We know when you think of holiday cheer, Metallica is the first thing that comes to mind, so we’re doing a Metallica-themed Advent calendar to help put a little metal up your ass as we make our way to Christmas.
For me, this is the good shit, the pinnacle of Metallica’s early days of thrash. Obviously all of their four thrash albums – Kill ’em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and …And Justice for All – are incredible, but Ride the Lightning is where I find most of my enduring classics.
Between “Ride the Lightning” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” you’ve got two of the top five Metallica songs of all time. And for what it’s worth, “Creeping Death” is just unbelievably good live. The band plays it with so much more welcomed ferocity – their version in Through the Never might be the best of all.
Despite the success of Kill ‘Em All, these were still the early days of the band, and they still had plenty to prove. After finishing their tour promoting the first album, Metallica still had little money, forced to eat one meal a day, stay at fans’ homes, and eventually sleep in the studio while recording Ride the Lightning.
Even producer Flemming Rasmussen initially doubted the band’s talent. James Hetfield was still uncomfortable being the lead vocalist and playing rhythm guitar, and Lars Ulrich was still figuring out that whole drumming thing. But you now had Cliff Burton imposing more of his musical talent on the band, and collectively, Ride the Lightning showcases an immediate maturation of the band’s sound and songwriting. It was thrash, but already a rapidly evolved form of it.
Simply put, this six-times-platinum album absolutely shreds and is, pound for pound, likely the best work Metallica has ever done from beginning to end. Other albums certainly have their classics, but this is the greatest Metallica work as a whole – everything here just works perfectly.
Master of Puppets loyalists are going to want to kick my ass for this, and I’m ready for it.
Album Essentials
- “Ride the Lightning”
- “For Whom the Bell Tolls”
- “Creeping Death”
- “The Call of Ktulu”
The Metallica Advent Calendar
Day 1: No Life ‘Til Leather (1982 Demo)
Day 2: Kill ‘Em All (1983)
Day 3: “Blackened 2020”
