I go back and forth between Ride the Lightning and Kill 'Em All, the two albums that in my eyes revolutionized heavy metal. When the ballad “Fade To Black” gets more recognition than a speed metal gunshot, it’s pretty telling where the important factors are, even if this didn’t land with some fans right away. It being one of the fastest songs, yet one of the most overlooked speaks volumes about the tighter cementation of the direction they took. Even the weakest moments on this (see “Trapped Under Ice”) are still incredible. But I can’t help feeling that it gets unfairly underpraised, sandwiched between the monumental titan Master Of Puppets and the sweaty and sticky energy of Kill ‘Em All. Catchy choruses and melodic verses all over the record can't cause that to happen.įew are gonna deny the excellence of the sophomore masterpiece that is Ride The Lightning. The classic hit “For Whom The Bell Tolls” is a more obvious example of this, keeping the same steady but heavy pace the entire run, not sidestepping the style at all. The instrumental closing masterpiece “The Call Of Ktulu” shows this in some of the finest progression of its time, coating itself in the aggressive attitude and harder punch without the need for constant speed. I’m not saying it hadn’t been done before 1984, I’m saying the line was sharpened substantially. By that, I mean they nailed the “thrash but not necessarily fast” style that many bands would take and run with before. While early output may warrant a tough time splitting the hairs of speed and thrash metal, they managed to give that a heavier definition here.
Moreover, Metallica did what I think advanced the thrash genre to another step. That’s beyond incredible in and of itself before you even consider how cleanly this is pulled off. The bridge following the chorus in “Ride The Lightning” leading into that chaotic windstorm of a solo absolutely smolders the listener with burning intensity under an umbrella meant to invoke colder feelings. While this is important in the context of the early ‘80s, it’s even more compelling when you figure Ride The Lightning’s title track and opener “Fight Fire With Fire” are two of the heaviest songs the band has ever written. The obvious part is how clean of a leap James and co. Stylistically, is it that different from the explosive debut? Nah, but writing wise, this may already be one of the biggest shifts in tone. Being only the band’s second record, Ride The Lightning signals the hint of constant change as they progress forward, a stunt that would stick for every record in the band’s career.
With controversial takes existing everywhere on every spot of Metallica’s discography, it’s sometimes nice to just peel back the layers and taste the core of a classic’s excellence. By now, everybody and their brother is familiar with the thrash giants that put the genre on the map.
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