Ride the Lightning

Locations
Call Number: CD Rock Metallica Ride
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 3rd Floor, CDs 2-week checkout	CD Rock Metallica Ride	2-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult A/V 2-week checkout	CD Rock Metallica Ride	2-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult A/V 2-week checkout	CD Rock Metallica Ride	2-week checkout	On Shelf

Elektra: 60396-2 (on container spine: 9 60396-2).
Heavy metal rock music.
Compact disc.
Lyrics inserted in container.
Fight fire with fire (4:44) -- Ride the lightning (6:36) -- For whom the bell tolls (5:10) -- Fade to black (6:56) -- Trapped under ice (4:03) -- Escape (4:23) -- Creeping death (6:36) -- The call of Ktulu (8:52).
Metallica (Cliff Burton, bass ; James Hetfield, rhythm guitar, vocals ; Lars Ulrich, drums ; Kirk Hammett, lead guitar).

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

This is awesome! submitted by mtblischke on February 19, 2011, 6:46am This is awesome!

Classic heavy metal submitted by vulke99 on July 7, 2018, 7:51am This is a classic! Hard hitting and gets the heart pumping.

One of the best thrash metal albums of all time, and for a good reason. submitted by Jember on June 10, 2023, 3:53pm It's a bit cliche to say, but Ride the Lightning is legitimately one of the best metal albums of all time. While Master of Puppets seems to be more well known these days, due to the title track being used in everything from Stranger Things to The Muppets, if you ask me, this album as a whole is even better than that one. To give a brief rundown of each track:

Fight Fire With Fire -- A track talking about the horrors of nuclear warfare. A strong opener, and one that sets the tone for the rest of the album very well.

Ride the Lightning -- A song detailing the horrors of being in the electric chair due to the death penalty, and the injustice thereof. Very grim, very impactful, very excellent. Lots of cool guitar work in this one.

For Whom The Bell Tolls -- Probably the weakest track on the album, if you ask me, but still a good one. A relatively slow track, compared to the previous ones, but that makes it all the more impactful, as it talks about war and the effects of it on the soldiers fighting in it. Very tragic.

Fade To Black -- My personal favorite track on the album, it is about the narrator struggling with depression and suicidal idealizations. A genuinely tragic song, and one that some may find a bit out of place, but regardless, it is the relatively slower tone that makes it all the more amazing and shows the depth of what Metallica can do, despite misconceptions that they are a bunch of heavy rockers with no real message.

Trapped Under Ice -- A horror-themed song, the narrator in this one is literally trapped under ice and his frustration and horror that comes of it is absolutely palpable. The guitars in this one are honestly some of my favorite in any Metallica album ever.

Escape -- A surprisingly controversial track due to it being a bit of a "radio song", according to co-founder Lars Ulrich. A song about the singer's fight for their independence, it's definitely the most uplifting song on the album, which makes it refreshing after the previous three tracks. Really neat, honestly.

Creeping Death -- A Biblical themed song, of all things, as it is based on the Angel of Death from the First Passover from the Book of Exodus. Really interesting lyrics, really cool choruses, guitar rifts and everything, it's really cool.

Call of Ktulu -- A dark, mysterious instrumental track. Befitting of the name referring to H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos, it is mysterious sounding with these cool background riffs that almost feel like screams at the sight of the incomprehensible. While instrumental tracks in metal aren't always my kind of thing, this one is cool.

Overall, a fantastic album. If you have any interest in thrash metal or metal as a whole, it is definitely a must-listen. It's a cornerstone of both genres, and while some may scoff at its reputation, it is genuinely that good.

Ride the Lightning submitted by delenich on July 3, 2023, 10:59am The second studio album released by Metallica in 1984, one of the greatest metal albums of all time and showcases Metallica's evolving sound and songwriting abilities, setting the stage for their future success.