Metallica - Ride the Lightning

Oh yeah - PROTO-PROG-METAL THRASH!

It's like this baby: Metallica helped define thrash metal in the 80s. With Kill 'Em All, they proved that they could play hard, fast, and with reams of energy. However, the subsequent release of Ride The Lightning proved to be a more thought-out collection of songs. Hetfield's peerless riffing is more refined, and his growling vocals are coming along (he still wasn't too great, though). Hammett's solos are mostly exciting, and he became one of the most copied lead guitarists around (in metal). Even Ulrich, whose drumming was always relatively simple and clunky, fits well with the music and gives it hard percussive edge. Metallica has never been too focused on bass, so I feel sorry for Cliff Burton he doesn't really get too much attention. He still plays an important role in adding extra punch to the riffs, and as a compositional influence. But one thing that's nice about Metallica's newer work is that the production is more accommodating to the different instruments. (Just a small gripe.)

Anyway, this album tells you what Metallica was all about. The highlight of Ride the Lighting one of my favorite Metallica songs, "Fade to Black." It's a great anti-suicide song, that starts with slow, lugubrious guitar that builds up into heavy, powerful riffs. It concludes with exhilarating, punchy riffs and a glistening solo. Fans have written to Metallica saying that this song deterred them from taking the course of suicide...that's how good it is!

"Call of Ktulu", the big instrumental, is almost symphonic in its interplay (which is why it works so well with the orchestra on S&M). "Creeping Death" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" are heavy, clomping thrash songs with interesting progressions and killer riffs. "Fire Fire with Fire" is mindless thrash with lots of kick. "Trapped under Ice" is tight speed metal. "Escape" is kind of a mid-tempo rocker that makes me think of a dude getting a new truck.

Ride the Lightning isn't as ambitious or complex as Metallica's follow-ups, Master of Puppets or ...And Justice For All. However, most of the songs are great one way or another. Here, Metallica is driven by pure intensity and delivers a great, great metal album.