Ride the Lightning
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| Ride the Lightning | ||
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| Studio album by Metallica | ||
| Released | November 16, 1984 | |
| Recorded | June - September 1984 at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| Genre | Thrash metal | |
| Length | 47:18 | |
| Label | Elektra Records | |
| Producer(s) | Metallica | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Metallica chronology | ||
| Kill 'Em All (1983) |
Ride the Lightning (1984) |
Master of Puppets (1986) |
- For the album by M Coast, formerly Marshmallow Coast, see Ride the Lightning.
Ride the Lightning is Metallica's second album, released November 16, 1984 on Elektra Records
Contents |
[edit] Impact and Acclaim
Ride the Lightning is often hailed by fans [1] as a classic of the thrash metal genre, and a vital bridge between the band's albums, Kill 'Em All and Master of Puppets, pushing the thrash metal of the debut into progressive territory more fully-realised on Master of Puppets and ...And Justice for All.
Ride the Lightning retains the furious speed of Kill 'Em All on songs like "Trapped Under Ice", but also contains longer, more symphonically arranged tracks such as the 9-minute closing instrumental "The Call of Ktulu".
Ride the Lightning is considered the first of the "unofficial trilogy" of Metallica albums that show obvious similarities in concept. The "trilogy" is considered instrumental in making metal more serious and focused on real issues, and are Metallica's most respected works. More connections are detailed below.
Ride the Lightning was listed at number 3 in a list compiled by metal-rules.com of a list of the Top 100 Metal Albums of All Time [2] and number 5 by IGN Music on the Top 25 Metal Albums.[3]
[edit] Controversy
With increased critical and commercial attention for the album, the band received their first accusations of "selling out", because of the slow subdued vibe of songs like "Fade to Black", although many more fans argue that the diversifying of sound shown on Ride the Lightning helped to make Metallica such an important band to the genre. Regardless, these accusations were nowhere near those faced by the band over the 1991 album Metallica, the 1996 album Load, or the 2003 album St. Anger.
[edit] Track listing
- "Fight Fire with Fire" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton) – 4:45
- "Ride the Lightning" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, Mustaine) – 6:41
- "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton) – 5:09
- "Fade to Black" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, Hammett) – 6:59
- "Trapped Under Ice" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett) – 4:08
- "Escape" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett) – 4:24
- "Creeping Death" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, Hammett) – 6:35
- "The Call of Ktulu" (Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, Mustaine) – 8:55
[edit] Credits
- James Hetfield - Rhythm guitar, Vocals
- Lars Ulrich - Drums
- Kirk Hammett - Lead guitar
- Cliff Burton - Bass guitar, "Lead Bass" on "The Call of Ktulu"
- Dave Mustaine - (Writing credits on "Ride the Lightning" and "The Call of Ktulu")
[edit] Singles
"Fade to Black" was released as a promo single in 1984.
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" was released as a promo single, with two versions of the song, an edited version on side A, and the album version on side B.
The flipside to "Creeping Death" was the original "Garage Days Revisited", featuring "Am I Evil?" (Diamond Head) and "Blitzkrieg" (Blitzkrieg).
| Metallica |
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| James Hetfield • Kirk Hammett • Robert Trujillo • Lars Ulrich
Cliff Burton • Dave Mustaine • Ron McGovney • Jason Newsted Albums and Extended Plays: No Life 'Til Leather • Kill 'Em All • Ride the Lightning • Master of Puppets • Garage Days Re-Revisited • ...And Justice for All • Metallica • Load • ReLoad • Garage Inc. • S&M • St. Anger • Some Kind of Monster • Ninth studio album DVDs and videos: Cliff 'em All • 2 of One • A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica • Live Shit: Binge & Purge • Cunning Stunts • S&M • Classic Albums: Metallica - The Black Album • Some Kind of Monster • The Videos 1989-2004 Related articles
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