Ride the Lightning

Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by Metallica, released in July 1984 on Megaforce Records (and later Elektra in the United States) and produced by Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, the album that expanded the band's compositional ambition beyond the pure aggression of the debut into more complex song structures, dynamic range, and lyrical depth. The album contains the first signs of the harmonic sophistication that would define Metallica's classic period, including the use of acoustic guitar passages ('Fade to Black,' 'Escape'), extended progressive structures ('The Call of Ktulu,' co-written with Dave Mustaine before his departure), and the eight-minute antiwar epic 'For Whom the Bell Tolls.' Hetfield and Ulrich wrote the majority of the material; 'The Call of Ktulu' carries a Mustaine co-writing credit and 'Ride the Lightning' credits Mustaine as a co-writer as well, reflecting his compositional contributions prior to his dismissal. 'Fade to Black', Metallica's first ballad-adjacent track, drew protests from a segment of their fanbase who considered the acoustic introduction a commercial compromise, a tension the band would navigate repeatedly throughout their career. Ride the Lightning is widely regarded as the first fully realized statement of Metallica's artistic ambition and confirmed Rasmussen as the right collaborator for the more complex recording they had planned.