1984’s Ride The Lightning was an ambitious next step Metallica following the release of their debut album Kill Em’ All. Whereas their debut album was just an absolute slugfest of heavy overhand rights, Metallica took greater artistic chances with their second album which ultimately paved the way for them to release their magnum opus Master of Puppets in 1986. For that reason Ride The Lightning has always occupied a unique and really importance place in Metallica’s discography from my perspective– it has the blazing fury of songs like “Ride The Lightning” and “Creeping Death” which helped define the thrash metal genre, introduced the balladry and epic Medieval pageantry of songs like “Fade To Black” and “The Call of Ktulu”, and merged all of these elements together in the slow march to gallows death waltz of “For Whom The Bell Tolls”.
The end result was an album that propelled the band forward in a material way, setting them on a path that would eventually lead them to become one of the most heralded metal bands of all-time.
Standout Songs: “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, “Ride The Lightning”, “Fade To Black”, “The Call of Ktulu”
Matthew. 