In a recent interview with Classic Rock Magazine , Kirk Hammett reflected on the legacy of Metallica 's Black Album and spoke about how he believes the work positively influenced the reception of another album released in 1991: Nirvana 's Nevermind .
Hammett revealed that he had a relatively close relationship with Kurt Cobain and said he was surprised to discover that the musician was a Metallica fan. “Kurt Cobain came to see one of our shows in Seattle, on the Black Album . I knew him relatively well and sometimes spoke to him. He was a big Metallica fan. I was surprised by how big of a fan he was,” said the guitarist.
“The fact that rock radio stations embraced our sound, our heaviness, helped the grunge movement take off. Nirvana released Nevermind not long after the Black Album . I like to think we had something to do with Nirvana's acceptance,” concluded Kirk Hammett.
Both Nevermind and the Black Album were discussed in episode #329 of the Wikimetal Podcast about the best albums of 1991. Check it out here .
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