37 Years Ago: Metallica Release ‘Ride the Lightning’
After Metallica’s debut,
Kill ‘Em All, became a template for a new style of music, the band realized it was going to have to up the ante on thrash metal. Slayer had released their blinding debut
Show No Mercy. Anthrax put out
Fistful of Metal and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett’s original band, Exodus, had a hot underground demo with a similar sound. As they worked on songs for their second album, Metallica were determined to stay ahead of the pack, and when
Ride the Lightning came out on July 27, 1984, they proved that they weren’t just one of the best