Kirk Hammett, lead shredder for Metallica, is a busy man. From writing and releasing his first book that chronicles his massive collection of horror movie memorabilia to filming a 3D movie with his bandmates, Hammett doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down anytime soon.

We recently caught up with the axeman in New York City, where he made a stop on his book tour for ‘Too Much Horror Business.’ In addition to discussing the book, we also took some time to chat about Metallica’s next studio album, the longevity of the band and whether or not fans should be planning for a 2013 edition of their festival, Orion Music + More.

Just a few months ago, you said that you have around 400 riffs ready for the new album.

That’s grown from there. I have even more riffs now.

So, as you continue piling on the riffs, where are you guys in the process of starting the next Metallica album?

We just filmed a 3D movie up in Vancouver. That’s been at the forefront of our attention right now. We’ve been dealing with the audio aspect of that and pretty soon we’re going to start seeing footage from the concert. Once that particular project kind of dies down and we complete what we need to do with that, then we’re going to start writing songs. We’re going to meet up and start throwing ideas together. That should be really, really interesting. I’m really looking forward to that. What’s not going to be so fun is going through all the musical ideas that we have. I’m not really good at editing myself because I think it’s all good. To be more thorough on that, though, I foresee us starting to get together fairly soon, like in the next couple of months. We’ll start hammering away on it.

When do you think fans will get to see the 3D film?

We’re shooting for a summer release of next year. I’m really excited about it and I can’t wait to see it myself.

The Rolling Stones just released a brand new studio track that comes on the heels of celebrating their 50th anniversary this past summer. With Metallica celebrating 30 years last year, do you think you’ll still be making new music two decades from now?

I hope so! I have every intention. The word “retirement” doesn’t really sit well with me. There comes a time when you reach a position in society or culture where people will not let you retire. You can say, “Alright, I’m going to hang up my guitar,” but people will still not let you retire. They’ll constantly remind you of who you are and what you’ve done, so you might as well keep on doing it.

It’s not like Metallica ever really slow down. That’s probably most evident in the fact you created your own music festival! Should fans get ready for a second Orion Music + More festival next year?

The intention is to definitely do another one. We’re kind of getting our thoughts together on how that might be, where it might be and what our approach to it will be. We’re very, very keen on having another one this year. It was just so much fun. But as for details on the fest, you know, it’s too early in the process right now. I can assure you of one thing, there is going to be another ‘Kirk’s Crypt.’ Bigger and better, two stories this time!

-loudwire.com