Which song on Metallica’s The Black Album was recorded without Kirk Hammett playing on the studio track?

“Nothing Else Matters” was recorded without Kirk Hammett playing on the studio track.

James Hetfield played the guitars on the recording, including the song’s guitar solo. Hammett, Metallica’s lead guitarist, does not appear on the studio version, although he later performed the song live and appears in its music video. This makes the track unusual within the band’s catalog.

Hetfield wrote the song in 1990 while he was away from home on tour. He initially considered it too personal for Metallica and did not intend it for release. After Lars Ulrich heard it, the band developed it for the album. Its subject was a romantic relationship, another departure from the group’s usual lyrical territory at the time.

The finished track also features orchestral arrangements by Michael Kamen and the London Symphony Orchestra. Released as a single in 1992, it became one of Metallica’s best-known songs and helped demonstrate the broader musical range of The Black Album.