Bands as big as Metallica are, eventually, a sum of all their influences. Those parts affect the fundamentals of how an artist makes music, and if they have the right influences, then we are in safe hands. From references to Stephen King’s The Stand to relying on the music theory background of late bassist Cliff Burton, Ride the Lightning is a bold second album. Metallica had already cemented themselves as a thrash metal band to be reckoned with on debut album, Kill ‘Em All, but it’s Ride the Lightning that pushes them that much further. Looking back on those early years of the band, it’s easy to see where the energy comes from, how the band were fighting against a low ebb in heavy rock music. Ride the Lightning is a rush of all those influences bursting into the studio, a three-week crash course in rock and roll brilliance. Metallica set a high standard they can no longer meet, but we are all the better for hearing Ride the Lightning.
Complexities found on Ride the Lightning are a direct result of what the band learned on Kill ‘Em All. Adapting those extra instrumentals, the softer acoustics as Black Sabbath did on Black Sabbath Vol. 4, Metallica makes the crucial move of showing there are depths to their depravity. They keep a high-octane energy but provide more than a few subtle moments within the madness they’ve managed to make here. Opener Fight Fire with Fire is a remarkable example of this, though the transition from slow, ballad-like motions to the heavy rock and roll the band are known for is a tad clunky. For their first time laying this down on tape, it works a treat and sets up the rest of Ride the Lightning for success. There are some bands whose work is to be focused on for one detail or some nuance. For Metallica, the impressive part has always been the guitar work, and here is where the band are willing to expand and experiment. It’s what keeps their first couple of albums relevant.
Frankly solid work all around is what keeps Ride the Lightning going. A strong title track which makes good on the electric chair imagery, The Stand influence riding high on waves of impressive guitar riffs. For Whom the Bell Tolls is a masterpiece. An atmospheric powerhouse which doesn’t let up and gives Metallica what may be, if we’re willing to let reason slip from our fingers for a moment, their best song. It oozes that coolness the band no longer has but always returns to when performing it. Ride the Lightning has a magnificent A-side that will no doubt take up much of your attention, but the B-side has some real gems to it, too. Trapped Under Ice and Escape are solid enough, though pale in comparison to the mighty A-side.
But the band are not missing a step on either of those songs, just not quite as on the ball with the instrumental effectiveness. It feels a bit more like rock stock than an outstanding moment like For Whom the Bell Tolls. Not every song can be that, though, and Ride the Lightning ought to have a break in there, somewhere. That it does, and it makes all the difference here. Creeping Death highlights exactly what Metallica does best. Their build, the instrumental climb before James Hetfield begins singing, that’s what matters most. It’s there that the very spirit of Metallica’s music is found, and it’s there that Ride the Lightning works best. Instrumentally, it’s one of the band’s best. Lyrically and vocally, they’re both tertiary to the requirements of Metallica at the time. A magnificent first half, a solid second half, and it all comes together for Metallica on an album that truly makes the core of what the band are all about.
