Metallica - Ride The Lightning (1984) [Deluxe Edition 2016] (Official Digital Download )

Second album by Metallica, "Ride The Lightning", was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at the Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. The artwork, based on a concept by the band, depicts an electric chair in the midst of a thunderstorm. The title was taken from a passage in Stephen King's novel The Stand. Although rooted in the thrash metal genre, the album showcased the band's musical maturity and lyrical sophistication. This was partly because bassist Cliff Burton introduced the basics of music theory to the rest of the band and had more input in the songwriting. Instead of relying strictly on fast tempos as on Kill 'Em All, Metallica broadened its approach by employing acoustic guitars, extended instrumentals, and more complex harmonies. Deluxe Digital Download Edition of Ride the Lightning featuring the newly remastered album alongside four live shows, demos & rough mixes from Lars' Vault and the "Creeping Death" EP.

Kill 'Em All may have revitalized heavy metal's underground, but Ride the Lightning was even more stunning, exhibiting staggering musical growth and boldly charting new directions that would affect heavy metal for years to come. Incredibly ambitious for a one-year-later sophomore effort, Ride the Lightning finds Metallica aggressively expanding their compositional technique and range of expression. Every track tries something new, and every musical experiment succeeds mightily. The lyrics push into new territory as well – more personal, more socially conscious, less metal posturing. But the true heart of Ride the Lightning lies in its rich musical imagination. There are extended, progressive epics; tight, concise groove-rockers; thrashers that blow anything on Kill 'Em All out of the water, both in their urgency and the barest hints of melody that have been added to the choruses. Some innovations are flourishes that add important bits of color, like the lilting, pseudo-classical intro to the furious "Fight Fire with Fire," or the harmonized leads that pop up on several tracks. Others are major reinventions of Metallica's sound, like the nine-minute, album-closing instrumental "The Call of Ktulu," or the haunting suicide lament "Fade to Black." The latter is an all-time metal classic; it begins as an acoustic-driven, minor-key ballad, then gets slashed open by electric guitars playing a wordless chorus, and ends in a wrenching guitar solo over a thrashy yet lyrical rhythm figure. Basically, in a nutshell, Metallica sounded like they could do anything. Heavy metal hadn't seen this kind of ambition since Judas Priest's late-'70s classics, and Ride the Lightning effectively rewrote the rule book for a generation of thrashers. If Kill 'Em All was the manifesto, Ride the Lightning was the revolution itself.

Tracklist:

Disc 1 - Ride The Lightning
01 - Fight Fire With Fire
02 - Ride The Lightning
03 - For Whom The Bell Tolls
04 - Fade To Black
05 - Trapped Under Ice
06 - Escape
07 - Creeping Death
08 - The Call Of Ktulu

Remastered by Howie Weinberg at Howie Weinberg Mastering, Los Angeles, CA.



Disc 2 - Live At The Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA - March 10th 1985
01 - The Ecstasy Of Gold
02 - Fight Fire With Fire
03 - Ride The Lightning
04 - Phantom Lord
05 - (Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth
06 - For Whom The Bell Tolls
07 - No Remorse
08 - Fade To Black
09 - Seek & Destroy
10 - Creeping Death
11 - Am I Evil?
12 - Motorbreath



Disc 3 - Creeping Death (EP)
01 - Creeping Death
02 - Am I Evil?
03 - Blitzkrieg



Disc 4 - Demos & Rough Mixes From Lars' Vault
01 - Ride The Lightning (Studio Demo)
02 - When Hell Freezes Over ("The Call Of Ktulu") (Studio Demo)
03 - Creeping Death (Studio Demo)
04 - Fight Fire With Fire (Studio Demo)
05 - Ride The Lightning (Garage Demo)
06 - When Hell Freezes Over ("The Call Of Ktulu") (Garage Demo)
07 - Fight Fire With Fire (Garage Demo)
08 - Ride The Lightning (Boom Box Demo)
09 - Blitzkrieg (Rhythm Track Rough Mix)
10 - Am I Evil? (Rhythm Track Rough Mix)



Disc 5 - Live At The Kabuki Theatre, San Francisco, CA - March 15th 1985
01 - Fight Fire With Fire
02 - Ride The Lightning
03 - Phantom Lord
04 - The Four Horsemen
05 - (Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth
06 - For Whom The Bell Tolls
07 - No Remorse
08 - Fade To Black
09 - Creeping Death
10 - Guitar Solo
11 - Am I Evil?
12 - Motorbreath



Disc 6 - Live At The Lyceum Theatre, London, UK - December 20th 1984
01 - Phantom Lord
02 - The Four Horsemen
03 - (Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth
04 - For Whom The Bell Tolls
05 - No Remorse
06 - The Call Of Ktulu
07 - Seek & Destroy
08 - Whiplash
09 - Creeping Death
10 - Guitar Solo
11 - Metal Militia



Disc 7 - Live At Castle Donington, UK - August 17th 1985
01 - Creeping Death
02 - Ride The Lightning
03 - For Whom The Bell Tolls
04 - The Four Horsemen
05 - Fade To Black
06 - Seek & Destroy
07 - Whiplash
08 - Motorbreath


Thanks to the Original customer!
Disc 1-3 are 24/96, 4-7 are 24/44.