It’s hard to believe Ride the Lightning was made by the same band who released Kill ‘Em All just a year earlier. That said, if you were to ask me to put on a Metallica album, the first one I’m going for is Ride the Lightning. I’ll forever be grateful for its role in my heavy metal journey. This is by no means a knock at Master of Puppets. I’m not sure what happened, but Ride the Lightning suddenly grabbed me in a way that Master of Puppets hasn’t since that day 12 years ago. Unsurprisingly, Master of Puppets quickly became my favorite, and remained my favorite until about halfway through high school. Needless to say, that weekend I went to my local Half Price Books and bought all the Metallica CDs my allowance money could buy. 8 and a half minutes later, I got my answer, courtesy of Byrd…or was it Pat Capone? Nah, it was probably Byrd who said, “97.9 The Loop! Metallica, “Master of Puppets”! It doesn’t get much better than that.” As much as I was enjoying the many twists and turns within the song, I couldn’t wait for it to end just so I could hear who it was. In my little 9 year old head, I thought to myself, “Holy shit! This is heavier than Priest’s “Exciter”!”. It was fast and long and heavy…really heavy. It was on one of these days, holed up in my bedroom doing math homework (What was 36 divided by 4 again?), that The Loop played a song I had NEVER heard before. I’d spend hours listening to these stations, taking notes of the bands and songs played so I could check them out again later. Local Chicago radio stations like 104.3 Jack FM (RIP) and 97.9 The Loop (also RIP) would further expand my appetite for all things hard and heavy, introducing me to Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, UFO, and so on. I was 9 years old and head over heels for Rush, Black Sabbath, and Judas Priest, all of whom I had just discovered that summer (Thanks dad!). I can’t tell you the exact month or date, but I know the first time I willingly heard Metallica was late 2008.
I guess the only way I can write about Ride the Lightning is by first exploring my own personal journey with Metallica.
Hell, you can even find Ride the Lightning shirts at Wal-Mart. Multiple cuts have since become staples of rock radio. Furthermore, how does one tackle an album as massive and momentous as Ride the Lightning? It’s sold over 6 million copies in America alone. In other words, even if you’re not a metalhead, you’re aware of Metallica’s existence. They are as synonymous with metal as Nirvana is with grunge, Tupac is with rap, and so on. What can be said about Metallica that hasn’t been said already? They’re the biggest selling musical act of any genre of the last 30 years. This is going to be a high voltage ride.Īs much as I wanted to pay tribute to Burton, I grappled with writing this essay for a few reasons. So strap yourself into the electric chair and grip with fear. In honor of Burton, this week’s essay revisits what I believe to be the band’s finest hour, Ride the Lightning. His love for the NWOBHM and hardcore punk pushed the band over the edge, setting them aside as early forerunners of the thrash metal scene. Although he only played on their first three albums (arguably their best), Burton’s impact on Metallica’s sound cannot be overstated.
This past Monday, September 27, marked 35 years since Metallica bassist Cliff Burton perished in that fateful bus crash. Welcome to another edition of From My Collection.
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