![]() Just Burton and Ulrich were on "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth" on Kill ‘Em All. Lovecraft, and one of his famous short stories was "The Call Of Cthulhu." Most of the music for the song was written by Dave Mustaine, and it was originally called "When Hell Freezes Over." It was the first instrumental that all four band members played on. The album closer is the nearly 9-minute instrumental tour-de-force "The Call of Ktulu." Cliff Burton was a big fan of the horror author H.P. The chorus " Die by my hand" was brought in by Hammett and is an adaptation of an Exodus song called "Dying By His Hand." "Creeping Death" has always been a fan favorite, and is the second most-played Metallica live song, behind "Master of Puppets." It was released as a single in Europe. The creeping death was the final plague, the angel of death sent by God to kill every family’s first-born son. It talks about the ten plagues of Egypt from the book of Exodus. Hetfield went to the Bible for the lyrics to this song, although it was inspired by the movie The Ten Commandments. Obviously the band thought otherwise, relegating it to obscurity. The song deals with an escaped prisoner, and is actually pretty catchy. It was never played live during the time of its release, and it wasn’t until Metallica played the entire album at 2012‘s Orion Music + More Festival that "Escape" was played in its entirety. Originally called "The Hammer," this is probably the least known of the songs on Ride the Lightning. During that era Metallica rarely played "Trapped Under Ice" live. It’s about a person trapped in a cryogenics chamber. "Trapped Under Ice"Ĭlosest to the material on Kill ‘Em All, Hammett used part of a riff he wrote while in Exodus for this track. In 1992, the band was playing the song at a show in Montreal when Hetfield suffered major burns in a pyro accident. "Fade To Black" was also the first song Kirk Hammett received co-writing credit on. When Hetfield wrote the lyrics, he was at a low point after a bunch of the band’s gear was stolen, including an amp his mother gave him just before her death from cancer. The subject matter was controversial as well, dealing with suicide. This was Metallica's first foray into a slow tempo song, which drew criticism from thrashers upset at the band for ‘selling out' by doing a ballad. The tolling bells from the song are used by the Chicago Bears before kickoffs. It was released as a single, but did not chart. The song is based on a section of the Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name. Hetfield’s vocals don’t kick in until more than two minutes of the song have elapsed. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"Ĭliff Burton opens "For Whom the Bell Tolls" on bass, although it sounds like a guitar. More than a gruesome anticipation of death, it’s an indictment of the criminal justice system. The pummeling song has memorable riffs, and the lyrics are written from the perspective of somebody preparing to be electrocuted in an electric chair. "Ride the Lightning"Įven though Dave Mustaine had been out of the band for a few years at this point, he still receives songwriting credit on the album’s title track. The lyrics tackle the topic of Armageddon and the end of the world. The musicianship was improved as well, allowing them to try different things and expand their musical horizons. It was obvious from the opening acoustic intro of "Fight Fire With Fire" that Metallica had stepped up their songwriting chops. Ride the Lightning Track by Track "Fight Fire With Fire" 100 on the Billboard album chart, but would go on to sell more than 5 million copies. A couple months later Metallica signed a deal with major label Elektra Records, who re-released the album on Nov. ![]() Megaforce Records released Ride the Lightning on July 30, 1984.
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