Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett is featured in a new interview with the band's fanclub, So What!, conducted by Steffan Chirazi. An excerpt reads as follows:

SC: Given the fact that you individually were probably playing the best you’ve played in 20 years in the last year of the WorldWired tour… have you personally found the pandemic to be immensely frustrating because you hit this fucking giant groove and then you just haven’t been able to get back out there?

KH: "Well, I think my playing is improved, it’s continuing to improve over the last three years, it’s on an upward trajectory. Then, you know, when everything stopped, I didn’t let COVID stop me whatsoever. I kept on working every single fucking day. I wrote tons of music. That’s why I have so much fucking music, you know? It’s like a year ago when James (Hetfield) said he had to get back to rehab, I just buckled down and I wrote so much fucking music. I got together with Rob Trujillo and wrote more music. And then I got together with Edwin Outwater, the conductor for S&M2, and I wrote two horror themed instrumentals that were supposed to be played with the Vancouver Symphony next month."

Go to this location to register for free and read the in-depth interview.

Metallica’s second All Within My Hands Helping Hands Concert & Auction will be moving forward as the band’s first ever worldwide pay-per-view event. This special acoustic show benefitting the All Within My Hands foundation will stream live from Metallica HQ on Saturday, November 14 at 2 PM, Pacific.

Ticket holders can enjoy multiple replays up to 48 hours from when they first start the stream. Further information on ticket sales, VIP packages, bundles etc. can be found here. Ticket sales will directly benefit the foundation.

Details of the AWMH Helping Hands auction items and experiences, as well as how to bid on them, will be made available closer to the November 14th date.

All Within My Hands is a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation established in 2017 as a way for the Metallica family to give back to communities that have supported the band. Just this year, AWMH has donated $645,000 to COVID-19 related relief funds including Feeding America, Direct Relief, as well as to charities assisting those in the entertainment and hospitality industries suddenly without work. More recently the foundation donated $350,000 to aid those affected by the West Coast wildfires. Finally, the foundation’s Metallica Scholars Initiative is now in its second year, supported by a $1.5 million grant benefiting 15 community colleges across the country.

Metallica and All Within My Hands are committed to running an organization of the highest integrity where expenses are kept to a minimum and are paid for entirely by the band, the board, and friends who have worked with the band over many years and are excited to help in this mission. As always, 100% of proceeds from this years Helping Hands event - tickets, fees and auction items - will go directly to help those in need, with Metallica and the foundation covering all production costs and expenses.