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
37 Years Ago: Metallica Release Ride the Lightning
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Widely regarded as the first definitive thrash album, Metallica’s
Kill ‘Em All, though forceful, declarative and crushing, was a punishing exercise in music business protocol. While it upped the ante on the precision, rage and songwriting of bands like Venom and Diamond Head, it was a record that, from the start, was ruled by compromise and control.
Kill ‘Em All wasn’t the original title. Metallica wanted to call the album
Metal Up Your Ass, but when Important, the distribution outlet of their label, Megaforce, balked, they were forced to change the name. As the story goes, bassist Cliff Burton’s reaction was hardly favorable. “Aw, man, f k ‘em. F k those f kers! Just kill ‘em. Kill ‘em all,” he declared. And the album title was born.