Title: Ride the Lightning
Label: Elektra
Release Date: 1984
Rating: 5 Skulls
Title: Master of Puppets
Label: Elektra
Release Date: 1986
Rating: 5 Skulls
Artist: Metallica
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Title: Ride the Lightning Label: Elektra Release Date: 1984
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Title: Master of Puppets Label: Elektra Release Date: 1986
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Solomon's Review:
When looking at metal's past, Metallica's Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice For All form what can be considered a holy trinity of sorts. Many (if not most) Metallica fans will separate these records from the band's more commercial output of the last decade in terms of relevance. I think the "Black Album" and Load are great records in their own right, but the band's output during the Eighties represent the definitive Metallica collection. By the time Justice rolled around, it seemed as if Metallica were infallible in generating killer material. Actually, the bulk of Metallica's entire catalog is a tribute to the consistent quality of music this group has put out over the years. Looking at the band's earlier material, Ride The Lightning stands out in my mind as being the leader of the pack. Ride, Master, and Justice are all special in their own way, but Ride has a certain dark drive and catchiness to it that makes it stick out from the rest. Every song on this platter is a gem. Usually there are a few "so-so" tracks on the average album, and I like certain songs more than others on this one as well, but everything here sounds complete, like it was meant to be. The secret to all this lies in the riffs: Ride produces one memorable, well-crafted part after another. From the rapid fire verse of "Fight Fire With Fire," to the majestic harmonies of the title track, to the traditional metal drive of the intro to "Escape," it seemed as if Metallica had hit the "fountain of riffdom." Justice may have met or surpassed Ride in terms of brooding anger or darkness, but some of the most emotionally intense Metallica songs can be found on this disc. "For Whom The Bell Tolls" is a prime example. Structurally, this is one of Metallica's simplest tunes, but the mood it generates more than makes up for a lack of complexity. "Creeping Death" is an all-time favorite. The music and lyrics combine to form a dynamic that outshines a thousand sermons on this biblical topic (the "Die" chorus hammers this point home). You could criticize "The Call of Ktulu" for being too long and too repetitive, but its overall creepy, epic effect helps you forget they're playing the same parts over and over. Hetfield's vocals do a good job of bridging the gap between melody and aggression, and his virgin attempt at a "ballad" on "Fade To Black" sounds convincing. Hammett's solos exhibit a lot of skill and fire as well as feeling, especially in the intro to "Fade." All in all, it's hard to say anything bad about this record. Ride is an excellent collection of tunes that maintain a consistent degree of quality from track to track. If someone who wasn't into metal wanted a definitive record to check out, this would be a prime pick.
Ride the Lightning:
Death's Review:
From the opening distant strains of "Battery," a sense of impending aural annihilation washes over the listener, as the pretty little minor key classical piece quickly turns into a total skull-crushing speed-riffage assault. With this, the first of many stop-on-a-dime changes, the greatest record of all time unleashes itself upon us. All else is laid to waste in its mighty path.Yes folks, you heard me: Master of Puppets is the greatest metal record of all time. This, of course, makes it the greatest single album in rock history, in my book. Forget about Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. Metallica defined metal with Master, and neither myself or the music I love have ever been the same since its release.
Why the superlatives? Because they're true. No single record has ever had this much impact on me as a musician or as a fan. No record lends greater definition to the memories of my youth. I was fifteen years old when Master was released. I waited in line at the store the day the LP was released and bought that, even though I didn't have a turntable. I therefore ran home, convened in my father's den, busted out the headphones and sat back in the good professor's leather easy chair for my innaugural listen. I'll never forget the magic of that one hour plus voyage of discovery. I knew then that I was hearing revolutionary music.
"Battery" is still one of the fastest tunes the band ever did, and the production, drumming and riffing all come together for pure, neck-snapping delight. The title track has killer lyrics and epic scope. I love the riffs under the solo parts! A true masterpiece. "The Thing That Should Not Be" at the time seemed like the spiritual successor to "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (in fact, line 'em up - "Fight Fire" is "Battery," "Master" and "Ride," both title tracks placed second, then the slow stompers "Bell" and "Thing," and then the ballad turned angry in "Fade" and "Sanitarium"). Downtuned stomping like this was not as common in 1986 as it is today. Of course, "Sanitarium" was the all-time metal anthem of the decade, and hearing the record today can still send chills down my spine if I allow it.
"Disposable Heroes" may be Metallica's most technical track, and certainly displays the coolest rhythmic picking. "Orion" is one of the coolest instrumentals and features an awesome Cliff Burton bass breakdown with erie-sounding slide guitar. "Leper Messiah" is another anthemic stomper, while "Damage, Inc." is another speedy thrasher which closes out the record by going for the jugular. Each song awesome, every one of them a classic.
Say what you will about 21st Century Metallica, but this shit fucking rocks, plain and simple. To this day, no record has blown me away as completely as this one did. I wonder if anything else ever will.
Master of Puppets:
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