Metallica - Ride The Lightning (1984). Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.
Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 27, 1984, by the independent record label Megaforce Records. The album was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at the Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. The artwork, based on a concept by the band, depicts an electric chair being struck by lightning flowing from the band logo. The title was taken from a passage in Stephen King's novel The Stand
Ride the Lightning was released on July 27, 1984 by Megaforce Records and re-released by Elektra Records on November 19, 1984. It has sold over 5 million copies in the . and have been certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA. In July 1983, Metallica released their debut studio album, titled Kill 'Em All through Megaforce Records. On February 20, 1984, the band began work on their second album, titled Ride the Lightning, at Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark.
This is also the last Metallica album to feature songwriting contributions from Dave Mustaine, who would later form Megadeth. Ride the Lightning Q&A.
Released July 27, 1984. Released July 27, 1984. James Hetfield – Guitar, Vocals Lars Ulrich – Drums Kirk Hammett – Guitar Cliff Burton – Bass. Producer: Metallica Production Assistants: Flemming Rasmussen & Mark Whitaker Engineer: Flemming Rasmussen. Recorded & Mixed at Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark in the Spring of 1984 Megaforce Release Mastered by Tom Coyne Frankford Wayne Elektra Release Mastered by Bob Ludwig Remastered in 1995 by George Marino.
Kill 'Em All may have revitalized heavy metal's underground, but Ride the Lightning was even more stunning, exhibiting staggering musical growth and boldly charting new directions that would affect heavy metal for years to come. Incredibly ambitious for a one-year-later sophomore effort, Ride the Lightning finds Metallica aggressively expanding their compositional technique and range of expression. Every track tries something new, and every musical experiment succeeds mightily.