Ride the Lightning - Metallica (Cassette 1987)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this album blows. Just one year after the release of 1983's Kill 'Em All , Metallica was quickly becoming an underground hit amongst thrash-metal enthusiasts. In 1984 the band released their sophomore effort, Ride the Lightning, an album marked by migraine-inducing vocals and politically charged songs. When examining the metal genre's most overrated albums, this one would be right near the top. This is one of the most outlandishly over-praised albums ever put on a compact disc. I ve yet to see a more perfect example of foolish critics praising...

I'll say this once, and only once: If today's bands grew as much as Metallica did in between their first and second records, not only would metal be in a far different place in the mainstream, but rock in general would be able to lose all that is awful about rock today (I'm speaking to the Hoobastanks and Nickelbacks of the world). Metallica's debut, Kill 'Em All, is commonly referred to as the first "thrash" or "speed metal" record. To be quite honest, I don't know enough about the genre to actually say it is or it isn't. But while Kill 'Em All was dominated most of the time by said speed...

There are some bands you just don t get. The magnitude of what they are presenting simply can not be comprehended on first listen, or even first album. Apparently, Metallica are one of those bands. I started out with the thrash quartet where it seemed logical to start: Master of Puppets. My opinion of it then was that it is, unfortunately, one of the most bloated and over-hyped albums of all time, full of lame lyrics even for the time and inexpedient guitar interplay and solos, and it hasn t changed: how the heavy metal community manages to eat it up even in these modern times I ll never know.

There was a day, long ago, when proclaiming oneself a Metallica fan meant something. That something was not "I enjoy listening to redneck 40-somethings sing about cars and other vague topics atop a mushy half-metal, half-alternative backdrop." Quite to the contrary -- listening to Metallica's first four (debatably, five) albums and calling yourself a fan was saying "I like my music loud, fast and smart, my message clear, and my commentary sharp." And, as far as commentary goes, no album better exemplifies this statement than Ride the Lightning. Two of Metallica's best anti-war songs hold...