Album · Released 27 July 1984
Ride the Lightning
Metallica make a surprisingly wide world out of eight songs on Ride the Lightning. There is speed, certainly, but there is also room for dread, melody and a quieter kind of desperation. The record's force comes from how naturally those different moods fit together. The acoustic opening of Fight Fire with Fire lasts just long enough to unsettle expectations before the guitars take over. The attack is fierce, yet the playing has clear direction…
On GrooveGauge
Ride the LightningOur album review · 19 October 2025
9.5 