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“Cliff played For Whom The Bell Tolls all the time. The rest of would stiffen up and go, ‘What the heck was that?’” The stories behind every song on Ride The Lightning, in Metallica’s own words
This feature from Louder marks the anniversary of Metallica's second album, Ride The Lightning, released on 27 July 1984, just over a year after their thrash-defining debut Kill 'Em All. Drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist Kirk Hammett revisit the record track by track, explaining how it pushed the band beyond straightforward thrash into more ambitious, complex songwriting that set them apart from their peers.
The piece draws on band recollections of each song's creation, including an anecdote about bassist Cliff Burton repeatedly playing "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and unsettling his bandmates with its unconventional sound. More than 40 years on, the album is presented as the moment Metallica first showed the depth and ambition that would define their later career, moving beyond the raw energy of their debut towards greater musical scope.
In short
- Metallica's Ride The Lightning turned 40+ years old on 27 July.
- Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett recall the making of each track.
- Album showed Metallica's growing ambition beyond pure thrash metal.
Explained simply
Metallica are an American heavy metal band who emerged in the early 1980s and quickly became known for their fast, aggressive style of playing. Their first album, Kill 'Em All, released in 1983, established them as a powerful new force in the genre, but their second album, Ride The Lightning, came out just over a year later in July 1984 and demonstrated the band's ability to do far more.
Ride The Lightning marked a significant step forward where the band—including drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and bassist Cliff Burton—moved beyond straightforward heavy metal into more ambitious, complex songwriting. The album showed greater musical depth and scope, which helped set Metallica apart from their peers who remained focused purely on speed and aggression.
More than 40 years later, the album is recognised as the moment Metallica first displayed the artistic ambition that would define their entire career. The record is still regarded as a crucial turning point when the band shifted from raw energy towards more sophisticated and complex musical expression.
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