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Metallica - Ride The Lightning review



Reviewer:
10

3632 users:
9.24
Band: Metallica
Album: Ride The Lightning
Release date: July 1984


01. Fight Fire With Fire
02. Ride The Lightning
03. For Whom The Bell Tolls
04. Fade To Black
05. Trapped Under Ice
06. Escape
07. Creeping Death
08. The Call Of Ktulu

With this album Metallica confirm their total control on Thrash Metal and their consolidation like an international band. In this album the band members were fully adapted to each other and make a more mature and considerably better musical album. The lyrics of this album are also better than in the last one, they do not speak now about headbanging, blood, and those things, in "Ride The Lightning" they speak about personal problems like in 'Fade To Black' [inspired by the theft of band's equipment]. Other tracks are inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and the movie 'The Ten Commandments' like 'Creeping Death'.

The CD consists of only 8 tracks, but I can say without a doubt that 6 of them are cult songs for Metal history [all tracks except 'Escape' and 'Trapped Under Ice', which anyway are incredible songs]. Above all the best track of the album and one of the best songs ever is, 'For Whom The Bell Tolls'. What can I say about it, nowadays? Nothing, just listen to it, and let the bells toll for you.
The first ballad released by Metallica appeared in this album, the song is call 'Fade To Black', also Metallica continued their tradition started in their first album of playing an instrumental song, in this case 'The Call of Ktulu'.

On balance: the CD is just incredible and nearly perfect, Metallica shows with this album that it is here to stay, an album that all headbangers should have, on the other hand, this is a good album to start listening to Metallica.

Written by Iced Iñigo | 22.09.2003




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.

Guest review by
ponderer
Rating:
10
1984. Talk about a band and an album being so far ahead of their time that they would be hallmarks in the history of metal...

Ride the Lightning was nothing less than a nuclear bomb dropped in American metal laps. We'd heard Judas Priest and Sabbath, but nothing could have prepared anyone for what was coming full force out of San Francisco in '84. Since Kill 'em All had limited success in the underground, most people still hadn't heard of the Bay area thrashers who were busy forging a new metal scene stateside. With the launch of Ride the Lightning and heavy touring, Metallica were set to take stage as one of the more brutal premier metal acts.

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published 06.07.2008 | Comments (37)

Guest review by
TheH2K
Rating:
9.2
Metallica's second effort, called Ride The Lightning, was released in 1984. The American band verged it in an international scale, projecting that the real brutality is not merely limited through fast tempos, and other musical procedures can be tested.

Ride The Lightning widely presents musical and lyrical progress, with more mature songs than Kill 'Em All. Metallica consciously developed more political and social lyrics; the songs are not about metal music itself, demonic contents or violence anymore. Solos are better-shaped and riffs are impeccable, and most importantly bass lines won't leave any space for critics.

Read more ››
published 06.06.2020 | Comments (2)


Comments page 2 / 2

Comments: 48   Visited by: 261 users
01.04.2008 - 04:32
Rating: 9
IconMaiden

The best intro to any metallica song was to ride the lightning. absolutely classic album, one of their best. 9.3 for me.
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18.04.2008 - 10:46
THE_BLACK_GOD
Account deleted
this is my favorite album of metallica so i 10 for me. RIDE it if u didnt
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19.05.2008 - 01:30
metalgod5298

I agree with almost everything in that review except "Escape" is one of the best songs on the album.
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20.07.2008 - 13:51
Thrash_bt

For whom the bell tools,Fade to Black,Creeping death are amazing songs,just like the whole album
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08.04.2009 - 23:21
Cliff 'em all
Account deleted
It's almost unbelievable that this is only their second best effort :p!
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08.04.2009 - 23:59
Rating: 9
Deadmeat
Necrobutcher
After hearing this album carefully i am sure now. this is metallica's best. with difference...
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Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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28.04.2009 - 00:30
HALOOOOOOOO
Account deleted
I'm not so big on Trapped Under Ice or even more so Escape, but when the other six songs are so incredible you can only say this is one of the best albums ever.
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01.06.2009 - 13:02
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Well, I hated Kill em All but loved this album and the next one also (Master of Puppets). They sound similar, but this album is simply better... not a good explanation... it's just hierarchy.. memorable songs in this piece.
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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01.06.2009 - 20:34
Rating: 10
Haddonfield
Chucky's Bride
Best album of all time, can listen to it anytime anywhere and more than once on the trot.
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"Seasons don't fear the reaper. Nor do the wind, the sun and the rain (we can be like they are)."
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19.06.2009 - 10:42
Rating: 10
terrorist

So melodic album,fantastic!!!!!!
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Will the ones who live after our end
Worship the goddamn cross again?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnlG0h7YN_8&feature=related
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05.11.2009 - 01:53
Rating: 10
bkrownd

This is no less than an 11.5 out of 10. (yes, it goes past 11...in special cases like this)
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05.11.2009 - 02:00
Kap'N Korrupt
Account deleted
It goes past 11 because their amps go up to 11
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11.12.2009 - 04:06
SatyriconChick

Oh, hell yeah! I love this review just about as much as I love the album - my favorite by Metallica!
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27.04.2010 - 17:46
crypticmind

God says let there b thrash metal..........and there is ''Ride The Lightning'':banger2:
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26.03.2011 - 18:22
Rating: 10
Sepulnation

10/10
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fuck shit up!
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26.03.2011 - 18:36
Rating: 10
Sepulnation

My girlfriend was born in 26 July 1984. She's one day older than this excellent album xDDD
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fuck shit up!
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08.05.2016 - 21:01
Rating: 9
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
8 tracks are OK and metal and ballads always goes together, otherwise well call me poser, but ballads works emotionally when you're at your 20's or 30 if refuse to grow up
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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15.08.2020 - 18:40
Rating: 10
BlankFile

One of the best thrash metal albums of all time.

Timeless! \m/
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