Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has shared a new solo single this week – listen to ‘High Plains Drifter’ below.

The track is taken from his upcoming solo EP, ‘Portals’, which is released on April 23.

In a press release, Hammett said the song shares inspiration with a 1973 film that has the same name as the track.

“[The song] was not meant to be specifically music for that film, but…once it was written, I immediately thought it conveyed the same sentiment as the film, so the piece was christened accordingly.

“The music for ‘High Plains Drifter’ initially came from a Flamenco piece I had written. It was a two-and-a-half-minute piece, and I really liked it, but it was one of those riffs that would be hard to integrate into Metallica.”

He continued:, “I knew I wanted to do something with it, even though it came out spontaneously. I had been sitting outside messing around with a Flamenco acoustic guitar I’d just bought, and it flowed out in the moment. I was determined it would have a life. It would have its moment.”

Hammett had previously revealed that his new material was created with an “audio-cinematic” approach and said they were “soundtracks to the movies in your mind.”

Recently, it was announced that Metallica will release a series of remixed and re-edited live performance and documentary films of their 40th anniversary shows.

In partnership with The Coda Collection, seven new titles will be made available on the subscription streaming service for the first time, shedding new light on the metal monolith’s 40-year tenure and offering fans a chance to relive some of their most iconic performances.