Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, echoing his band's notorious battle against Napster a dozen years ago, has lashed out at a series of things he says have ruined music over the past few years. Among them: iTunes, streaming and social media.

Hammett told the Brazilian news portal R7 in a recent video interview that he thinks most modern-day artists have been tarnished by the various online opportunities available to them. "There haven't been a lot of really, really great bands that have shown that kind of promise," he said. "I think it's a concern. Because of things like iTunes and streaming and social networking, it's destroyed music. It's destroyed the motivation to go out there and really make the best record possible. It's a shame."

The eight-minute video chat comes from an interview Hammett did while Metallica were in Rio De Janeiro on Sept. 19 for the Rock In Rio festival.

He also talked about the band's movie, 'Metallica: Through the Never,' which hasn't been pulling in such great numbers since its release three weeks ago. Drummer Lars Ulrich more recently refused to call the film, which has grossed a mere $3.2 million, a flop.

Hammett said the movie is as close to a real concert experience that many people get these days. "Nowadays, you go on YouTube and stream music," he said. "Everything is with screens. The record store was our Internet, our social place to meet people -- a gathering point for [like-minded] people."

More From Q 105.7