“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.
- 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.