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Ride the Lightning | 
| Artist: Metallica
Label: Elektra / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $12.99
You Save: $5.99 (32%)
Rating:  805 reviews
Sales Rank: 507
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.5
MPN: 075596039628
UPC: 075596039628
EAN: 0075596039628
ASIN: B000002H2H
Release Date: October 25, 1990
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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| Tracks:
| • | Fight Fire With Fire | | • | Ride The Lightning | | • | For Whom The Bell Tolls | | • | Fade To Black | | • | Trapped Under Ice | | • | Escape | | • | Creeping Death | | • | The Call Of Ktulu |
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Product Description
No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: METALLICA
Title: RIDE THE LIGHTNING
Street Release Date: 07/07/1987
Domestic
Genre: HEAVY METAL
Amazon.com essential recording
Don't let that classical-guitar-ish opening to "Fight Fire with Fire" fool you--Ride the Lightning packs a heavy-metal wallop. While not as ambitious as the subsequent Master of Puppets, this early Metallica album is indubitably one of their best. Thematically, it explores death and dying from myriad points of view: nuclear war ("Fight Fire with Fire"), electric-chair execution (the title track), and drowning ("Trapped Under Ice"). Interestingly, the best track on this album is probably "Fade to Black," a slower, more introspective song about suicide. There's also "Creeping Death," which remains a concert favorite. An excellent mix of rapid-fire guitar riffs, rip-roaring solos, and singer James Hetfield's trademark growl, this is thrash metal at its finest. Very highly recommended. --Genevieve Williams
Amazon.com
Don't let that classical-guitar-ish opening to "Fight Fire with Fire" fool you--Ride the Lightning packs a heavy-metal wallop. While not as ambitious as the subsequent Master of Puppets, this early Metallica album is indubitably one of their best. Thematically, it explores death and dying from myriad points of view: nuclear war ("Fight Fire with Fire"), execution by electric chair (the title track), and drowning ("Trapped Under Ice"). Interestingly, the album's best track is "Fade to Black," a slower, introspective song about suicide. There's also "Creeping Death," which remains a concert favorite. An excellent mix of rapid-fire guitar riffs, rip-roaring solos, and singer James Hetfield's trademark growl, this is thrash metal at its finest. -- Genevieve Williams
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| Customer Reviews: Read 800 more reviews...
A great gem occassionally lost in the shadows October 2, 2008
Jonathan Mettin (Philadelphia, PA USA)
Talk of Metallica albums usually passes over "Ride the Lightning"; you hear how great "Master of Puppets" is, the transition that was "the black album" and general disgust at "St. Anger." The truth is, without "Ride the Lightning," we never would have seen any of the others.
"Ride the Lightning" was Metallica's sophomore album, and it represents a quantum leap forward over "Kill 'Em All," setting the sound that has come to be known as "Metallica" to us. The songs are more refined, yet still feel as raw as those off its predecessor. While it would later be refined into "Master of Puppets," arguably the greatest metal album ever, this album is still a masterpience, containing "Fade to Black" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" as well as the very-well-done instrumental track "The Call of Ktulu."
Definitely an essential pickup for a Metallica fan, and one of the first few albums you should buy if you're just getting into the band.
 4 1/2 stars out of 5 September 10, 2008
Ryan O'Day (Vancouver, WA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was a leap and bounds advance forward for Metallica in only 1 year time, but this album is not quite perfect people. With only 8 tracks on an album everything has to be perfect. While songs like "Trapped Under Ice", "Escape", and "Creeping Death" are very good, they aren't great. The highlights are the first 4 songs.
one of the four greatest Heavy Metal album of all-time September 3, 2008
K. Collins (Indiana)
I don't know exactly where this album would rank on some kind of official list or a huge vote for the top 10 Heavy Metal albums, but on my website I ranked this timeless masterpiece 3rd behind Reign In Blood. I did have a really hard time deciding if it should be 2nd or 3rd though. Anyway, enough about that, here is my review.
FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE - This is easily one of the greatest album openers in heavy metal history and i love how Hetfield sings the song and the lyrics are great. The solo is very solid but nothing too amazing. My favorite part is probally the end of the song where they make it sound like a nuclear bomb is falling and then exploding, you can hear a rumbling sound at the very end like an explosion. A perfect ending to a song that is about nuclear war
RIDE THE LIGHTNING - This is the perfect song to follow after Fight Fire With Fire. A song about a man being put to death by electric chair, it's easily one of Metallica's best songs and the guitar solos in the middle of the song are amazing!
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS - This song is perfect. It has a dark and creepy sound to it and i love the sound of the bell at the beginning and end of the song. I kinda wish this song was maybe a minute longer but like I said, I still think it's perfect.
FADE TO BLACK - This is the best and most famous song on this album and for good reason. The first part of the song is slow and sad but beautiful at the same time, then the song builds up to about a 3 minute instrumental part with one of Kirk Hammett's best solos. This song is about a man who is depressed and eventually commits suicide. I would rank this song as Metallica's 3rd greatest song ever.
TRAPPED UNDER ICE - Once again another great Metallica song. Trapped Under Ice is up there with Metallica's best speed metal songs. It has 3 super fast and crazy guitar solos and the lyrics are about someone being trapped under ice in water drowning. Yea I know, another song about death.
ESCAPE - Finally a song that is more uplifting to give you a break from all of the lyrics about death. I truly think that is why this song is on this album. It has a great chorus that i like to sing along too and even though it may be the weakest song on the album, it sure as hell isn't a weak song!
CREEPING DEATH - This song is normally a personal favorite of Metallica fans and it's one of my favorite songs as well. It has a great guitar solo, some awesome riffs and lyrics.....well what you usually get in an 80's Metallica song.
THE CALL OF KTULU - I'm not real sure what instrumental song from Metallica is better but I do know that it would probally come down to either this song or Orion from Master of Puppets. I'm sure it's hard to make a 9 minute instrumental song without it being boring in some parts but Metallica managed to make all 9 minutes enjoyable and sometimes downright great! My favorite part in the song is the big guitar solo somewhere in the middle of the song. an epic 9 minute instrumental song is a perfect way to end this masterpiece of an album.
Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets is what Heavy Metal is all about and the main theme for Ride the Lightning is death which I think is a great theme for a heavy metal album. If you love thrash metal and somehow don't own this album yet or if you just got into listening to thrash metal then make Ride the Lightning one of the first 5 albums that you get!
definetly their best next to puppets August 26, 2008
Carmen Schuetterle
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have never spent a better ten dollars than on this product! every song in it deserves praise and is a must for and metal fan!
1. fight fire with fire- probably one of their most fastest and heaviest songs! Awesome
2. Ride the lightning- Probably their best song on here! has the most epic solo ever made!
3. For whom the bell tolls- Amazing riffs, Amazing lyrics, Amazing song
4. Fade to black- sad but awesome solo and great riffs
5. Trapped under ice- A great song to scream along with!
6. Escape- Don't know too much about this song but its still pretty awesome
7. Creeping death- Simply amazing also one of their best on here
8. Call of the ktulu- its all instrumental but dont underestimate it! it has some really awesome riffs and a great solo
Their Most Exciting Work August 25, 2008
Oliver Carthage (Boysenberry, Michigan)
Ride the Lightning starts out slow, throwing the listener off at first, but comes in pounding with power after a few moments. Fight Fire with Fire is their best opener and one of their most intense thrashy songs. Then comes the title song, the best one on the album, loaded with solos and harmonies that sound like the epitome of electric guitar music. That cover art takes on real meaning while listening to this song, the lightning scorching the chair coming to life as you hear those harmonies. You can easily imagine the jolts ripping through you if you were sitting there. As a fan of metal you'd probably have that song stuck in your head as you roast for your crimes.
The music doesn't let up there as we have two slower songs that are still chock full of intensity and meaning. Unlike the slower cuts on Master of Puppets, these actually go somewhere and keep you interested for the duration. Then the album hits you with its thrashiest moment in Trapped Under Ice. Even Fight Fire with Fire can't match this for speed and impact. Right out the gate this song bangs your head. There is a quieter moment that was atypical for Metallica with the song Escape, but even this works better than the slow stuff on MoP. It's basically a rock song played by a metal band, something they would become notorious for later on, but here it works well as a breather before the grand finale. Creeping Death is one of Metallica's signature songs, and probably their darkest. Justice's songs were pretty dark, but this beats that entire album for all-out midnight-hour gloom. To close, they have the monster instrumental Call of Ktulu. It's great to hear, but Orion was more melodic, and Megadeth did this particular song better with Hangar 18 later on. Still--what a way to end an album! And what an album!
Metallica reached their absolute peak here, with great production and some commercial value without sacrificing their ability to create great music with integrity and intensity.
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