Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is the lead guitarist and songwriter for the
heavy metal band
Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band
Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on
Rolling Stone's list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. In 2009, Hammett was ranked number 15 in
Joel McIver's book
The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.