After the success of their debut album
and a successful tour supporting Raven in 1983, Metallica were picked
up by a major label and headed right back into the studio to record
their sophomore album. On July 27th,1984, Metallica
released “Ride The Lightning”. The album was hugely anticipated
for the year and as we can all tell by now that it sold very well if
not extremely better than Kill Em All did. But exactly what did
Metallica expand on with this record and what made it stand out from
the thousands of other records coming out at the time? Well lets
throw this album into the cassette player way back when and find out.
Track Rundown
1.Fight Fire With Fire-Opening with
some almost classical acoustic guitar I'm sure put off a lot of fans
who first heard this in 84 but I think it is perfect because it just
fads right into James' fast as fuck riffing. Right away you can hear
the improvements especially in the production. The larger presence of
reverb makes a lot of these songs a lot bigger than how they would
have sounded if they sounded like the songs on Kill Em All as well.
The chorus is very catchy and shows a lyrical change in the band to
more serious subjects like war and apocalypse like so many other
Thrash bands would use as their template. The solo I always catch my
self listening to James and I think this song is a prime example at
how rock solid of a rhythm player Hetfield really is and Lars'
drumming skills have greatly improved with him using more double bass
pedal more frequently. A perfect opener that absolutely grips you and
doesn't let go.
2.Ride The Lightning- The title track
is nothing short of a classic with more of a chugging sound then full
on thrashing. Kirk's solo here is actually one of my favorites
because of how well it builds from being more melodic to being a full
on attack. The lyrics are catchy as hell and the vocals have a higher
presence and feel a lot more mature than the last album as well.
Again a great song that is a big highlight on the album.
3.For Whom The Bell Tolls-This is
probably the most simple and memorable song on the album for how
catchy it is. It also has probably one of the most recognizable bass
lines in the beginning as well. I also think these are some of the
best lyrics James has written with them being dark and catchy at the
same time. This is the most mid paced song on the album but because
of that it has a heavier feel with how hard everyone plays their
instruments. Definitely the most recognizable song on the record.
4.Fade To Black-This is the ballad on
the album and no it isn't a cheesy Poison ballad, it deals with
depression and has some really killer arrangements to it. This song I
actually hold a lot to me because I listened to it a lot in a dark
period in my life to get me through. The end really ramps up and goes
into another memorable solo by Hammett. This I think is the second
most recognizable song on the record.
5.Trapped Under Ice- This song goes
back to the thrashier formula the first two songs used and holds just
as much originality as the first two songs and just doesn't let up at
all. How James spits the lyrics it just is so damn catchy and the
chorus is a favorite of mine as well. The solo is very well done as
well. Another near perfect thrash metal song.
6.Escape-This song has more of a
standard Heavy Metal song from the 80's and the melodies during the
chorus are very interesting and I think it is a good change of pace
and is definitely a very original song. The riffs are top notch as
well especially at the end with the air raid sirens in the distance
it just sounds so heavy.
7.Creeping Death- Easily the best
written Metallica song ever. Period. The reason is because it is a
thrash song yes but it is one of the most epic thrash numbers ever
recorded. The verses are just absolutely sang with great precision
and the lyrics are very well written as well. It also has an amazing
chorus that is just so fucking epic you can't help but at least nod
your head to it. The melodies in the soloing sprinkled throughout
adds some variety as well and the bridge with the chugging heavy
riffs while the backing vocals are screaming “Die Die Die!” is
just so heavy at least for 1984 standards, there was not a lot of
American bands playing this good with this much intensity and having
chemistry like these four had at the time. The highlight of the album
bar none.
8.Call of Ktulu- The first real
instrumental Metallica recorded and it is a monolith of a closer for
the album. It is very atmospheric and stays at a mid tempo most of
the time and I think the thing I like the most about it is the bass.
What the hell is Cliff doing in the backround? It is so crazy and wah
wah'd out and frantic I think he is the busiest one in this track. It
is a very well written finale and paces itself very well and without
overstaying it's welcome.
Overall, I give Ride The Lightning a
9.9 out of 10. This is easily the closest you could get to having a
perfect album(I just don't believe in a perfect album), and
especially for their sophomore release, it is amazing to see how they
have improved in a years time. Between the production values and the
band expanding upon their playing capabilities, this album improves
on everyone that kind of irked me about the first record and
increased everything I enjoyed to eleven. However, I wished at points
certain instruments were a bit louder like Cliffs bass in parts of
Call of Ktulu but these are just slightly nit picks and I believe
when we look at “Master of Puppets” next I believe those problems
are fixed. This is easily my favorite of their first three and is a
classic, a blueprint for a lot of bands to follow and next time we'll
see how they continued their creative high with “Master of
Puppets”.
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