Metallica appeared second and played ten songs at the sold-out show at New York City's Roseland Ballroom on August 3, 1984. Metallica rehearsed the album's material at Mercyful Fate's practice room in Copenhagen. Rasmussen listened to Metallica's tapes before the members arrived and thought the band had great potential. Rasmussen, who had not heard of Metallica, agreed to work on the album, even though his studio employees questioned the band's talent. Drummer Lars Ulrich chose Rasmussen, because he liked his work on Rainbow's Difficult to Cure (1981) and was keen to record in Europe. The album was produced by Flemming Rasmussen, the founder of Sweet Silence Studios.
Metallica started recording on February 20, 1984, at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. Hetfield gradually built confidence as lead vocalist and kept his original role. Frontman James Hetfield felt uneasy about performing double duty on vocals and rhythm guitar, so the band offered the job to Armored Saint singer John Bush, who turned down the offer because Armored Saint was doing well at the time. When not gigging, the band stayed in a rented house in El Cerrito, California, called the Metallica Mansion. An incident occurred when part of Metallica's gear was stolen in Boston, and Anthrax lent Metallica some of its equipment to complete the remaining dates. Because the band had little money, its members often ate one meal a day and stayed at fans' homes while playing at clubs across the United States. After finishing its promotional tour, Metallica began composing new material, and from September, began performing the songs that were to make up Ride the Lightning at concerts.
The album helped to establish thrash metal, a heavy metal subgenre defined by its brisk riffs and intense percussion. Metallica released its debut album, Kill 'Em All, on the independent label Megaforce Records on July 25, 1983. Many rock publications have ranked Ride the Lightning on their best album lists, saying it had a lasting impact on the genre. It was certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2012 for shipping six million copies in the United States. Although 75,000 copies were initially pressed for the American market, the album sold half a million by November 1987. Ride the Lightning peaked at number 100 on the Billboard 200 with virtually no radio exposure. Two months after its release, Elektra Records signed Metallica to a multi-year deal and reissued the album. The band performed at major music festivals such as Monsters of Rock and Day on the Green later that year. Metallica promoted the album on the Bang That Head That Doesn't Bang European tour in late 1984, and on its North American leg in the first half of 1985. Ride the Lightning received a positive response from music critics, who saw it as a more ambitious effort than its predecessor. It is the last album to feature songwriting contributions from former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, and the first to feature contributions from successor Kirk Hammett. The overall recording costs were paid by Metallica's European label Music for Nations because Megaforce was unable to cover it. Beyond the fast tempos of its debut Kill 'Em All, Metallica broadened its approach by employing acoustic guitars, extended instrumentals, and more complex harmonies. Bassist Cliff Burton introduced the basics of music theory to the band and had more input in the songwriting. The title was taken from a passage in Stephen King's novel The Stand, in which a character uses the phrase to refer to execution by electric chair.Īlthough rooted in the thrash metal genre, the album showcased the band's musical growth and lyrical sophistication. The artwork, based on a concept by the band, depicts an electric chair being struck by lightning flowing from the band logo. The album was recorded in three weeks with producer Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. 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.
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