Gary Holt has once again singled out James Hetfield’s right-hand technique, calling the Metallica frontman the “downpicking king.”
The Exodus guitarist made the comment in a recent Instagram post featuring a photo of himself with Hetfield.
“Downpicking king and to call him a legend, well, that’s kinda obvious,” Holt wrote. “Had some wild times during the heyday of thrash, and he’s still an awesome dude. Cheers!”
The comment follows several previous occasions where Holt has discussed Hetfield’s guitar playing in detail.
Earlier this year, Holt compared Hetfield with Dave Mustaine while discussing their different approaches to guitar.
Speaking about downpicking, Holt put Hetfield at the top.
“James is the best of all,” Holt said.
He also pointed to something that separates Hetfield from many other rhythm guitarists: he performs those parts while handling lead vocals at the same time.
“And he sings while doing it,” Holt said. “I can’t sing a single note and play at the same time.”
Holt has also spoken about the physical reality behind that style of playing.
In an earlier discussion about downpicking, he argued that even highly experienced players find ways to reduce the strain during difficult passages.
“Everybody cheats,” Holt said.
Holt specifically mentioned Hetfield while making that point, saying he had seen him occasionally leave out individual downstrokes.
His comments were not meant to question Hetfield’s ability. Holt’s point was that long sets and fast rhythm parts place heavy demands on the picking arm, especially after decades of touring.
That mix of admiration and close observation has appeared repeatedly in Holt’s comments about Hetfield.
The two guitarists came out of the same early Bay Area thrash environment, with Exodus and Metallica developing alongside each other before Metallica moved into a much larger commercial position.
Holt has also been open about how he views Metallica’s early work.
In a 2026 interview, he said:
“Metallica were the best of all of us.”
He immediately added that he no longer believes that is the case today and said he thinks Exodus now “crushes them.”
Still, when discussing Metallica’s 1986 album ‘Master of Puppets,’ Holt offered one of his strongest compliments.
“To me, it’s the best metal album ever made,” he said. “I fucking love it. I’m jealous, that album is so good.”
That history gives Holt’s latest “downpicking king” comment some context.
It is not the first time he has singled out Hetfield’s rhythm playing. Over several interviews, Holt has repeatedly returned to the same point: whatever shortcuts or physical adjustments players may use onstage, he still places Hetfield above the others when it comes to downpicked rhythm guitar.
