RIDE THE LIGHTNING

If Metallica's debut had revealed only little of the direction Metallica was heading for, their sophomore effort leaves little room for doubt. Their intensity and harshness were maintained, but the band had become much more versatile in ways to express it.

The speedy opener Fight Fire with Fire stays true to the debuts method: loud, aggressive, fast, vicious and uncompromising. It's one of their best songs in this style, but Metallica's qualities lay in another direction. Where Megadeth and Slayer proved to be better contenders for speed and evil, Metallica had the knack to write big dramatic epics. They were not only authentic enough for thrash fans but also sufficiently catchy, musical and accessible to attract people from outside the inner circles of the metal underground.

Metallica learned an important lesson in the year since their debut. Metal isn't just about aggression and speed but also about power and heaviness. Ride The Lightening achieves this by varying the edgy riffing with slower drum rhythms. For Whom The Bell Tolls goes even a step further and comes close to epic doom metal. Tony Iommi must have been proud hearing this one.

Fade To Black introduces acoustic guitars and quality balladry in the verses. A thundering chorus and great harmonic leads make it into another metal classic. Trapped Under Ice returns to the speed idiom of the first album. Escape is the odd one out on this album, it's a catchy and almost anthemic hard rock tune with a great 70's vibe despite the thrashy riffing.

If the previous onslaught of elevated metal wasn't enough, Creeping Death adds another classic to the list. The album ends with the instrumental Call of Ktulu, a definite progressive moment. This isn't just a succession of metal riffs or a jam with guitar solos. It's a carefully crafted epic monster that goes through a number of developing themes with a distinct proggy feel. It won't beat Rush's Villa Strangiato for me but it has a similar feel.

The big arenas that Maiden was filling back then were lurking at Metallica's horizon. Coming from the same year as Maiden's Powerslave, I would have a hard time picking a 1984 metal favourite. Both albums are crammed with classic progressive metal moments. I'd say Metallica would get the higher score for delivering the more diverse and more consistent album.