

Ride the Lightning retains the speed of Kill 'Em All on songs like "Trapped Under Ice" and "Fight Fire with Fire", but also contains the first of Metallica's longer, more symphonically arranged tracks, such as "Fade to Black" and the nearly 9-minute closing instrumental "The Call of Ktulu". Ride the Lightning is often hailed by fans as a classic of the thrash metal genre and a vital bridge between the band's albums Kill 'Em All and Master of Puppets, pushing the thrash metal of the debut into progressive territory more fully-realized on Master of Puppets and. The album was listed at number 5 by IGN Music on their "Top 25 Metal Albums". Steve Peake, also writing for, names "Ride the Lightning", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Fade to Black" and "Escape" in his list of the "Top 10 Metallica Songs of the '80s".

He said that Ride the Lightning was another big step forward from their groundbreaking debut album. It was these traits which helped them broaden metal's scope."Ĭhad Bowar writing for, listed Ride the Lightning as the second best Metallica album behind Master of Puppets. 50) - " melody, maturity and musical intelligence. 127) - 5 stars out of 5 - "Reaffirms their status as the pre-eminent metal band of the modern era.They broke with the conventions of thrash metal to record the genre's first power ballad in 'Fade to Black'." The album is also the first for which lead guitarist Kirk Hammett is given writing credits. He is credited on the title track, "Ride the Lightning", and instrumental track " The Call of Ktulu". Mustaine was kicked out of the band in 1983, prior to the recording of Kill 'Em All. Ride the Lightning is the last Metallica album to credit former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine with co-writing any songs. On September 12, 1984, Metallica signed with major label Elektra Records who re-released the album on November 19, 1984. Metallica finished recording Ride the Lightning on March 14, 1984, and the album was released through Megaforce on July 30, 1984. The album was produced under Flemming Rasmussen, founder of Sweet Silence Studios, who also went on to produce the band's following two albums, Master of Puppets and. On February 20, 1984, the band began work on their second album, titled Ride the Lightning, at Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark. In July 1983, Metallica released their debut studio album, titled Kill 'Em All through Megaforce Records.
