[improviduto]

Submission courtesy of pimp_vince

Artist: Metallica
Album: Ride the Lightning
Year: 1984


Kirk Hammett (lead guitar)
Lars Ulrich (drums)
James Hetfield (lead vocal + rhythm guitar)
Cliff Burton (bass guitar [RIP])

This album was one of the biggest and most influential heavy metal albums ever to be released. It didn't take as big a step forward as Kill 'Em All but brought heavy metal to the masses, despite non-existant airplay. It expanded the boundaries of metal, it added hints of classical music, acoustic guitar, and the ballad. The quality of songwriting also took a bounding leap forward, particularily in the songs; Fade to Black, Call of Ktulu and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Ride the lightning essentially laid down the ground rules for what great sounding heavy metal was for an entire generation of metal-heads, headbangers and thrashers. And to quote Steve Huey " If Kill 'Em All was the manifesto, Ride the Lightning was the revolution itself

[gwillaker]

Great stuff! Although, I reckon Justice was probably their peak, despite bad production.

[itlof]

I agree Justice was their greatest

[pimp_vince]

it would have been their greatest had it not been for the crappy tinny production.

[xxnssamastaxxx]

I don't see why people say Justice got bad production. Not the best, but not bad.

[pimp_vince]

it's just a really thin sound. it's almost like comparing solid state to tube. something's missing but you can't put you're finger on it.

[mojomaniac]

I don't see why people say Justice got bad production. Not the best, but not bad.

It was tinny, dull and lifeless. However it does suit the music fairly well, but over long listens can become really irritating.

[xxnssamastaxxx]

It's not the production that caused it to sound the way it did. James had a really huge, thick, tone, which messed up the bass because the tone ate all the lower frequencies, which also affected the drums to some extent.

Other than that, Kirk's lead tone was alright, vocals were alright.

[nem2k]

the only thing i dont like about justice is the fact the lack/minimal bass lines, you cant hear them very well and thats prolly the reason why the album sounds very 'tinny'

but no i think lightning was their peak and they remained at their peak all the way until black and from there they decided to experiment a bit more (which is admirable as most bands like to jus stick with what they know)

lightning is an awesome album, going from a complete thrash metal, really fast, kinda heavy album that is Kill em All to lightning which has slow ballads, instrumentals in a year is very impressive

[zev]

You want to hear bad production?

Listen to Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good.

[mike101]

that was a good review, could of gone into more detail though.

i think "ride the lightning" shows metallica devolping and escaping the thrash metal genre. if they hadent devolped and expriemented with their sound they would have faded into obscurity along with alot of the thrash bands of the time. metallica survival and quite unbelievable popularity i put down to the constant reinvention and expriementation.

[Pickled Fig]

Ride The Lightning for me has the best overall feel and amount of good riffs than any other Metallica record.

[metallicac/dc]

this is the 1st Metallica album i got, and one of my favs (3rd). this is what made me buy more. every song on this album is good and worth listening to. Ride the Lightning, Creeping Death, Fade to Black and For Whom the Bell Tolls are my favorites

[tellallyourfriends]

fade to black is beautiful

[metallicac/dc]

I'm submit my review of this since this is pretty short.

[Max Power]

I agree Justice was their greatest

Ride the Lightning is by far their best album

[Badwog]

Of their old albums, Ride the Lightning probably has the best 'atmosphere'.