July 27, 1984 - Ride The Lightning
A long three and a half months have passed since my last release but only a year since their debut "Kill 'Em All", Metallica released their second album "Ride The Lightning" on July 27, 1984. Metallica recorded this album in Lars Ulrich's native Denmark with Danish producer Flemming Rasmussen. It's a much more mature effort than their previous album, which while awesome, was a lot of fast thrash metal songs. This album is more diverse and slower at times and also using acoustic guitars. They still have plenty of the thrash-y goodness that made their debut so great and I'm excited to hear some more music from these guys. Let's dive in!
Strqp in for side two which begins with "Trapped Under Ice" as some cool guitar kicks things off and Lars plays a furiously fast drum beat. The sweet opening guitar ramps into an early solo and Hammett is melting faces right from the get go as he delivers a phenomenal solo to wake everyone up! This leads right into the torrid main riff with some more crazy fast guitar and I really like Hetfield's voice as he yells harshly overtop in this verse. The chorus is pretty short as Hetfield's vocals continue to sound great: "freezing, can't move at all, screaming, can't hear my call. I am dying to live, cry out, I'm trapped under ice!" Another blistering solo follows as Hammett melts what's left of our faces with some more fantastic playing. We hear another furious verse and chorus, then it's off to a new riff that also sounds pretty sweet that takes things in a different direction. Hetfield sings a brief new verse and they continue this solid new riff until it leads into Hammett's third and final solo of the song. Just like the other two it's pretty freaking awesome as he packs so many good solos into this song! They play a final fast-paced verse and chorus before ending things on a great heavy note. Side two keeps the hits rolling! Track 6 is called "Escape" and Metallica's record label demanded they have at least one song on the album that was more commercial and radio-friendly. That's not what these guys are about at all, but they begrudgingly wrote this song to appease their label. Hetfield has said numerous times that this is one of his least favourite songs and it's easy to understand why. It's driven by a simple guitar riff that isn't bad by any means, but it doesn't have the fire or energy that their others have. Hetfield sings a decent verse overtop this simple main riff but things do sound notably toned down, which is obviously not what these young metalheads wanted to do. The chorus is Metallica's attempt at a radio-friendly sing-along part and it definitely does not sound anything like the rest of the songs on this album; it's so much more restrained and unexciting. This song that even the band didn't like is still a decent song however, it just pales in comparison to the very high bar that these guys set. They play another decent, but a bit boring verse and chorus before they slow it down in a brief, low bridge part. Then it's solo time and Hammett doesn't melt your face with this solo, but for a toned down Metallica he still plays some pretty great guitar and this song is still way better than most music coming out in this time. After the solo, a siren blares in the background as they jam out the main riff and Hetfield lazily sings the chorus over and over until the song eventually fades to an end. It's by far the worst song on the album, but if everything else is way better than this then it's a pretty amazing rest of the album. Track 7 is called "Creeping Death" and it begins with a nice heavy guitar opening and moves smoothly into a fast-paced main riff with Hetfield and Hammett syncing up for some loud and emphatic guitars. James sings a solid verse overtop and the lyrics of this song reference the plagues from the Bible, which makes for some pretty metal lyrics! It's a really solid verse and it leads right into a slower chorus that still sounds pretty epic. After James finishes off the chorus they return to the cool main riff and play another solid verse and chorus before it's solo time. As you'd expect Hammett comes out of the gates firing and plays another superb guitar solo. He plays a ton of awesome, intricate and speedy stuff and he even slows it down beautifully right before delivering the final amazing flourish to end this spectacular solo. Out of the solo we head straight into a new riff with some epic guitar leading the way and Hetfield sings a nice, heavy new verse. Hammett ends this new part with another nice flourish and they segue nicely back into the main riff. After a final verse and chorus Hammett continues the chorus riff and Hammett plays a final short solo that sounds pretty awesome before they end things as they began with the same epic riff that started us off. It's right back to the awesomeness with this song and it's no different with the album's closer "The Call Of Ktulu", an instrumental track that is also their longest song yet at just under nine minutes. Hetfield opens things by himself as he plays a really cool light guitar riff that sounds quite epic and I think making it a true solo to start was a great decision. He moves into the main riff that drives this song as he smoothly plays up and down the fretboard with some great low-to-high guitar. Lars and Cliff join in very lightly and when Kirk finally enters the mix they shift really nicely into a much heavier version of this same main riff. Hammett adds some distorted guitar overtop and Burton and Ulrich form a great rhythm section to back Hetfield's much heavier guitar. The riff works equally well as a pounding main riff as it did as an epic opening one and I think it shows a much more mature Metallica than the 10 thrashers of last album. After a couple rounds of the main riff Hetfield takes things in a new direction with a nice low guitar riff. Hammett plays a different much higher riff overtop and the two different riffs sound pretty cool together before Kirk takes off for his first solo. James continues the nice heavy rhythm guitar and for almost two minutes Hammett proceeds to melt our faces with another wonderful solo. The superlatives do not do justice as he masterfully leads the way, playing a bunch of amazing guitar. After this phenomenal solo they return to a slightly faster version of the main riff as the tempo of the song increases. They slowly ramp things up and after a lot of building up they finally move into a new riff that sounds really dirty and very heavy. It's not very complex, but Hetfield plays some really heavy guitar that I think sounds great and Cliff and Lars also play some heavy bass and drums. Hammett plays some more amazing guitar overtop of all this heaviness and it makes for a pretty fantastic and epic riff! This leads to what seems like the end of the song, but Hetfield starts up the same riff that began it all and that also seems like it leads to the end. But after a couple false endings Lars plays a drum roll to cue up the grand finale and they end the album with an amazing metal flourish as everyone goes nuts to wrap things up. What an awesome ending to an awesome album!
That is the end of "Ride The Lightning" and I thought it was an absolutely phenomenal album! Aside from "Escape" (which as I said in the review is still not a bad song at all) every song on the album was crazy good! I also really enjoyed every song on "Kill 'Em All" but the big difference between these two albums is the variety. "Kill 'Em All" was awesome, but all the songs are the same style; on "Ride The Lightning" the awesomeness comes in different ways and the added use of acoustics and slower melodies I think makes the heavier parts sound even better! I think this new album is my new favourite by Metallica and who knows what heights they could reach as this is only their second album! I can't wait to hear what comes next!
The album kicks off with "Fight Fire With Fire" and they play a cool acoustic opening that is light compared to last album, but it sounds great. The main riff sounds even more deadly after the slow opening as James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett both play some crazy fast, more typical thrash guitar. It's pretty damn fast even for these guys and Hetfield sings some fast vocals about war and nuclear holocaust that sound very metal indeed. The chorus is slower than the verse but still blindingly fast as the great guitars keep on playing and Lars Ulrich continues to keep a frantic pace on drums. After another solid verse and chorus it's solo time for Hammett and as usual he does not disappoint with an amazing solo. After the solo everything but the drums fall away as Lars gets a brief moment alone in the spotlight before the guitars return and they ramp back into the furious main riff. They play a final verse and chorus, then Hetfield repeats the name of the song with increasing volume until a grand epic finish that ends with quiet thunder connecting into the next track "Ride The Lightning". It starts with an epic opening on guitar by Hammett and leads into a lower, heavier main riff by Hetfield. Cliff Burton's bass mimics the cool main guitar riff and Hetfield sings the verse in a great high voice. The lyrics are about a man on death row waiting to be killed by the electric chair, giving the title track and name of the album a sinister feeling. It's a dark but also quite catchy verse and Hetfield does a great job on vocals and guitar. The chorus is pretty catchy as well with the slower-sung "flash before my eyes, now it's time to die" by James. They play another great verse and chorus that leads right into a new, faster riff by Hammett that sounds pretty sweet. Hetfield yells nicely overtop this cool new riff and they show off some progressiveness by segueing beautifully into a new slow and heavy riff. Ulrich plays a nice drum fill to connect the two and Hetfield sets the stage with some slower guitar as Hammett comes in for the solo. This is one of my favourite solos of all time as Kirk Hammett knows exactly when to slow things down and when to speed things up fast enough to melt your face off. He begins the solo with some insanely fast stuff and after playing some beautiful slower stuff he ramps into more insanity that words do not do justice to. He is going absolutely batty on that guitar and yet it's all perfectly in time with the rest of the band and sounds simply incredible. The solo leads seamlessly into the faster riff that preceded it and they slow it down very epicly before finally returning to the main riff for a final verse. Everyone sounds phenomenal in this six and a half minute metal epic and Hetfield leads a final verse and chorus before they end things with a cool final riff. Truly amazing stuff! Track 3 is called "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and it fittingly begins with two rings of a large bell before the band comes thundering in. The guitars and drums play a simple "da-da da-da da" but it's very heavy and makes for a great backing riff. The lead instrument is Burton on bass though similar to his solo on their debut album, his bass sounds like nothing like a typical bass. It sounds like a higher-pitched third guitar, but it's actually Cliff on bass and he does a fantastic job leading this iconic and heavy riff with some great stuff! The bells continue throughout this instrumental opening and Cliff's bass stops and Hetfield takes over the lead. He plays a pretty cool new riff and then it's Hammett's turn to take lead as he plays a pretty sweet lead guitar bit. Ulrich's drums sound pretty epic in the background and everyone sounds like they're having fun with this slower, but still very epic song. They shift to yet another new riff that also sounds pretty awesome and after over two minutes Hetfield finally sings the first verse. He does a pretty good job and Lars plays some cool drum fills in the verse that moves right into the iconic chorus. "For whom the bell tolls, time marches on". Hetfield delivers it very nicely and after the chorus Hammett plays some more cool lead guitar before they bring it back for another verse. After a final epic verse and chorus, the last minute of the song is an epic instrumental finale. Hammett plays some high-pitched and crazy guitar and Burton adds some more cool bass in this final minute as they slowly fade out to the band jamming out this crazy final riff. It may sound disorganized and noisy, but I love the chaos! Side one wraps up with "Fade To Black" and Hetfield opens with a nice acoustic guitar riff and Hammett plays some great electric guitar overtop. Things sound great and this leads nicely into the main riff with some wonderful acoustic guitar by Hetfield. James sings a slow verse that fits the mood of the song very well and between verses Hammett spices things up with more cool electric lead guitar. The acoustic verse is certainly a far cry from their debut album last year, but it sounds really beautiful and expertly well done, showing these guys can play great music at a slower tempo as well. Hammett's inbetween guitar is also slow but sounds nice and heavy. After another verse, more heavy guitar is followed by a nice prog segue into a new part of this seven minute song. This new riff sounds really epic as both guitars sync up for an awesome new riff as Hetfield sings some long notes overtop. They use another nice segue as Hetfield starts up a nice rhythm riff and Hammett begins his solo overtop. He does an excellent job at really slowly ramping into this solo as he plays for the final minute and a half and just continues to increase the awesomeness bit by bit. It takes us right to the end of the song and Kirk is playing some pretty awesome stuff by the end of it as they eventually fade out to end this amazing first side.
Strqp in for side two which begins with "Trapped Under Ice" as some cool guitar kicks things off and Lars plays a furiously fast drum beat. The sweet opening guitar ramps into an early solo and Hammett is melting faces right from the get go as he delivers a phenomenal solo to wake everyone up! This leads right into the torrid main riff with some more crazy fast guitar and I really like Hetfield's voice as he yells harshly overtop in this verse. The chorus is pretty short as Hetfield's vocals continue to sound great: "freezing, can't move at all, screaming, can't hear my call. I am dying to live, cry out, I'm trapped under ice!" Another blistering solo follows as Hammett melts what's left of our faces with some more fantastic playing. We hear another furious verse and chorus, then it's off to a new riff that also sounds pretty sweet that takes things in a different direction. Hetfield sings a brief new verse and they continue this solid new riff until it leads into Hammett's third and final solo of the song. Just like the other two it's pretty freaking awesome as he packs so many good solos into this song! They play a final fast-paced verse and chorus before ending things on a great heavy note. Side two keeps the hits rolling! Track 6 is called "Escape" and Metallica's record label demanded they have at least one song on the album that was more commercial and radio-friendly. That's not what these guys are about at all, but they begrudgingly wrote this song to appease their label. Hetfield has said numerous times that this is one of his least favourite songs and it's easy to understand why. It's driven by a simple guitar riff that isn't bad by any means, but it doesn't have the fire or energy that their others have. Hetfield sings a decent verse overtop this simple main riff but things do sound notably toned down, which is obviously not what these young metalheads wanted to do. The chorus is Metallica's attempt at a radio-friendly sing-along part and it definitely does not sound anything like the rest of the songs on this album; it's so much more restrained and unexciting. This song that even the band didn't like is still a decent song however, it just pales in comparison to the very high bar that these guys set. They play another decent, but a bit boring verse and chorus before they slow it down in a brief, low bridge part. Then it's solo time and Hammett doesn't melt your face with this solo, but for a toned down Metallica he still plays some pretty great guitar and this song is still way better than most music coming out in this time. After the solo, a siren blares in the background as they jam out the main riff and Hetfield lazily sings the chorus over and over until the song eventually fades to an end. It's by far the worst song on the album, but if everything else is way better than this then it's a pretty amazing rest of the album. Track 7 is called "Creeping Death" and it begins with a nice heavy guitar opening and moves smoothly into a fast-paced main riff with Hetfield and Hammett syncing up for some loud and emphatic guitars. James sings a solid verse overtop and the lyrics of this song reference the plagues from the Bible, which makes for some pretty metal lyrics! It's a really solid verse and it leads right into a slower chorus that still sounds pretty epic. After James finishes off the chorus they return to the cool main riff and play another solid verse and chorus before it's solo time. As you'd expect Hammett comes out of the gates firing and plays another superb guitar solo. He plays a ton of awesome, intricate and speedy stuff and he even slows it down beautifully right before delivering the final amazing flourish to end this spectacular solo. Out of the solo we head straight into a new riff with some epic guitar leading the way and Hetfield sings a nice, heavy new verse. Hammett ends this new part with another nice flourish and they segue nicely back into the main riff. After a final verse and chorus Hammett continues the chorus riff and Hammett plays a final short solo that sounds pretty awesome before they end things as they began with the same epic riff that started us off. It's right back to the awesomeness with this song and it's no different with the album's closer "The Call Of Ktulu", an instrumental track that is also their longest song yet at just under nine minutes. Hetfield opens things by himself as he plays a really cool light guitar riff that sounds quite epic and I think making it a true solo to start was a great decision. He moves into the main riff that drives this song as he smoothly plays up and down the fretboard with some great low-to-high guitar. Lars and Cliff join in very lightly and when Kirk finally enters the mix they shift really nicely into a much heavier version of this same main riff. Hammett adds some distorted guitar overtop and Burton and Ulrich form a great rhythm section to back Hetfield's much heavier guitar. The riff works equally well as a pounding main riff as it did as an epic opening one and I think it shows a much more mature Metallica than the 10 thrashers of last album. After a couple rounds of the main riff Hetfield takes things in a new direction with a nice low guitar riff. Hammett plays a different much higher riff overtop and the two different riffs sound pretty cool together before Kirk takes off for his first solo. James continues the nice heavy rhythm guitar and for almost two minutes Hammett proceeds to melt our faces with another wonderful solo. The superlatives do not do justice as he masterfully leads the way, playing a bunch of amazing guitar. After this phenomenal solo they return to a slightly faster version of the main riff as the tempo of the song increases. They slowly ramp things up and after a lot of building up they finally move into a new riff that sounds really dirty and very heavy. It's not very complex, but Hetfield plays some really heavy guitar that I think sounds great and Cliff and Lars also play some heavy bass and drums. Hammett plays some more amazing guitar overtop of all this heaviness and it makes for a pretty fantastic and epic riff! This leads to what seems like the end of the song, but Hetfield starts up the same riff that began it all and that also seems like it leads to the end. But after a couple false endings Lars plays a drum roll to cue up the grand finale and they end the album with an amazing metal flourish as everyone goes nuts to wrap things up. What an awesome ending to an awesome album!
That is the end of "Ride The Lightning" and I thought it was an absolutely phenomenal album! Aside from "Escape" (which as I said in the review is still not a bad song at all) every song on the album was crazy good! I also really enjoyed every song on "Kill 'Em All" but the big difference between these two albums is the variety. "Kill 'Em All" was awesome, but all the songs are the same style; on "Ride The Lightning" the awesomeness comes in different ways and the added use of acoustics and slower melodies I think makes the heavier parts sound even better! I think this new album is my new favourite by Metallica and who knows what heights they could reach as this is only their second album! I can't wait to hear what comes next!
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