Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. It is the last album to feature songwriting contributions from former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, and the first to feature contributions from his replacement, Kirk Hammett. The artwork depicts an electric chair being struck by lightning flowing from the band logo.
About Ride the Lightning in brief
Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the last album to feature songwriting contributions from former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, and the first to feature contributions from his replacement, Kirk Hammett. The artwork depicts an electric chair being struck by lightning flowing from the band logo. The title was taken from a passage in Stephen King’s novel The Stand. Many rock publications have ranked Ride the Lightning on their best album lists, saying it had a lasting impact on the genre. It has been certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2012 for shipping six million copies in the United States. The band’s first album, Kill ‘Em All, helped to establish thrash metal, a heavy metal subgenre defined by its brisk riffs and intense percussion. Although 75,000 copies were initially pressed for the American market, the album sold half a million by November 1987. Two months after its release, Elektra Records signed Metallica to a multi-year deal and reissued the album. Ride the lightning peaked at number 100 on the Billboard 200 with no radio exposure. The group’s next album, The Black Album, was released in November 1989. It features more complex harmonies, extended instrumentals, and more complex vocal harmonies.
The overall recording costs were paid by Metallica’s European label Music for Nations because Megaforce was unable to cover it. Metallica promoted the album on the Bang That Head That Doesn’t Bang European tour in late 1984, and on its North American leg in the first half of 1985. In the U.S., the band performed at major music festivals such as Monsters of Rock and Day on the Green later that year. The members often ate one meal a day and stayed at fans’ homes while playing at clubs across the United states. When not gigging, the band stayed in a rented house in El Cerrito, California, called the Metallica Mansion. Frontman James Hetfield felt uneasy about performing double duty on vocals and rhythm guitar, so the band offered the job to Armored Saint singer John Bush, who turned down the offer because Armored Saint was doing well at the time. Before entering the studio, Metallica collected ideas on riffs from various jam sessions. Hetfeld and Ulrich selected the strongest tapes to assemble into songs. Instruments were recorded separately, with only Hetfields playing only the guitar and the drummers playing the bass. Rasmussen, with the support of roadie Flemen, taught the basics of timing and duration to increase speed and duration of beat. The final touches on the album were recorded in an empty warehouse at the back of Drums recorded in a warehouse at Mercyful Fate’s practice room, which was not soundproof and caused reverberation.
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This page is based on the article Ride the Lightning published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 16, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
