Metallica - Ride the Lightning
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Free Music Notes for Ride the Lightning
Free Music Review: I was inspired.
Hit: 5 Stars
Lately I've been gearing towards more progressive rock, such as metal (not nu metal of course), and I've been listening to this album a lot even though I have new albums that I bought recently that I've also been devoting time to listen to. So I've been listening to this one, and I gotta say, it's just so amazing that I was inspired to add yet another well-deserved 5-star review to it. It's just that godly. It's one of those albums that even if you're not really into metal you can still enjoy and you will CONTNINUALLY play over the years. It has the longevity of a McDonald's hamburger: it lasts forever. Words simply cannot describe how brilliant it is.
The good thing about old-school Metallica (no, that doesn't include the "Black" album, you mallcore moron) is that not only could they play good ol' thrash but they pushed it's boundaries with progressiveness and by expanding its capabilities. Instead of just being about rocking out and banging your head it could send a message and inspire you. The lyrics have always been a strong point in old-school Metallica. The lyricists in this band (I believe James isn't the only one who does the lyrics) are just some of the best in the biz, or at least were. "Death greets me warm/Now I will just say goodbye." How brilliant is that? How much thought, meaning and profoundness does that embrace and convey? How much work would it take an average musician to come up with words like those? Amazing. Then there's the catchy riffs which are also very clever, original and even technically difficult (just in terms of riffs--not solos). The lead work is brilliant too. I don't know why people like to bash Kirk all the time. Probably because they're Mustaine fans and think that somehow by bashing the guy who took his place they are making him better. Yeah, he may use the wah a lot but it's not like he makes it obvious in every song (unlike his later, s**ttier work) and he's still a fantastic guitarist. Cliff.... Well, we've all said enough about him. Lars is an O.K., not so bad drummer but could be better. Still, he has put out some good work and does not suck like the current, nu metal drummers.
Anyway, on to the album itself! I don't feel like taking the effort to comment on every song just for a (...)review but let's just say they're all either good or great. The one everyone complains about is "Escape" but I think it gets a bad rap. It's not the greatest song but it does have a cool intro. Reminds me of "Seek & Destroy". "Fade To Black"'s sell-out quality may be a little debatable but it definitely keeps some thrash elements in it. Besides, they wrote it without their equipment! I think they just had some acoustic guitars and that was it. But it's definitely not a sell-out effort like the godd**m "Black" album. James' voice is much better as far as production goes on this album than on "Kill 'Em All", even though it sounds even better on "Master Of Puppets", but it still sounds a little like he's singing in a cave or well or something. The only other thing I have always wished would be different on Metallica albums is the bass. You can't hear it well enough! You have to strain a bit to hear it, which is a shame because Cliff is such an awesome bassist.
Anyway, I was just inspired to write a review on this album just because I've been listening to it lately and for the fact that it's such a (...) godly album. Parents, it's not too late. You may have bought your kid some crappy gifts for Christmas or even got him/her that (...) nu metal or even pop album that they asked for, which made them happy, but it's not too late to save their souls or yours for that matter. Get them this album if they don't already have it and they have a faint, REMOTE appreciation for good rock/metal. H**l, even buy this for yourself! It's an album most people can like even if they're not exactly a metalhead. The worst that can happen is your or the kids just can't get into it. But it's worth a try at least. It definitely beats that Seether or Korn or whatever, album you bought them.
Bottom line: ONE OF THE BEST ROCK/METAL ALBUMS OF ALL TIME. IF YOU DON'T OWN IT, JUST BUY IT. DON'T EVEN QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT IT'S A GOOD INVESTMENT. I'M TELLING YOU IT IS SO IT IS, G**DAMNIT!
Free Music Review: The prototypical thrash album.
Hit: 5 Stars
Metallica does some things on this album that sounded like pure, unadulterated abuse - of voice, instrument, and ears - back in '84, when this album was first released. Now it stands, to me anyway, as the greatest thrash metal album ever. Yes, I know my Slayer, Sepultura, Kreator, etc., and maybe it's mainly a case of "my first is the best," but I've never heard a thrash metal (or death metal) album that I like better than this, and VERY few that I like even nearly as much. Metallica introduced some bursts of "thrash-to-come" on "Kill 'em All" (my second favorite Metallica album), but this is the album from which it blasted forth in full, bass-heavy, staccato speed-riffing, fury. "Master" seems to be considered by most to be their best album, but this is the album that got everyone's attention, blazing the way for "Master," and I think it's the more raw, concise masterpiece.My first exposure to this album was unique for me in that after the first few listenings I was somewhat appalled by what I heard, yet I couldn't get some of the motifs out of my head. I've never had an album that I came to treasure, that took me so long to even acknowledge that I liked it. "The acoustic intro," by no means an original device on heavy metal albums, was never more effective than it is here for the way that it contrasts with the dingy drone of electric guitars that emerges from beneath the well-mannered intro to launch the apocalyptic "Fight Fire With Fire." Then comes "For Whom the Bell Tolls," which gives a vivid impression of the hellish chaos of a battlefield, and is still a concert staple (and worked remarkably well, backed by a symphony orchestra, on S&M, by the way). These two "war songs" are perfect album openers for an album of diverse musical perspectives on death.
I did not really like the frenetic pummelings of "Ride the Lightning" "Trapped Under Ice," or "Creeping Death," after the first several listenings, but over time they have all become essential parts of what I now consider to be a near perfect metal album - and "Creeping Death" eventually became one of my five favorite Metallica songs.
Incidentally, "Creeping Death," whose style I used to think sounded a little out of place on this album, wasn't originally part of this set: it was originally issued on an E.P. called "Jump in the Fire," which was issued the same year as "Kill 'em All," and also included the first appearances of the covers, "Am I Evil" and "Blitzkrieg," as well as "Jump in the Fire," and one other song from "Kill 'em All" (it could have been "Metal Militia"). This E.P. is somewhat of a rarity now, but it occasionally turns up in used CD stores, if anyone is interested in looking out for it (it's pricey, though, usually going for about $18 used). It is one of the best examples of how Metallica has always tried to give their fans their money's worth, that they decided to include "Creeping Death" on RTL, and this raging, masterfully constructed song of vengeance also rounds out the vocal part of this album perfectly.
I guess any review would be incomplete if it didn't mention the prototypical Metallica ballad, "Fade to Black," which is a study in contrasts and a great example of the band's songwriting skills. "Call of Ktulu," is a really good, atmospheric, instrumental, with some cool soloing and changes (the orchestra-backed version of this song at the beginning of S&M, by the way, is the highlight of that album, sounding like good suspense-thriller movie score stuff).
No band, let alone one with two guitarists, has ever changed tempos and rhythms more crisply than Metallica, especially in the context of such good and inventive songwriting. This oppressive collection of different musical perspectives on death gave rise to thrash metal, and could also be called a precursor of late 80's death metal. This is one of the top five heavy metal albums of all time, and one of the most influential, ground-breaking albums of Rock-and-Roll, in general.
Free Music Review: A true metal classic!
Hit: 5 Stars
Ride the Lightning (Metallica's 2nd album, 1984)
In 1983, the men of Metallica rocked hard with their popular debut, Kill em All, but it wasn't until their second release that they truly revealed their talent, as Ride the Lightning is an incredible metal CD. It's also of their heaviest albums, according to smashing-hard rockers like "Fight Fire With Fire" and "Trapped Under Ice". With heavy guitar riffs, awesome solos, and great drum rhythms, the sound rocks on, but even the lyrics stand extremely deep and aren't too hard for anyone to receive the message they possess. Metallica rages with their strong, well-written lyrics specifically about war, slavery, and death, but the nice thing is that the deep lyrics and rocking music fit together beautifully on here. Still, the TRUE piece that makes Ride the Lightning a classic is that Metallica is never afraid to mix their music around. True, all eight tracks are more than four minutes long, but since the intriguing music and excellent solos thrown into them keeps the listener interested, they feel shorter than they actually are. In fact, they're all so complex, that I have no choice but to give a small review for all of them:
1. Fight Fire with Fire (4:44): This song slowly opens as an acoustic song, but once the speed picks up, you'll know that you're in for quite a ride. A great track about war that worthily opens the album.
2. Ride the Lightning (6:36): Another great rocker. Although not quite as fast-paced as the last track, the song ironically feels more intense with its more-solid production and stronger lyrics than the previous track. This song gives a great feeling as to why fighting is extremely painful.
3. For Whom the Bell Tolls (5:10): The biggest song from Ride the Lightning. Here, you'll hear a clock tower bell during the beginning and end of the song, as well as production that's even slower than the last track, but adds a nice streamy flavor to the album. As yet another anti-war song off of here, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" is also an awesome track to listen to.
4. Fade to Black (6:56): Partially-acoustic during the verses and slow-metal during the music, this semi-ballad is a deep song with a message about dying. Notice the addition of a little more speed and a new melody during the second half. Although the music isn't as thrilling as other stuff found here, its awesome lyrics help make it the best song off here.
5. Trapped under Ice (4:03): Another awesome fueled-up rocker with powerful lyrics, this time about being in peril.
6. Escape (4:23): Although this isn't as fast as "Trapped under Ice", it has brilliant lyrics with a message that says, "I am on my side, and will fight as much as I can to obtain freedom". The drums here are catchy, and that's a good thing.
7. Creeping Death (6:36): This song takes you back in time to the story of Exodus, and the point of view focuses on the angel of death. The melody is great and matches the lyrics nicely.
8. The Call of Ktulu (8:52): Easily the longest track off Ride the Lightning. It's instrumental, so it highly focuses on the music quality. It opens quite slowly, with nothing more than a guitar melody with only quiet bass sounds in the background, but then picks up and starts to pass through with excellent bass lines and great solos. Within five minutes of the song, the drums come more into the action while the song's melodies slowly begin to rise until the original bass notes come in while the drums hit every beat of them. Then, the original melody continues for a short time until the song enters a period with drum syncopation. Afterward, it slows down again, but soon afterward finishes off with a few hardcore riffs.
With all things said, Ride the Lightning is indeed Metallica's greatest effort. Even the cover art tells you that you're in for a big ride. With its brilliant lyrics, awesomely-rocking music, and great solos, Ride the Lightning is definitely an album worthy of the Metallica title, so if you're buying into hardcore music, this is absolutely a must-have.
Free Music Review: "Ride The Lightning" is a high-voltage classic
Hit: 5 Stars
Metallica's sophomore album, "Ride The Lightning" certainly showcases some interesting and classic thrashers. It's hard to imagine what the metal community nowadays would be like without gems like this album. It seems that this album seemed to be an overlooked one in Metallica's early catalogue, considering "Kill 'Em All" is generally considered the birth of thrash metal, "Master of Puppets" is regarded as Metallica's magnum opus, and "...And Justice For All" got Metallica some mainstream attention with the music video for "One".
Regardless of whether or not "Ride The Lightning" is overlooked or not, it's still a classic that should be in every metalhead's collection. One interesting thing about this album is that while it still captured the raw power and fast energy of Metallica's debut, it seems to have a thicker, more polished, and at times, more epic sound. Don't get me wrong, though, I still think "The Four Horsemen" off their debut is one of the finest metal epics, but to get a full review of "Ride The Lightning", simply read on.
"Fight Fire With Fire" starts things off with some classical acoustic guitar playing for a bit over half a minute. Suddenly, a crushing riff rips its way into your sound system at about a hundred miles an hour. The massive drums crash their ways in and you have a fast and furious headbanger about the evils of pollution and nuclear warfare. The singing is also very raw, with James singing a very staccato pattern, "Do!...Un!...-to others!...As!...They've!...Done to you!". Great way to start off the album.
"Ride The Lightning", the six and a half minute epic title track starts off with some high-pitched guitar notes before going into a thrashy, Devil's Tritone riff. Some epic guitar soloing is featured in here, along with an interesting storyline that shows how the band is against capital punishment.
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" is a progressive, five-minute classic with plenty of great guitar riffs that occupy the first two minutes of the song. The nastiest riff of them all is featured in the chorus, and some wild guitar playing closes this war song out.
"Fade To Black" is a personal favorite of mine, one of the best songs on the album, and one of the very best songs Metallica's ever written. Some sad but beautiful acoustic guitar work opens with a lovely electric solo. Mournful but poetic lyrics occupy the verses, then comes a powerful chorus riff. More great guitar soloing fills the rest of the song out.
"Trapped Under Ice" is another heavy song about struggle, featuring some dirty riffage and wild soloing that definitely makes itself worthy to be on the album.
"Escape" is a more melodic, radio-friendly sounding song, but nonetheless a great track, as well. A bit shorter and a pretty cool song.
"Creeping Death" is a song that defines thrash metal. This is an overall great song that you gotta hear. Its lyrics refer to the Seven Plagues in the story of Moses in the Bible, and the thrashing riffs pummel their way into your brain. And, as always, Kirk Hammett shows us why he's an amazing guitarist when he screeches out those awesome guitar solos.
"The Call of Ktulu" is a nine-minute, progressive instrumental. A cool way to end the album, it has an odd but mesmerizing tone that features some mighty and powerful riffs and drums, alongside solos that give the song quite an epic tone. I personally prefer "Orion" off "Master of Puppets", but this song is definitely a great one, too.
So as you can see, "Ride The Lightning" is undoubtedly a classic metal album. I've seen it ranked as being one of the top ten metal albums of all time, and when you give this a listen, you'll see why. All of the tracks are very strong, the songwriting's great, as are the singing, guitar-, bass-, and drum-playing. Get this, along with the other three Metallica releases in the '80s, and even "The Black Album" if you're interested. Overall, this is a very strong and solid album that I would recommend to all fans of thrash metal, and heavy metal in general. Good job to the 'tallica guys! Thanks for the time, and peace.
Free Music Review: What evolved into Master of Puppets
Hit: 5 Stars
If you already read my Master of Puppets review, you probably have an idea of what this review is going to look like. Like all of my reviews I usually start with a description of the album, so I'll start with Ride the Lightning. Definite creative direction growth from the first album, which is almost nothing like all the others. This shows Metallica's change from a mainly speed metal direction and into speed metal with thrash. This combination is what made Metallica the greatest metal band in history(yes even better than Black Sabbath.) This album is also known as the first album where Kirk wrote his first original music (he used to play guitar riffs writen by Dave Mustaine and later used by Kirk for production of first album and some of the songs on this album). Here's my review of the songs:
1.Fight Fire with Fire:Great way to start off a Metallica album with the acoustic number than explode into full metal guitar assault. Awesome use of vocals, guitars, and especially Cliff's bass playing. 15/5
2.Ride the Lightning:One of the greatest guitar playing in history. In this track Kirk & James prove why they are the best metal guitar duo in the history of metal(according to guitar magazine only Tony Iommi is better)! Simply put, one of Metallica's all out nuclear electric guitar barrages. 25/5
3.For Whom the Bell Tolls:Awesome intro, this is also the same style as The Thing That Should Not Be except for Kirk's guitar playing near the end that totally sets up the stage for Fade to Black. 15/5
4.Fade to Black:Meant to be depressing. When I listen to this, I actually feel real happy. When I get sad, I just listen to how much more this guys life sucks, and I feel happy for him. Overall, a great masterpiece. actually Fade to Black has 10/5
5.Trapped Under Ice:Before they were Disposable Heroes they were Trapped Under Ice! So is the music style of Trapped Under Ice. I'd say this is the biggest resemblence between RtL and MoP. The part that stands out the most is the intro and the ice crashing in the background. 10/5
6.Escape:One of Metallicas least known songs, Escape is probably the softest Metallica from the first three albums. Well thought-thru lyrics. 8/5
7.Creeping Death:Thought-out metal assault. The lyrics are intriguing(the other i day i was listening to this and I decided to read Exodus5-12),the guitar work go along with the lyrics to help create the image of slaves and the slaughter of firstborn. Watch out though because this one turns into an all out metal assault on MoP:Damage,Inc. 15/5 Damage with alot of thought put into it.
8.The Call of Ktulu:I have mentioned that the best tracks are instrumentals, and Call of Ktulu does not fall short of that rule. As usual the thing that stands out most in this instrumental is Cliff Burton's legendary bass playing, he is the Jimi Hendrix of bass guitarists. Only Orion is better. 30/5
A great album overall, Ride the Lightning shows Metallica's musical growth since Kill 'em All. Gone are all the speed-punk like guitar and in are the speed-thrash direction. The most noticable thing about this album is the similarity between it and Master of Puppets, they both have the same song styles. What we see in Ride the Lightning is the beginning of Metallicas music evolution. Here are the tracks they evolve into:
1.Fight Fire with Fire:Battery
2.Ride the Lightning:Master of Puppets
3.For Whom the Bell Tolls:The Thing That Should Not Be
4.Fade to Black:Welcome Home(Sanitarium)
5.Trapped Under Ice:Disposable Heroes
6.Escape:Leper Messiah
7.Creeping Death:Damage,Inc.
8.The Call of Ktulu:Orion
As you can see there is a stage of evolution from Ride the Lightning to Master of Puppets. Ride the Lightning is the Beginning of Metallicas music evolution which is mainly due to Kirk writing his first music in this album. I hold onto this theory because the guitar in this one is way different than the first. The rest, is history.