Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by the American thrash/heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 27, 1984 by Megaforce Records. Its total length is 47:23. It was produced by Flemming Rasmussen and the band themselves. It was recorded in three weeks at the Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lineup:
James Hetfield: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Kirk Hammett: Lead Guitar
Cliff Burton: Bass Guitar
Lars Ulrich: Drums
The style of the album is very different than the band's previous album Kill 'Em All because of the band's overall growth and maturity. The songs are now more complex musically and lyrically thanks to Cliff Burton's emphasis on incorporating ideas that he learned from studying music theory. Thanks to Cliff Burton, this release is more sophisticated and powerful than their last record.
There is also more variation in the songs on this album. "Fade to Black" serves as a metal ballad, "The Call of Ktulu" is the instrumental, "Trapped Under Ice" is pure thrash, and "Escape" is the radio friendly track. I love the maturity of James Hetfield's vocals as well. He sounds great on the record and even though his vocals from the last album were well suited for that album, they would not have sounded good for this record.
This is the last album with Dave Mustaine writing credits. The title track and "The Call of Ktulu" both have Mustaine writing credits.
The album peaked at number 48 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album has since gone 6x Platinum in the United States despite the fact that originally only 75,000 copies were issued upon its release. Here are my thoughts on each track.
1. "Fight Fire with Fire" 4:45 (9.5/10)
"Fight Fire with Fire" begins with an acoustic opening that may have a first time listener asking themselves "I thought this was supposed to be heavy?" Don't worry as soon as that's over the song goes into a blistering fast guitar riff. The overall heaviness of this track is something that we have never heard from the band before. Hetfield's chanting during the voices is dark and powerful.
The lyrical themes of nuclear warfare ending the world are more mature than anything from the last album. The chorus is very anthemic and easy to sing along to as well. The guitar solo is so fast and powerful. I love this song and it is a perfect opener to the album. Metallica shows how multi-dimensional they are thanks to the use of acoustic guitar.
2. "Ride the Lightning" 6:36 (10/10)
The title track might just be my favorite Metallica song ever. It has an awesome guitar riff by Hammett to begin the song and a chugging guitar riff that is just flat out epic. I love the lyrical content of this track, which continues the dark theme of this entire album.
The chorus is one of my favorites in the entire Metallica discography. Hetfield's vocal delivery is perfect on this track and Hammett shows off his solo abilities again. The drumming is also very good. "Ride the Lightning" is amazing and blows me away each time I listen to it.
3. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" 5:09 (9.5/10)
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" begins with those bells and an epic bass guitar intro that again showcases Burton's love of using effects on his bass. Metallica utilizes another heavy chugging guitar riff that you just can't help but love.
Lars shows off some nice drumming during the epic intro to the song. Then another epic guitar riff is utilized again just before James comes in with his perfect metal voice. Another powerful and catchy chorus is utilized again. The outro is creepy and a fitting end to this dark track.
4. "Fade to Black" 6:57 (10/10)
Metallica again shows their track variation by performing a heartfelt ballad that is best described as sophisticated and heavy. The acoustic guitar that is contrasted by heavier guitar riffs is a perfect combination for this track.
Hetfield's vocal delivery could not have been any better. He sounds great. Hammett has another excellent guitar solo. This track is Metallica's most emotional and heart felt track the band has ever composed. It is both beautiful and heavy. This song really demonstrated the band's increased maturity in song writing and lyrical content.
5. "Trapped Under Ice" 4:04 (8.5/10)
"Trapped Under Ice" would have fit perfectly on the last record. It's fast, chaotic, and thrashy. This track has really grown on me over the years and is now actually a track I enjoy a lot. It's guitar riffs are crazy fast and powerful.
Hammett's guitar licks are awesome and Hetfield's vocals are pretty raw. The chorus is catchy like all of the choruses on the album. The guitar solo is pure speed and aggression. "Trapped Under Ice" is basically like a track from Metallica's first album, but with more mature vocals.
6. "Escape" 4:23 (8/10)
"Escape" is a rarely talked about Metallica song, which is a shame because it contains one of my favorite choruses the band has ever done. I really have never understood the hate this song gets. The chugging guitar riffs during the verses are really good and the song has a ton of melody. It may be more simple than other tracks on the album, but that does not change the fact that it's a good song. The guitar solo is also pretty good.
7. "Creeping Death" 6:36 (10/10)
"Creeping Death" is another early Metallica classic. This song is amazing. Its lyrical content is awesome, its guitar riffs are heavy and amazing. Hetfield's vocal delivery is fittingly chilling. The chorus is awesome and anthemic. The drum beat makes the listener want to head bang. The guitar solo is ridiculously good.
The portion of the song right after the guitar solo is probably my favorite part as it involves chanting that I think is just perfect for the music. "Creeping Death" is definitely a top 5 Metallica song of all time.
8. "The Call of Ktulu" (instrumental) 8:53 (9/10)
"The Call of Ktulu" is another example of Metallica's great progress as a band. I love the soft and unique sounding guitar riffs that begin the song. Cliff Burton's bass is very audible during parts of the track. The more heavy guitar riffing is pretty awesome as well. The drumming is really nice. The guitar soloing is fantastic as usual for Metallica during this time. The one issue I have with the track is that its length of 8:53 is a bit too long. It should have been cut down to around six minutes.
My Verdict:
Ride the Lightning is one of Metallica's best album. It is heavy, fast, and has tons of variation in sound from track to track. James Hetfield sounds fantastic on the album. His voice has matured so much. Metallica had a great debut, but this puts them on a whole other level. Ride the Lightning is without a doubt one of the best albums of all time.
