Metallica - Ride The Lightning
Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. Today, I will be reviewing Metallica's sophomore release, Ride The Lightning. For this album, the band decided to go for more progressive instrumentation and less of the speedy tracks from their debut. What came out of those sessions was my favourite Metallica album...
We start with Fight Fire With Fire, which at first seems to be an acoustic ballad, before it descends into chaos. The guitars are fast and atonal, the drums are hard hitting and the vocals are so raspy and cruel. Then, at the 2:37 minute mark, we hit a solo that sounds so frantic and dirty, it's amazing. This is one of the best openers I've heard.
Next we have my favourite Metallica song, the title track. It's menacing in it's oppressing sound, and not it's speed, as it is on the slower side of thrash. Also, that iconic opening riff at the beginning is pure joy to my ears. Around the 3 minute mark we also hit one of my favourite solos from Metallica. It's slow, but then... it suddenly picks up pace and goes full thrash mode. It's amazing. We then return to the beginning for one final verse, closing with that beginning riff.
As bells ring, a descending riff starts up. For Whom The Bell Tolls is one of the band's most popular songs from this album, and for good reason. It's slow, but heavy, sludgy and dirty. The riffs are amazing, the vocals are stellar. I have only one gripe with this track... it ends with a fade out, which can be a bit jarring, but it's pretty well done here.
Next we have this album's depressing spot, Fade To Black. The hopeless acoustic guitars set the mood for the song, and even when the electric guitars kick in, it still sounds doomy. This track is amazing in it's way of balancing melancholy, with heavy instrumentation, and not in the doom metal or DSBM way.
Trapped Under Ice returns to the frantic thrash metal we know Metallica is known for. The riffs, the guitars, the vocals, the song isn't anything complex, but it still manages to stick in your head.
Escape is considered by many as the weak spot in the album, and whilst I can see where they are coming from, I, personally, enjoyed quite a lot. It gives off a power metal like sound, which I really like. I also really like the part where the band goes low, and then transitions into a solo. It doesn't deserve the hate it gets.
Creeping Death keeps the fast guitars going. I really like the hook on here, I find myself humming it a lot. The guitars are especially heavy on here, and it's overall, another great song.
But oh boi, the closer, The Call Of Ktulu, reminded me a lot of Street Spirit, in it's atmospheric sound, which closes their respective albums. The guitars are amazing on this track. The riff sounds doomy, as if Cthulu, himself is coming to get you, as he slowly rises from the sea. It's amazing. The solo at the middle sounds like the guitar is screaming for help after seeing the Lovecraftian beast's glare. The song slowly starts to slow down and dissipate, as the guitars start repeating the same riff, making way for the acoustic guitars to close the song the same way they started the song. As one final guitar riff plays, the song quickly spirals into a crescendo, closing this masterpiece of an album.
What else can I say that hasn't been said, this album goes hard.
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