Kirk Hammett, “Portals.” Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett packs plenty of punch into his debut EP, Portals. The four-track record is a nearly 30-minute stylistic journey that spans genres, moods and musicality. Hammett’s first-ever solo effort’s arrival is fairly significant, as Metallica avoided side projects for years. That was partly the reason…

Rob Dietrich of Blackened American Whiskey. The fusion of music and the development of craft beverage is not a foreign concept at its core. Vintners have played music to grapes on the vine or in the barrel to see how they react, and distillers have used music in the…

San Francisco Symphony performs with Metallica in S&M2, the 20th anniversary of the original S&M performance, and the inaugural concert at Chase Center in San Francisco. Conducted by Edwin Outwater with a special appearance by Michael Tilson Thomas. Photo courtesy of the SF Symphony. San Francisco Symphony Conductor Edwin…

SAN FRANCISCO — No matter the sum of money, cutting-edge construction or fancy amenities packed into a new venue, its soul is built through the collective shared moments that happen inside. The buzz for the opening of Chase Center had been tremendous, but could the high-profile venue deliver on…

I Images courtesy “Murder in the Front Row.”Decades after their release, countless fans still furiously debate whether Ride the Lightning or Master of Puppets is the best Metallica album. But the Bay Area spawned an entire thrash scene in the ’80s, including successful bands like Exodus, Testament, Possessed and…

Photos: Roman Gokhman OAKLAND —Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield. Metal gods who, along with a revolving door of bassists including Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton, Jason Newsted and now Robert Trujillo have turned Metallica into more than just the speed/thrash metal band they started out to be 35 years ago. They are now legends of rock. Saturday night, at…