Metallica: Ride The Lightning Defined Their Sound

[@christyler6234]

I don’t know why everyone dislikes Escape so much, I’ve always enjoyed that track.

[@SuperMrThom]

I have no problem with the chorus either - alright, not the best tune on the album, but still class

[@midnight347]

Alot of ppl like it the band don't really like it particularly James and ppl just echo their dislike because he doesn't like it lol

[@AnthonyAnthony-tk4ye]

I love that song… it brings you back to the ground after a high energy song

[@xhead75]

Probably because James hates it. That album is like the theme of my childhood. It's part of my psyche. Every note of every song is gold to me.

[@ozricness]

The whole track is fine, but the breakdown is heavier than For Whom the Bell Tolls. I reckon it's even heavier than the 'Die by my hand...' riff on Creeping Death.

[@TjByers369]

Love how Metallica's sound has changed over the decades. Their first decade was so youthful & energetic.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

It really was such a great period for them! They've grown and evolved, and as a result managed to stay very successful. Plus they still put on one hell of a show. But yeah - those days were something else for sure!

[@Nick-s-f]

I heard 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' for the first time in 1997, around age 12. It broke my concept of music and has lived rent free in my head ever since.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

That's awesome - the perfect introduction to heavy music is in that song. I heard it way before - I'm older - but it was on the radio as a backing or played in the background of a DJ promoting their weekly metal shop broadcast. That chromatic palm roof - I just kept thinking what the hell is this and finally the whole song got played and I was like wow whoever this Metallica is I must dig in further. Good times!

[@static_tv_og]

Dude I just watched the Kill 'Em All video and checked to see if you made a ride the lightning one, well lo, 1 min ago 😄

[@brendonpayne4583]

2

[@guitarmeetsscience]

🤘🤘 Man that made my day! Thank you for checking them both out - much appreciated!

[@jimbothompson6540]

I still think ride the lightning is their best album a major achievement in music

[@guitarmeetsscience]

They really came into their own - and while kill em all is a great listen, it's as if they went from third grade straight to seniors in college musically between those two albums.

[@jimbothompson6540]

@guitarmeetsscience strangely enough I don't think the last 2 tracks are that great... but I think escape is underrated

[@chuckselvage3157]

Their best album. I first heard this when a friend had it on his walkman it was playing Creeping Death and I liked it,so I ended up getting a copy of the album and was blown away by Fight Fire with Fire,this heavy thrash assaulting me.Then hearing the rest of the album and the whole LP was outstanding.Just a killer album.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Oh that's awesome - I was introduced to them pretty much in the same exact way, on a walkman too nonetheless. Mine was trapped under ice - I was like damn!

[@bigjermboktown6976]

Ride the lightning has always been my favorite Metallica album

[@guitarmeetsscience]

It is definitely a great album! That's really what they found their sound.

[@celkat]

Great documentary! Love it. Nitpick: the still at 14:58 is from the 1991 Monsters of Rock show in Moscow

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Thank you!

[@merrillj229]

Thanks Jimmy. I appreciate the work you put in to bringing us these backstories. Take care my friend 😎👍

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Thank you Merrill!! Always great to see you my friend - I really appreciate it 🤘😎🤘

[@joemars41]

2:29 I think utube deleted my last comment because i saw Metallica/Exodus in a club in Brooklyn. My friend and i at the bar had some smoking flower ( Exodus guitarists) and partied with them. Probably my favorite record ( RTL) PLUS BONDED BY BLOOD Exo. and i turned all my friends onto it. Love the history on Burton and his advanced ideas plus ,yes he was on the tour i saw. Your music breakdown , theory and more is unparalleled. All why im subbed and here for more ! Thanks again , Joe 🎸🇺🇸

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Damn that sucks! They've been doing that a lot lately, also with my responses too. Man that must have been awesome to see them in a club setting. I can only imagine that had to have been an unforgettable evening for sure! Thanks for the kind words Joe - that is really motivating, and I cannot express my appreciation enough! KZbin gives you a hard time just let me know.... Nothing I could do but still lol let me know and I'll yell at them or something 🤘🤣🤘

[@shiyobui]

Its amazing to see Metallica still go hard during tours, they came to my city over the weekend and it was amazing 🤘

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Saw them twice in the nineties, then last year..... Their recent show blew the last 2 away by miles!! The guys are in their sixties and rocking harder than they did back then. Just mind-blowing!

[@rehanrazak9957]

I don’t know why James hated escape it’s such a perfect song but underrated🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@guitarmeetsscience]

It is a great song - I just think that it wasn't what James was going for image wise for the band. They felt like their arm was twisted a bit to come up with more of a melodic hook. But yeah if it's perfectly in their catalog!

[@rehanrazak9957]

@@guitarmeetsscience that makes a lot of sense when u say it also they played escape like once live like 2012 or 2013 but still is a good song but not for James 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@prometheusfire1345]

Cuz it was very radio friendly sounding

[@rehanrazak9957]

@@prometheusfire1345 yeah pretty much that’s what it is 🔥🔥

[@aek4018]

Awesome research Man, great stuff.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Thank you man I really appreciate it! 🙏

[@aek4018]

@@guitarmeetsscience Subbed, keep up great work 🙂

[@guitarmeetsscience]

@aek4018 🤘🤘 thank you bro!!

[@donkeyadaml.]

Very good video.👍👍👍 Have a wonderful day. 😉 Greetings. 😎

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Thank you Adam!!! Have a wonderful day! 🤘🤘

[@scottgregory6129]

Funny about Lars needing help getting "up to speed" with the drums. We all knew it back in 1986. Plus he talks funny.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

🤣 it's amazing how far he's come though - I saw them a year and a half ago, and damn - he basically was the show. But yeah he's definitely a character lol

[@prometheusfire1345]

I doubt you was even alive when ride the lightning first came out... You definitely don't talk like it

[@1000poundsguitar]

Love escape since I first heard it. Many hours on acid listening to this album!!!!

[@jeffdavis2712]

Yep, kill em all was neat, but ride the lightning is their first epic album

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Nailed it 100%

[@jamesstaggs4160]

I was 10 when I got my hands on And Justice For All and or course my next purchase had to be more Metallica, so Ride the Lighting joined my tiny music collection. The first time I heard For Whom the Bell Tolls I had my headphones on in the back of the car and when it hits that "1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4";guitar riff, we all know it, the part that made me understand how great palm muting was, I absolutely lost my shit. It's been outdone by them and other bands but that slow, thick, massive sound almost sounded unreal to me. For my money that is metal distilled into two bars of a simple riff. Fast is cool, shredding is cool, but that riff tickles that spot in your brain that makes you yell when you see someone get clocked in the face or you're firing a machine gun. It slams the "Let's f_cking GO!" button that every man with testosterone flowing through their veins has. Domination by Pantera gets credited as one of the first breakdowns but even though it's at the start of the song that riff is about as breakdown as you can get.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

That's easily one of the best descriptions of a Metallica song I think I've read. Kudos man - thanks for the great read!! 🤘🤘

[@jrlikeshockeyandmetal]

Trapped under ice is of the best. Also super underrated song. Also yes guitar player like me struggle with the main riff and the bridge riff is awesome 🤘🤘

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Oh yeah - that speed picked riff in f sharp to me is one of the best riffs they've ever had

[@jrlikeshockeyandmetal]

@@guitarmeetsscience fr

[@jrlikeshockeyandmetal]

@@guitarmeetsscience also when is master of puppets video,

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Coming up on Sunday 🤘🤘

[@jrlikeshockeyandmetal]

@@guitarmeetsscience yay

[@gianwinters]

Edna express days!

[@tymanngruter1808]

Even a little better than Kill em all, but both masterpieces! ♨️♨️♨️♨️

[@dimebagdave77]

🤘BEST CHANNEL🤘

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Much appreciated Dave!!! 🤘🤘

[@Elytrii]

I love this album so much, also escape never sucked :D

[@eternal.incorpated]

i love these videos

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Thank you so much - that truly makes my day and I really appreciate it!

[@Foxx81362]

The "bell' 🔔was actually an anvil.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Fun fact - if you tap on an empty glass bottle like a Coke bottle and slow the recording down about 20 times it will sound about the same. As a kid I used to actually be able to press a combination of fast-forward record and play so the tape would literally be fast forwarding and recording and when we tap on a glass bottle it sounded identical when you played it back lol

[@Foxx81362]

Cliff used a bottle neck for a slider.

[@Foxx81362]

And the anvil was really heavy.

[@joeyserrapede]

Another excellent video Doc!

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Thank you Joey - appreciate it man!

[@tymanngruter1808]

A great job, even better than Kill em all, but both masterpieces! ♨️♨️♨️♨️

[@marcdewey1242]

Cliff was the musical genius behind the band at that time.

[@deletedhero5579]

James and Lars with some great ideas from Cliff and Kirk

[@ananmuadi31]

For me, it's their best album of all time

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Very interesting -I could see why too because they still had that hunger and yet had really gotten their sound together by the time they did this album. It is definitely a great album!

[@marcdewey1242]

Alot of fans like myself,thought Metallica were an overnight success and became rich right away,but that apparently isn't so,since the narrator said they couldn't afford hotel rooms,Gary Rossington mentioned in a Lynyrd Skynyrd documentary that they were always broke in the beginning,but could sometimes afford McDonald's,and he went on to say that you had to eat yours fast,because if a guy finished his and saw you had some left,he'd take it from you,imagine fighting someone over a big mac lol,but I'm sure they did,brawls between those guys was a way of life

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Oh yeah - that Lynard Skynyrd story... Hits the nail right on the head. I'm still trying to envision band members rushing each other for fries or a Big Mac. It was interesting with Metallica because by this time they were already on to their second album. So they had not made a whole hell of a lot of money from their first album nor touring behind it. They just started coming into their own after ride the Lightning came out. A lot of artists I cover actually came up fairly well off, but not these guys. They really had a hard Scrabble beginning.

[@marcdewey1242]

​@guitarmeetsscience Yeah, and although Metallica were playing to sold out arenas by 1985 ,they still weren't making the big bucks yet,alot of people think wow these guy must be rich by now,but recording,touring costs alot of money,and ride the lightening is a great album,but it wasn't until Master Of Puppets that they really began climbing the music ladder by getting on the tour with Ozzy,then just as they were really going somewhere,they lost Cliff,but carried on because that's what he'd have wanted.

[@FortressofShred]

I'm 42. I've never been able to afford more than one meal a day.

[@midnight347]

Damn bro get it together

[@bandolierboy1908]

Why are you not on welfare at that point?

[@morganneher8643]

Bon Jovi then Metallica then Ratt would have been 😬

[@EdBMetal]

Always loved this albumwith ao many powerful classics! Probably one of their very best albums. Loving the backstory, still many details i didn’t know after all these years. Killer job Jimmy 🤘⚡️👍 Lmao about the most expensive signature guitar on Amazon and the price…. OMG NOOOO!!! KFK, you crazy sob 😂🤣

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Lmao - you caught it! 1,000 cookies to you Ed! Thank you for the kind words man - truly appreciated!! 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

[@EdBMetal]

@@guitarmeetsscience lol coookie coookie coookie 😈😂

[@SniffHeinkel]

I remember Metallica fans telling me when I was a teenager that Metallica sold out with Fade to Black.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Haha yep I remember that too! And then when sandman came out...... Lol

[@SniffHeinkel]

@@guitarmeetsscience Sandman came out when I was fifteen. To this day, I don't understand why so many Metallica fans dislike the Black Album. Nine of the twelve tunes are straight-up bangers. Additionally, it's the first record in which Jason's bass was audible. When that album was released, Metallica was at the height of their popularity. Maybe for that reason, many believe they've "sold out"? I'm not sure. I also remember James saying in an interview when asked about fans claiming that they sold out. "Yeah, we sold out. Auditoriums."

[@thebikewatcher9819]

​@@guitarmeetsscienceand then Load came out...and they had haircuts.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

@thebikewatcher9819 🤣

[@Foxx81362]

Just like Willie's Warbird that was stolen from Ak Chin.

[@erock.steady]

this is their best stuff, from before their egos broke them.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Exactly - they really found their sound with this one

[@erock.steady]

@@guitarmeetsscience yeah after this one they became meh-tallica

[@guitarmeetsscience]

@erock.steady 🤘🤣🤘

[@Krommer1000]

Enjoying these videos. While I do love this album, it's my least favorite from this era, and I actually like "Kill em All" more.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Thank you! I think once the remastered version came out, their intention for this album came through a lot more. The original was so drenched in reverb.... It didn't have that immediacy that the first album had. But they kind of made up for it with both garage days revisited and and Justice for all. Then the production got wonky for a while

[@utubehound69]

$8,666.00 for a Dean lol

[@guitarmeetsscience]

🤘🤣🤘 if I were giving out cookies you would get a thousand of them lol thanks for checking it out bro

[@Empirism]

Sadly today they are in my opinion shade from their former self. They give what people except in their shows, nothing else. Thank you for the money and we move on. In Finland, their gig was "Ok" at best. On the other hand, another band was just before them, Judas Priest, that was MAGNIFICENT! Pure fucking fire, I notice you didnt made Judas Priest episode yet? Is it time soon? ;)

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Emp!! Wow - I am surprised! I saw them a year and a half ago, and they absolutely killed it. I saw them a couple times back in the '90s, and felt a little bit more like what you had said then. But the last time I saw them - Man there were totally on fire! Especially Lars lol - between his crazy funny faces, and his complete unstoppable energy on the kit. Oh yeah - I definitely plan some priest in the future. Always great to hear from you my metalhead friend from Finland!

[@googlesucks6029]

The title is meaningless, I mean it was their 2nd studio album and they were formed like 4 years earlier and kicked one of the guys who had a few writing credits on their first album. There wasn't much to go off before then. It's like saying they didn't really drive the car until they released the parking brakes. Now saying Metallica stopped being Metallica after the Black Album would be a more meaningful statement.

[@guitarmeetsscience]

Titling videos is not the easiest thing in the world. People would think it would be - but after being on this platform for a while, I've learned the good the bad and the ugly. It would have been more like before they became the Metallica most people have come to know... In other words they kind of carried on with the sound that came together on ride the lightning. It is a starkly different album from kill em All. So yes they were together for some years, but they really came into their own with ride the lightning if that makes sense.

[@mikemorrisonmusic]

Lars still needs drum lessons. xD

[@guitarmeetsscience]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 yeah, I'll agree lol - but he does put his all into it I'll give him that

[@dimebagvinnie644]

Dont forget , dave mistake wrote all the music he made all the outfits he invented youtube so he could complain he trained mr mr miyagi before he trained Daniel son and hes still been crying ever since

[@guitarmeetsscience]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 had me cracking up bro!

[@dang75790]

Well, after metallica ran out of Dave's indeas and riffs? They sucked 😂😂😂

[@dimebagvinnie644]

@@dang75790 aweeee ..... one of Dave's groupies is upset😫

[@dang75790]

@@dimebagvinnie644 dude metallica hasn't made a good album since 88 lol

[@deletedhero5579]

​@@dang75790His ideas? You mean his 6 cowrites some of rhoch were only 1 riff?

[@brooklynsoundgarage]

Metallica purists know their greatest albums are those with Cliff. Their first one without Cliff is their last good album if you can bear them without him.

[@dang75790]

And they lost all the goo riffs from Dave 😂

[@deletedhero5579]

​@@dang75790Worst

[@TheRealcdawg22]

👍👍 🤘🤘