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. Matrix / Runout (Side A Variant 2): MRI-769-A ▻ MASTERED BY FRANKFORD/WAYNE NEW YORK ¢ L.I.Megaforce Records released Ride the Lightning on July 30, 1984. Matrix / Runout (Side B Variant 1): A-2 MRI-769 Matrix / Runout (Side A Variant 1): A-1 MRI-769 Mastered at Frankford Wayne in New York City, New York. Recorded and mixed at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark during the spring of 1984. Lovecraft story, although the original spelling is "Cthulhu". "The Call of Ktulu" is titled after a H.P. Lars Ulrich revealed that the label was not convinced that the album had only 7 songs, so they asked the band to record one more song. "Escape" was the last song made for the album, and besides, it was done at the last minute. "Trapped Under Ice" contains riffs from the old Exodus songs "Impaler" and "Hell's Breath." The song contains a riff from the old Exodus song called "Die by His Hand" composed by Kirk Hammett. "Creeping Death" is lyrically about the biblical story of the plagues of Egypt. Cliff Burton's bass intro was played with his band Agents of Misfortune in a battle of the bands in 1981. The bell that rings at the start is a hammer striking an anvil. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" is titled after the book by Ernest Hemingway, and borrows its subject matter from one passage. The first 10,000 copies include a "Metal Militia" insert.ĭave Mustaine gets a co-songwriting credit for "Ride the Lightning" and "The Call of Ktulu." Mustaine used several riffs from these songs in Megadeth, such as "Ride the Lightning" (on "Wake Up Dead" and "Hook in Mouth") and "The Call of Ktulu" (on "In My Darkest Hour", "Hangar 18", "High Speed Dirt", "Countdown to Extinction", "Blood of Heroes", and "When").
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