Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett released a special video on the band’s official YouTube channel for Halloween, in which he narrates Edgar Allan Poe’s classic 1845 poem “The Raven.”
The video features Hammett reading Poe’s work, a poem about a grieving man visited by a mysterious raven in the night. The guitarist has long been known for his passion for horror, collecting art, posters, and artifacts from the genre’s golden age.
According to the video description on Metallica’s channel, “Just in time for Halloween, Kirk Hammett lends his voice to one of the most haunting poems ever written: Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven.’ A lifelong devotee of horror, Kirk has spent decades collecting the art, posters, and artifacts of the genre’s golden age. Here he turns to the source, reading Poe’s 1845 masterpiece about a grieving man, a midnight visitor, and a single word that won’t stop knocking. Pour something dark, turn the lights down, and listen.”
The release surprised some fans who did not expect the band to share such content on their official channel. “I didn’t expect Kirk reading us a book on an oficiall metallica chanel,” one fan wrote.
Hammett’s narration brings Poe’s words to life at a time when the horror poet’s work remains central to Halloween tradition.
Hammett’s connection to Poe’s work runs deep. He discovered Edgar Allan Poe when he was in second or third grade, and “The Tell-Tale Heart” became one of his favorite stories. His lifelong interest in horror has shaped both his personal collecting habits and his professional creative work.
The Metallica guitarist is recognized for having one of the most extensive horror and science fiction collections in the world. His collection includes horror movie set props and artifacts such as pieces from the lab used in the original 1931 film “Frankenstein,” Boris Karloff’s costume from the 1933 film “The Black Cat,” the axe used by Jack Nicholson’s character Jack Torrance in the 1980 film “The Shining,” and the original cape worn by Bela Lugosi. Hammett released a coffee table book in 2012 called “Too Much Horror Business” that featured photos of his extensive collection of monster and horror memorabilia.
Hammett displayed a portion of his collection in the “Kirk’s Crypt” exhibition during the 2012 and 2013 Orion Music + More festivals. The exhibition features 90 works that trace Hammett’s collecting journey and examine how he draws inspiration from this material for his own gothic creativity. The exhibition was held at the Peabody Essex Museum located in Salem, Massachusetts.
Hammett is also known as the Fear FestEvil horror convention organizer. The video is soundtracked by “Inamorata,” the closing track from Metallica’s latest album, “72 Seasons.”
