Metallica - Ride the Lightning
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CD Details
Artist: MetallicaBrand: Metallica
Edition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 1990-10-25
Music Label: Elektra / Wea
Soundtracks:
- Fight Fire With Fire
- Ride The Lightning
- For Whom The Bell Tolls
- Fade To Black
- Trapped Under Ice
- Escape
- Creeping Death
- The Call Of Ktulu
Music reviews of Ride the Lightning
Music Review: One Glorious Ride
Rating: 5 Stars
1. Fight Fire With Fire (4:44) 10/10
Do not let the opening 41 seconds of acoustic intro deceive you, the opening track is one of the heaviest songs in Metallica's whole repertoire. As soon as the classic melodies fade, a set of the most menacing, vicious and ruthless riffs slams in your face and shows no mercy. Hetfield's harsh, monotone growls fit the music perfectly and immediately, Metallica exemplifies itself as a force of devastation that cannot be stopped. There is a decent solo section in the middle of the song from 2:34-3:22 that is also worth mentioning. But make no mistake, FFWF sets the stage for the rest of the album flawlessly and provides us a mere taste of what's yet to come.
2. Ride The Lightning (6:36) 10/10
The title track, which has Dave Mustaine written all over it throughout the entire span of 6 minutes and 36 seconds is one of the most underrated songs of all time. Again, just 12 seconds in, we are introduced with riffs so intense, it will cause every metal fan to spontaneously snap their necks upon a listen. Hetfield's shrieking vocals does a fantastic job at setting the atmosphere here, shown best by the infamous line "I DON'T WANT TO DIIEEE!" quickly accompanied by that fierce echo immediately following through. However, the highlight of the song is undisputedly the 1 minute and 33 seconds of furious guitar shredding from Mustaine. The solo commences at the 2:48 mark and gradually builds a cresendo of sonic immensity up until 3:42, when all hell suddenly breaks loose. The tempo then speeds up greatly and Mustaine pulls off some of the most jaw dropping guitar harmonies into the latter half of the solo.
3. For Whom The Bell Tolls (5:10) 9/10
Enter thunder and lightning. FWTBT has the longest intro of any track in the history of Metallica's discography. Nothing too fancy, but it does a great job setting the atmosphere and mood for the rest of the song. The vocals here are done incredibly well, arguably Hetfield's best performance on the record. There are also some short moments of intervals between the verses, allowing Ulrich to capitalize on a few drum rolls in order to satisfy his gluttonous ego. The outro seems to drag for a bit, but nevertheless, this is one of the band's most memorable songs and a favorite live.
4. Fade To Black (6:56) 10/10
Alas, Fade To Black, probably the best post-Mustaine Metallica song of all time. From start to finish, everything here just thrives. 20 years later, it's still hard to fathom how the band managed to have the classic acoustic notes accompanied so well with the smooth guitar melodies of Hammett in that intro. If you are not moved by the powerful vocals of Hetfield, you will be by the dark, genuine emotion of that main riff. However, the spotlight here is without a doubt on Hammett; for the solo in the instrumental outro would be the best piece of music he ever wrote. Despite what Metallica has sadly disintegrated to in the last few years, Fade To Black does and will always own you.
5. Trapped Under Ice (4:03) 7/10
Evidently, Side A of RTL is very near absolute perfection. However, unfortunately Side B will not quite live up to its predecessor. First track up is Trapped Under Ice, although not necessarily a bad song, it definitely pales when compared to the four previous classics. There are three sections of guitar shreds and a decent riff section at 2:00-2:25, but other than that, this is an average effort by Metallica.
6. Escape (4:23) 4/10
Escape is a definite miss for the band. It is ultimately labeled as filler by most fans, and rightfully so. The structure is unorganized, with bits and pieces of ideas distributed poorly. The songwriting is disappointing. Not to mention the closing bridge is down right awful, especially crammed in with that horrendous siren. It does have a few reasonable left over riffs here and there but do "escape" this mediocrity with the skip button.
7. Creeping Death (6:36) 8/10
Although being one of the most popular songs on the record, Creeping Death is probably also the most overrated. However, this is not a bad song by any means. The intro riff is an infectious hook, and Hammett gives a great minute solo at 2:48. The riff section following the solo is a good progression from the one on Trapped Under Ice. During the conclusion, there are some lovely guitar harmonies that really shine through.
8. The Call of Ktulu (8:52) 9/10
Don't let the writing credits mislead you. This entire instrumental is written by Mustaine, and features his patented Spider Chords that wonderfully progresses and evolves throughout the whole song. Following with yet another melodic intro, the song breaks out at 1:24 and screams of total guitar technique for the next 8 minutes. Around the 3:32 mark, a breathtaking solo is weaved into the chords and changes key several times. Then, just like the previous song, guitar harmonies are greatly emphasized during the end. The only problem with this track is that it does seem to drag on too long. There also seems to be more variations in the first 5 minutes than the latter 4, which will cause the listener to slightly lose interest. However, TCOK is a great way to conclude the album.
Package 10/10
Ride The Lightning without a doubt has the best cover art in the history of Metallica's career. Although very simple, the metaphor for the electric chair to the lightning is just pure genius. The cover alone is so immediately recognizable that even fans in mainstream music can distinguish it from just a glance. The band logo never looked better draped in white and blue with streaks of lightning branching out. This is one of the most memorable metal album covers of all time.
Production 10/10
Along with the music, the production for Ride The Lightning is also eons ahead of its time. It unquestionably owns all other sophomoric releases from the "Big Four" of Thrash in terms of sound quality. The riffs are heavy, yet incredibly clear. The solos are crisp, and the drumming sounds fantastic. Hetfield's voice is an immense improvement from the raw raspy performance he gave on Kill Em All. An album with such solid production in 1984 is truly incredible. A re-master is really not even necessary.
Replayability 10/10
Ride The Lightning is really the first thrash album to include melody from the classic guitar style mostly introduced by Burton. In addition to Dave Mustaine's influences aside from his brilliant guitar writing conveyed through the instrumental and the title track, this album has a lot of variety. Thus, the diversity between songs on top of the plethora of famous riffs and solos makes Ride The Lightning even more enjoyable.
Content 10/10
Metallica's second album really surprised the music world with their song writing talent and maturity at such an early period of time. The lyrical content reflects as much variety as the music. The opening track is about the nuclear holocaust. The title track is about one's feelings moments before execution on an electric chair. "Fade To Black" shows a different side of the band, expressing emotions for suicide. "Creeping Death" follows its predecessor "The Four Horsemen" from Kill Em All as another variation of a tale from the bible. For Whom The Bell Tolls has some of the best lyrics James Hetfield ever wrote. The content of Ride The Lightning is a definite pivotal part of this album's critical success.
Essentialness 10/10
Although Master of Puppets is blindly hailed by most Metallica fans as their greatest album, the true metal fans tend to prefer Ride The Lightning. Both are extremely essential albums, and undoubtedly a wonderful gateway into the realm of heavy metal for new fans. This is one of the best Thrash albums of all time, although one of the earliest. Ride The Lightning enunciates the epitome of the glory days of Metallica, a time of direction and passion for music that today seems so very distant.
90.0%
Description of Ride the Lightning
Digitally remastered reissue of their 1984 album on a 24 karat gold CD from DCC. From the original master tapes. Booklet includes complete original artwork.Don't let that classical-guitar-ish opening to "Fight Fire with Fire" fool you--Ride the Lightning packs a heavy-metal wallop. While not as ambitious as the subsequent Master of Puppets, this early Metallica album is indubitably one of their best. Thematically, it explores death and dying from myriad points of view: nuclear war ("Fight Fire with Fire"), electric-chair execution (the title track), and drowning ("Trapped Under Ice"). Interestingly, the best track on this album is probably "Fade to Black," a slower, more introspective song about suicide. There's also "Creeping Death," which remains a concert favorite. An excellent mix of rapid-fire guitar riffs, rip-roaring solos, and singer James Hetfield's trademark growl, this is thrash metal at its finest. Very highly recommended. --Genevieve Williams
Don't let that classical-guitar-ish opening to "Fight Fire with Fire" fool you--Ride the Lightning packs a heavy-metal wallop. While not as ambitious as the subsequent Master of Puppets, this early Metallica album is indubitably one of their best. Thematically, it explores death and dying from myriad points of view: nuclear war ("Fight Fire with Fire"), execution by electric chair (the title track), and drowning ("Trapped Under Ice"). Interestingly, the album's best track is "Fade to Black," a slower, introspective song about suicide. There's also "Creeping Death," which remains a concert favorite. An excellent mix of rapid-fire guitar riffs, rip-roaring solos, and singer James Hetfield's trademark growl, this is thrash metal at its finest. -- Genevieve Williams
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