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RIDE THE LIGHTNING ALBUM REVIEW

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After the success of "Kill 'Em All", Metallica released their second album a year later in 1984. While many would find their next album "Master of Puppets" the best album Metallica made, I found MOP a bit of a watered down version of RTL. It's not only Metallica's best album, but I consider this the best thrash metal album of all time. 
 While I enjoyed "Kill 'Em All", I did found some flaws on the album. RTL takes those flaws and improves them. The guitars have more power in them, the drums have more variety in the kicks and bangs, the bass is more clearer, and the vocals bring more emotions in the songs with more anger and dramatic shouts. Because of this, every single song off the album has their own style that makes them memorable. From the intro song "Fight Fire with Fire" with it's sweet acoustic guitar at the beginning and it's catchy chorus, to "Trapped Under Ice" and it's fast-paced guitars with dramatic lyrics about being trapped. There is a ton of variety in the album, and it's extremely difficult to find any flaws on each song. 

 One of my favorites from the album is "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Fade to Black". The former starts off with a guitar riff that creates a power atmosphere, but it also brings an unknown feeling that you can't fully understand. Hetfield has one of his strongest vocal performances on this song. His voice is a shout of power, as if he's giving an epic speech. His vocals also match the lyrics of war, and is further executed with the loud bangs of the drums and the long, extreme guitar riffs. Every single second of this song is packed with power and might that empowers the listener on fighting. The latter song is a ballad that comes with a ton of emotional moments. It opens up with an acoustic guitar as well as another guitar playing a nice riff. However, it then cuts to the acoustic guitar playing a slow, depressed riff. 

The instruments are all playing in a slow tempo and create a sad atmosphere. Hetfield then sings about losing all hope. His vocals are more depressed, and fit well to the sad tone. The second part, however, is more upbeat. The acoustic guitar is replaced with a more fast, powerful guitar riff, with the rest of the instruments following suit by having a louder, faster, and more upbeat sound. Hetfield's vocals gain more power in this part as he sing about dying. 

The overall theme of the song is an interpretation of depression and death and remains one of Metallica's most power songs. The overall quality of this album is a masterpiece. If "Kill 'Em All" revolutionized their sound, then "Ride the Lightning" perfected it. This is the album that truly got Metallica going, and the band would later try to copy it in their future works. It remains a classic album by many today.

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