Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is the lead guitarist for Metallica since 1983, replacing Dave Mustaine (who went on to form Megadeth). Before that, he was a founding member of Exodus. Along with masterful solos, Hammett is well known for his fandom of comics and horror movies (even having guitars branded after classic thrillers such as White Zombie and Bride of Frankenstein).