![]() It was when we were recording the first album, when we were staying the house of this guy named Gary Zefting. Kirk: I was the one who spotted the phrase ‘Ride the lightning’. Those sort of things became the lyrical tentpoles over the next couple of records. ![]() Big Brother, The Man, fear and manipulation. Lars: Ride The Lightning is a song about being trapped in a situation you can’t get out of. ![]() The first of many Metallica songs to tackle the big topics: death, claustrophobia and the inescapable hand of fate. All photo credits have been placed at end of article.Kirk’s slicing guitar intro ushers in a stone-cold classic Metalli-riff in this tale of a death row inmate facing the long walk to the electric chair. All photos used are either public domain creative commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with. No one person, business or any organizations is allowed to re-publish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. It was the band’s way of announcing they were not just a thrash band, but one of the best bands the world had ever seen.Ĭall Of Ktulu Why Ride The Lightning is Metallica’s Best Album article published on Classic © 2022Ĭ claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. Its sound marked the full maturity and the official entry of the Metallica signature tone. I personally think Ride The Lightning is simply the best Metallica album ever recorded. I must say the appropriately applied contrast between light and dark, clean and distorted, innocent and twisted is what amazes me the most about Ride The Lightning. The Call Of Ktulu also had an amazing intro with a shredding distorted wah sound joking along a nice and clean melodic rhythm, followed by a flawless key change further along the instrumental track. Finally, Hetfield’s seemingly aloof and emotionless vocals topped it off just perfectly. ![]() Fade To Black has my favorite Metallica intro ever, combining delicate acoustic tunes with a subtle change in colors from dark to almost sarcastically bright, followed by a firm and crisp electric entrance. The band’s maturity is also evident in the combination of skillful acoustic rhythms and shredding electric solos, such as in Fight Fire With Fire and Fade To Black. By playing with his fingers instead of using a pick, he allowed for more fluid and seamless bass lines. According to LoudWire, Burton showed Hammett and Hetfield how basic guitar harmony worked, and how to augment core notes with complementary counter-melodies to enhance their guitar solos.Ĭliff Burton himself contributed to the group’s evolution in style and sound. Cliff Burton’s knowledge on music theory and guitar harmony contributed tremendously to Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield’s signature duo-guitar solo tone. Metallica sounded a whole world more mature in Ride The Lightning compared to their debut album, Kill ‘Em All. Listen to Creeping Death and tell me you don’t feel a funny sensation going down your spine when the Metallica members chanted “ Die! Die! Die” as if they were possessed. Metallica frontman James Hetfield recalled losing his favorite Marshall head cabinet in a robbery, which inspired his woeful lyrics in Fade To Black, his first ballad ever: The lyrics in this album are as usual haunting, aggressive, sometimes passive-aggressive, and dark. Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich (man, do I love his drumming) also became remarkably more mature in his control and variation of the beats in this album compared to Kill ‘Em All. Ride The Lightning also has some of the group’s most melodic songs ever, most notably Fade To Black, For Whom The Bell Tolls, and Creeping Death. While their first studio album Kill ‘Em All sounded more like an angst thrash garage band record, Ride The Lightning had remarkably more mature, calmer thrash sounds, closer to the sounds of their thrash Gods counterparts Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. Burton’s contribution to the songwriting process led Metallica members to experiment with different tempos and song structures. One major reason for this is the replacement of former Metallica bassist Dave Mustaine by Cliff Burton. Ride The Lightning marked the important maturation of the band’s musical style. Photo: By Saad Faruque from Bangalore, India (James Hetfield), via Wikimedia Commons How time flies And speaking of how time flies let’s celebrate the thirty eight year anniversary of “Ride The Lightning” by discussing whether this is the best Metallica album ever recorded!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |