Album Essentials: Metallica’s "Ride the Lightning" Turns 40

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

Hold on a moment. The Summit FM and Metallica? No, that is not a misprint and yes your rafters will shake and your neighbors will tremble, but that's alright, honest! ‘Ride The Lightning’ turns 40 this year.

Heavy Metal is a peculiar beast to say the least. The legions of metal fans are among the most loyal on the planet. Seriously, those people are dedicated to their cause. Up The Irons! People may try to make other cases, but for the sake of brevity, heavy metal began with Black Sabbath. Anything that came before of a heavynature - Cream, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer or Iron Butterfly were better tagged as hard rock. They all displayed characteristics that the metal crew would adopt and carry further but it was Black Sabbath that really established the sonic template of harsher, yes 'metallic' guitar sounds, married to a general vibe of evil, doused with witchcraft, horror, chaos and other darker topics in the lyrics. The sound of that first Black Sabbath record (1970) was unlike anything that came before with that whole 'devil's third' chord progression in the opening track, it was totally unique at the time.

There were bands like Sir Lord Baltimore, Judas Priest, Scoripons and Budgie early on. Throughout the 1970s there were many hard rock bands from Thin Lizzy and Aerosmith to Deep Purple and AC/DC but again, all really not 'Metal.' At the same time that punk was starting to brew up, a band appeared who played rock and roll at full volume and aggression, at breakneck speed. They were called Motorhead and were formed by Lemmy Kilminsterafter being kicked out of Hawkwind following a drug bust. Not that Hawkwind were anti-drugs, but they preferred psychedelics where Lemmy was busted for amphetamines.  Motorhead was a power trio unlike any other and though they were definitively hard rock and roll, they metal contingent loved 'em. They inspired countless young musicians to jump into the fire and form their own band as each would try to play faster, louder and meaner than the previous. At the same time, the energy and brevity of punk was not lost on this crowd as they would incorporate some of that DIY defiant attitude to their sound.

This movement was tagged the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, a scene that would prove to be highly significant for years to come, inspiring  countless bands to up the ante. Iron Maiden, Saxon, Angel Witch and countless others emerged and took the underground by storm and in the process, even influencing metal pioneers Black Sabbath to streamline their sound and infuse more energy, making for their finest album in years, ‘Heaven And Hell.’ Eventually, that influence made its way back to America, inspiring another batch of bands. Call it thrash, speed or punk metal, this next generation were higher octane with bands like Exodus, Slayer and, of course, Metallica. Originally buzzing around the Los Angeles rock scene of the early 80s, they found themselves at odd with the crop of bands like Ratt, Motley Crue etc. They heard about a happening metal scene eight hours north in San Francisco, so they found a new home. Underground metal fans had their own network of communication. long before the internet. The common practice of swapping demo tapes of new bands was at a fever pitch and Metallica's 'No Life Til Leather' was the most talked about at the time.

That tape found its way into the hands of many fans as well as a guy named John Zazula, who ran Megaforce Records out of New York. Soon, Metallica headed east to meet with Zazula, ultimately signing to Megaforce who released their debut album, the underground classic 'Kill 'Em All,' in the summer of 1983. The album became an instant favorite on the underground scene, launching Metallica to the head of the list of most talked about metal bands as they toured across the land. Almost a year to the fate from their debut, Megaforce issued their second offering, 'Ride The Lightning.' Whatever promises that were made with 'Kill 'Em All' were more than fulfilled with 'Ride The Lightning' as the band sounded more confident, powerful and heavier.

The album begins with an almost classical style acoustic guitar intro before lumping off the cliff into the fastest and fiercest riff they had yet to deliver. ‘Fight Fire With Fire’ is payed at breakneck speed and with Armageddon inspired lyrics spat out as the band hammers away. One thing they had in place that set them apart was precision, the riffs, solos and rhythms were fast but all played with a savage precision. As each song is rolled out its clear the band were moving on from the pure thrash of their debut. Songs here were longer, more complex, more dramatic and more demanding on band and listener. The production was tighter and emphasized the heaviness and power over just speed.

The album is loaded with what would become Metallica classics like 'Creeping Death,' 'For Whom The Bell Tolls,’Trapped Under Ice' and the title cut. The band had someone truly special in bassist Cliff Burton, who was arguably the most talented and inventive musician in the band. He would tragically be killed in a bus accident a mere two years later. Within a short time following its release, the major labels came calling and the band would eventually sign with Elektra Records, following up 'Ride' with what may be their signature release, 'Master of Puppets.'

From that point out, it seemed like heavy metal ruled the remainder of the decade in one form or another and though 'metal' was a term many bands were labeled with, it was an immense canyon between the likes of Poison, Winger, etc and Metallica, Slayer and so on. Metallica would go on to become not only the most successfulheavy metal band ever, but one of the most succesful bands ever, selling millions of records, concert tickets and t-shirts over their career, which carries on to this day.

So what makes 'Ride The Lightning' essential you ask? Why is this station, better known for a 'kinder, gentler' soundtrack to your day, playing this nearly hour long metal assault? You'd have to ask program director Brad Savage for the behind the scenes choice. I'm not a real metal guy, but I can appreciate certain bands and albums for sure and I'll back him up on this choice. If, however, in the future, you hear a Motorhead album being played, that's all on me. 

'Ride The Lightning' is, to my mind, the best thing Metallica ever did. It was everything the first album promised, then magnified into a total powerhouse of heaviness. Mega success would come in 1991 with the self-titled 'black album,' but this is where it all initially came together and the reason people are still talking aboutMetallica forty some years after they began. So when these songs come blasting out of your radio, app, device or fillings, turn it up and shake those cobwebs out. You can always listen to James Taylor later, though you might want to have that condition checked out.