UMUR "Portals" is an EP release by US artist Kirk Hammett. The EP was released through Blackened Records in April 2022. Hammett is of course best known as the lead guitarist of Metallica, but it´s always been obvious that he had other musical interests than the thrash/heavy metal of his main act (he for example used to play "Little Wing" by Jimi Hendrix as part of his guitar solos in the late 80s). "Portals" is his first solo release and it was recorded at various locations between 2017 and 2020.

Hammett performas all guitars on the album but he is complimented by a host of session/guest musicans, including members of the LA Philharmonic Orchestra. Stylistically the 4 tracks on the 27:08 minutes long EP are progressive rock/metal with symphonic/cinematic touches. It often sounds like soundtrack music, although there is a rock edge to the procedings (nothing here sounds remotely like the music of his main band though). The music is fully instrumental.

The track "High Plains Drifter" is strongly influenced by Ennio Morricone and his spaghetti western soundtracks, which isn´t as odd as it sounds, as Metallica have used the 1966 Morricone composition "L'estasi dell'oro" ("The Ecstasy of Gold") as an intro to their live shows for many years, and it´s therefore only natural that Hammett has found some inspiration there. All four tracks on the EP are worth a listen, if you enjoy atmospheric music which paints pictures in your mind of epic cinematic landscapes. As mentioned above there are harder rocking parts on the EP too, but they aren´t the dominating element of the release.

The EP features a relatively well sounding production, but I can´t help notice that the guitars sometimes sound a little off in terms of professional recording standards. It´s like Hammett have sometimes chosen to keep the demo recordings of his guitar parts and have applied them directly to the music. It´s not a huge issue and most people probably won´t even notice it, but it´s just a detail of this release, which could have been better.

Upon conclusion "Portals" ends up being a pretty decent quality debut release by Kirk Hammett, but I can´t help feel that it´s not a release which was particularly necessary. It´s perfectly fine that Hammett has a little hobby project going, but did it need to see a release in this form? A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.