Metallica — Ride the Lightning [Vinyl LP]

Metallica — Ride the Lightning [Vinyl LP]

Details

• Format: Vinyl LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo
• Catalogue Number: BLCKND004R-1
• Barcode: 858978005059
• Genre: Heavy Metal / Thrash Metal
• Label: Blackened Recordings
• Originally Released: 27 July 1984
• Reissue Released: 15 April 2016
• Pressing: 180 Gram Black Vinyl
• Condition: New & Sealed

Description

Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by Metallica — James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Cliff Burton — released on 27 July 1984 through Megaforce Records. Recorded in three weeks at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark with producer Flemming Rasmussen, the album marked a dramatic leap forward in compositional ambition from the raw thrash of the debut. Where Kill 'Em All had established speed and aggression as the guiding principles, Ride the Lightning introduced acoustic passages, extended instrumental sections, complex harmonic arrangements and a far greater range of lyrical subject matter — from capital punishment and Lovecraftian horror to the futility of war. Burton's deepening influence on the songwriting is palpable throughout.

The album opens with the explosive "Fight Fire with Fire" before moving through the thunderous title track, the NWOBHM-influenced "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and the landmark power ballad "Fade to Black" — Metallica's first slow song, controversial among their fanbase at the time and now one of the most celebrated metal tracks ever recorded. Side B delivers the ripping "Trapped Under Ice" and "Creeping Death" alongside the near nine-minute closing instrumental "The Call of Ktulu", co-written with the recently departed Dave Mustaine. Decibel magazine ranked it the number one thrash metal album of all time.

This 2016 reissue on Metallica's own Blackened Recordings label presents the album remastered for the first time by Howie Weinberg, with vinyl lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman, pressed on black vinyl and manufactured in Germany on Pallas pressing equipment. Hype sticker: The #1 Thrash Metal Album of All Time!

Tracklist

Side A

1. Fight Fire with Fire
2. Ride the Lightning
3. For Whom the Bell Tolls
4. Fade to Black

Side B

1. Trapped Under Ice
2. Escape
3. Creeping Death
4. The Call of Ktulu

Credits

• James Hetfield – Vocals, Guitar
• Kirk Hammett – Guitar
• Cliff Burton – Bass
• Lars Ulrich – Drums
• Flemming Rasmussen – Producer, Engineer
• Howie Weinberg – Remastered By (Howie Weinberg Mastering, Los Angeles)
• Bernie Grundman – Vinyl Lacquers (Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles)
• Label – Blackened Recordings