Kirk Hammett does not play on the studio recording of “Nothing Else Matters” from Metallica's The Black Album.
James Hetfield performs the vocals and guitars on the recording, while Lars Ulrich plays drums and Jason Newsted is the credited bassist. The song also features an orchestral arrangement by Michael Kamen and the London Symphony Orchestra, giving it a broader sound than many of the album's other tracks.
Hammett did appear in the song's music video and performed it live with Metallica. That visual and concert presence can lead listeners to assume he played the studio guitar part, but the album credits distinguish the recording from later performances.
“Nothing Else Matters” began as a private guitar piece written by Hetfield while he was on tour. Its release as a single helped establish the band's ability to reach beyond thrash metal without abandoning its identity. The song is therefore associated with the full four-member lineup in public memory, even though Hammett is absent from the studio track itself.