Ride the Lightning

by Metallica

Overview

Kill 'Em All may have revitalized heavy metal's underground, but Ride the Lightning was even more stunning, exhibiting staggering musical growth and boldly charting new directions that would affect heavy metal for years to come. Incredibly ambitious for a one-year-later sophomore effort, Ride the Lightning finds Metallica aggressively expanding their compositional technique and range of expression. Every track tries something new, and every musical experiment succeeds mightily. The lyrics push into new territory as well -- more personal, more socially conscious, less metal posturing. But the true heart of Ride the Lightning lies in its rich musical imagination. There are extended, progressive epics; tight, concise groove-rockers; thrashers that blow anything on Kill 'Em All out of the water, both in their urgency and the barest hints of melody that have been added to the choruses. Some innovations are flourishes that add important bits of color, like the lilting, pseudo-classical intro to the furious "Fight Fire with Fire," or the harmonized leads that pop up on several tracks. Others are major reinventions of Metallica's sound, like the nine-minute, album-closing instrumental "The Call of Ktulu," or the haunting suicide lament "Fade to Black." The latter is an all-time metal classic; it begins as an acoustic-driven, minor-key ballad, then gets slashed open by electric guitars playing a wordless chorus, and ends in a wrenching guitar solo over a thrashy yet lyrical rhythm figure. Basically, in a nutshell, Metallica sounded like they could do anything. Heavy metal hadn't seen this kind of ambition since Judas Priest's late-'70s classics, and Ride the Lightning effectively rewrote the rule book for a generation of thrashers. If Kill 'Em All was the manifesto, Ride the Lightning was the revolution itself. [Ride the Lightning was re-released on CD in 2016.] ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	04/15/2016
Label:	Blackened Recordings
UPC:	0858978005141

Tracks

1. Fight Fire with Fire
2. Ride the Lightning
3. For Whom the Bell Tolls
4. Fade to Black
5. Trapped Under Ice
6. Escape
7. Creeping Death
8. The Call of Ktulu

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Metallica   Primary Artist
Ennio Morricone   Primary Artist
Kirk Hammett   Guitar
Lars Ulrich   Drums,Vocals (Background)
James Hetfield   Vocals,Guitar (Rhythm),Vocals (Background)
Cliff Burton   Bass,Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Robert Hoetink   Photography
Jim Sirotto   Composer
Michael Alago   A&R
Peter Paterno   Legal Advisor
Anthony D. Sommella   Photography
Neil Warnock   Representation
Ian Jones   Composer
Ian Sales   Representation
Marsha Vlasic   Representation
Kirk Hammett   Composer
Lars Ulrich   Composer
James Hetfield   Composer
Cliff Burton   Composer
Flemming Rasmussen   Engineer,Assistant
Sean Harris   Composer
Metallica   Concept,Producer
George Marino   Remastering
Ennio Morricone   Composer
Brian Tatler   Composer
Dave Mustaine   Composer
Mark Whitaker   Assistant
Fin Costello   Photography
Brian Smith   Composer