"Leaving METALLICA Is Not An Option" Says KIRK HAMMETT

"I don't believe in retirement. Retirement is something that's been forced onto people; I don't believe musicians are allowed to retire," Kirk Hammett told Metal Hammer in their newest print issue.

And that's understandable given his outlook on his career and the fact that "playing music is a gift, a blessing and a privilege. I love what I do and it's magic. It helps people." And Hammett feels like he "can't walk away from that."

Having joined the band over 40 years ago, the question of retirement feels only natural. Hammett is creeping up on what would usually be retirement age – he's 62 – but that isn't stopping him: "Leaving Metallica is not an option," Hammett said when also speaking to the The Telegraph, because he's still fired up.

And when talking to Rolling Stone this past March, he addressed the query about his age creeping towards that of retirement, and he simply brushed it off: "I'm 62 years old, and a lot of artists, when they're 62 years old, they're winding things down. I feel like I'm still climbing the summit. Haven't reached the top of the mountain yet. Haven't reached the capstone of the pyramid. Still going up, man. I still feel like I'm improving and I still have a lot of creative momentum and energy in me.

And that was clearly evident when Hammett confirmed that he had "767 new [riffs] for the next [Metallica] album," but that he didn't "foresee [them] starting the next album for at least another year," due to their current touring commitments in 2026.

With a pretty extensive European and UK tour in 2026 on the books, alongside Australia and Zealand dates in 2025, you can check out Metallica's schedule below, and find tickets here.

2025
June 20th – Santa Clara, CA @ Levi's Stadium (w/ Limp Bizkit & Ice Nine Kills)
June 22nd – Santa Clara, CA @ Levi's Stadium (w/ Pantera & Suicidal Tendencies)
June 27th – Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High (w/ Limp Bizkit & Ice Nine Kills)
June 29th – Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High (w/ Pantera & Suicidal Tendencies)
July 5th – Birmingham, England @ Villa Park
November 1st – Perth, Australia @ Optus Stadium
November 5th – Adelaide, Australia @ Adelaide Oval
November 8th – Melbourne, Australia @ Marvel Stadium
November 12th – Brisbane, Australia @ Suncorp Stadium
November 15th – Sydney, Australia @ Accor Stadium
November 19th – Auckland, New Zealand @ Eden Park
December 3rd – Sakhir, Bahrain @ Beyon Al Dana Amphitheatre
December 6th – Abu Dhabi, UAE @ Yas Island – Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix

2026
May 9th – Athens, Greece @ Olympic Stadium^
May 13th – Bucharest, Romania @ Arena Națională
May 19th – Chorzów, Poland @ Stadion Śląski
May 22th – Frankfurt, Germany @ Deutsche Bank Park^
May 24th – Frankfurt, Germany @ Deutsche Bank Park°
May 27th – Zurich, Switzerland @ Stadion Letzigrund^
May 30th – Berlin, Germany @ Olympiastadion^
Jun 3rd – Bologna, Italy @ Stadio Renato Dall’Ara^
Jun 11th – Budapest, Hungary @ Puskas Arena°
Jun 13th – Budapest, Hungary @ Puskas Arena^
Jun 19th – Dublin, Ireland @ Aviva Stadium°
Jun 21th – Dublin, Ireland @ Aviva Stadium^
Jun 25th – Glasgow, Scotland @ Hampden Park^
Jun 28th – Cardiff, England @ Principality Stadium^
Jul 3rd – London, England @ London Stadium^
Jul 05th – London, England @ London Stadium UK°

^ Gojira and Knocked Loose support
° Pantera and Avatar support