets – this guy tracked those riffs on analog tape, and he’s perfect. The consistency of his playing, his precision, is remarkable. For as much as people put an emphasis on shredding, not a lot of guys can do what Hetfield does. He’s one of my favorite guitarists, period.”