Today marks a pretty important birthday in Heavy Metal history. Well, sort of. I’m actually celebrating a few months early, as it would coincide with something I got planned for the summer. Regardless, today’s review is a pretty big one, as one of Metallica’s classics turns 35 years old here in 2019. An iconic album that helped to further one of the Big 4 of American Thrash, and one that’s still talked about fondly to this day. So take a seat, be sure that the electricity is alright in your house, and enjoy my review for Ride The Lightning! Let’s begin.
Background
Taken from Wikipedia:
“Metallica released their debut album, Kill 'Em All, on the independent label Megaforce Records on July 25, 1983. The album helped to establish thrash metal, a heavy metal subgenre defined by its brisk riffs and intense percussion. After finishing its promotional tour, Metallica began composing new material, and from September, began performing the songs that were to make up Ride the Lightning at concerts. Because the band had little money, its members often ate one meal a day and stayed at fans' homes while playing at clubs across the United States. An incident occurred when part of Metallica's gear was stolen in Boston, and Anthrax lent Metallica some of its equipment to complete the remaining dates. When not gigging, the band stayed in a rented house in El Cerrito, California, called the Metallica Mansion. Frontman James Hetfield felt uneasy about performing double duty on vocals and rhythm guitar, so the band offered the job to Armored Saint singer John Bush, who turned down the offer because Armored Saint was doing well at the time. Hetfield gradually built confidence as lead vocalist and kept his original role. Metallica started recording on February 20, 1984 at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. The album was produced by Flemming Rasmussen, the founder of Sweet Silence Studios. Drummer Lars Ulrich chose Rasmussen, because he liked his work on Rainbow's Difficult to Cure (1981), and was keen to record in Europe. Rasmussen, who had not heard of Metallica, agreed to work on the album, even though his studio employees questioned the band's talent. Rasmussen listened to Metallica's tapes before the members arrived and thought the band had great potential. Metallica rehearsed the album's material at Mercyful Fate's practice room in Copenhagen.
Before entering the studio, Metallica collected ideas on "riff tape" recordings of various jam sessions. Hetfield and Ulrich went through the tapes and selected the strongest riffs to assemble into songs. Instruments were recorded separately, with Hetfield playing only rhythm guitar. Rasmussen, with the support of drum roadie Flemming Larsen, taught the basics of timing and beat duration to Ulrich, who had a tendency to increase speed and had little knowledge of rhythm theory. Drums were recorded in an empty warehouse at the back of the studio, which was not soundproof, and caused reverberation.Although four tracks were already arranged, the band members were not used to creating songs in the studio, as they had not done so for Kill 'Em All. "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Trapped Under Ice" and "Escape" were written from scratch in Copenhagen, and the band put finishing touches on "Fight Fire with Fire", "Ride the Lightning", "Creeping Death", and "The Call of Ktulu", which were already performed live. Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett took the album's name from a passage in Stephen King's novel The Stand. The cover art, displaying an electric chair in the midst of lightning bolts, was conceived before recording began. Metallica initially had sound problems, because its gear was stolen three weeks before the band arrived in Copenhagen. The band members slept in the studio by day as they could not afford a hotel and recorded by night, because the studio was booked by other artists during the daytime. Because the group was looking for a major label deal, several A&R representatives from different labels visited the studio. At first, it seemed that Metallica was going to sign with Bronze Records, but the deal fell through, because Bronze executive Gerry Bron did not appreciate the work done at Sweet Silence Studios, and wanted the US edition to be remixed by engineer Eddie Kramer, and even considered re-recording the album in another studio. Metallica was put off by Bron's failure to share the band's artistic vision and decided to look for another label for the US release, in spite of the fact that Bronze had already advertised Metallica as one of their bands.
Metallica had to record quickly because of European shows scheduled 29 days after it entered the studio. Recording finished on March 14, and Megaforce released the album on July 27. Although the original album budget was $20,000, the final expense was above $30,000. Metallica's European label Music for Nations paid the studio costs because Megaforce owner Jon Zazula could not afford them. Metallica was unhappy with the lack of promotion by Megaforce, and decided to part ways with Zazula. Major label Elektra Records employee Michael Alago noticed Metallica at The Stone gig in San Francisco, and invited Elektra's chairman and the head of promotion to see the August show in New York. The performance at Roseland Ballroom, with Anthrax and Metallica opening for Raven, pleased the Elektra staff, and the band was offered a contract the following morning. On September 12, Metallica signed with Elektra, who re-released the album on November 19. Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch of Q Prime were concurrently appointed as the band's new managers. Ride the Lightning was the last Metallica album to feature co-writing contributions from former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, who received credit on the title track and the instrumental "The Call of Ktulu". The album also represented the first time Hammett was given writing credits.
Ride the Lightning received positive response from music critics, who saw it as a more ambitious effort than its predecessor. Metallica promoted the album on the Bang That Head That Doesn't Bang European tour in late 1984, and on its North American leg in the first half of 1985. The band performed at major music festivals such as Monsters of Rock and Day on the Green later that year. Two months after its release, Elektra Records signed Metallica to a multi-year deal and reissued the album. Ride the Lightning peaked at number 100 on the Billboard 200 with no radio exposure. Although 75,000 copies were initially pressed for the American market, the album sold half a million by November 1987. It was certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2012 for shipping six million copies in the United States. Many rock publications have ranked Ride the Lightning on their best album lists, saying it had a lasting impact on the genre.”
Basic Description
Controlled Chaos.
Kill Em All, while an outright classic album & a great way to start a career, might be a bit overwhelming for some. It’s incredibly raw, primal, and exceptionally fast most of the time. For some metalheads, this might actually be a turnoff. Whether the band was doing this because of this or due to their own advancement, Metallica put a leash on themselves to pull them back. They never lost their creativity however, and there’s still plenty of headbanging, horn-raising, & moshing all around. At the same time, Ride The Lightning is a smoother, more polished output when compared to the incredibly speedy first release. Even if you do like faster Thrash Metal, Ride The Lightning is plenty of fun despite the slightly slower speed. Definitely an album to seek out!
Best Track
Like I stated in my Metallica overview from a while ago, Fade To Black is the best song on the album. Though it feels like the longest track on the record (That actual honor goes to Call Of Ktulu, which runs for nearly 9 minutes), it never actually outstays it’s welcome. For a majority of it’s running time, it’s a slow & somber tune, and really tugs at the heartstrings. James Hetfield really pours his heart out with his vocalwork, and even when things becomes a little more faster paced in the second half, he’s still very emotional. Though it’s a universal rule that thrash bands aren’t supposed to do ballads, Fade To Black is one of the few exceptions to the rule.
Fade To Black
A good second place song would have to go to the more radio friendly Escape. Metallica for a long time weren’t fond of the track, as (According to stories, at least) they were pressured by the record company to make a tune that would be easily spread out over the radio & easily sellable. While I can understand a more established band not liking a song because of how commercial it can be, for a newer band any amount of exposure should be embraced rather that avoided. In the case of Escape, it’s not quite as bad as some might think. It definitely has some easier beats & rhythms to get hooked to, but it still has a raw attitude of their early days, so it’s not a hundred percent commercially accessible. Definitely one to not avoid.
Escape
Worst Track
I genuinely can’t think of a single bad song off of Ride The Lightning. The entire package from beginning to end is a wonderful treat to listen to. It all really boils down to songs I like more, and songs I like less. If you wanted to be exceptionally picky, you might call out the more streamlined pacing of the album. Personally, I liked the fact that Metallica was still nice & heavy yet reigning themselves in a little more, but if you loved the blistering speed found on Kill Em All, you might be taken aback by how things run on this album.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
Ride The Lightning
Overall Impression & Rating
Ride The Lightning was a refinement upon what Metallica created with their first release. Every song is still headbang inducing in some way, but the band smoothed out many of the rough edges Kill Em All had, and in the process made an album that was heavier, thrashier, & more refined than what their first record was. In the (nearly) 3 and a half decades since it’s release, it still retains it’s title of “Classic” for a reason, and you should listen to it if you haven’t.
Ride The Lightning gets a 10 out of 10. It deserves that score for a reason!
So that was my review for Metallica’s 2nd ever album. Again I know it’s a little early to celebrate it’s 35th birthday, but with what I got planned for this Summer, I needed to get it done early. Regardless, I hope you had a lot of fun reading this, and I’ll see you all in a few short weeks for the return......of Compilation Month!
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