The closest thing the band had even come to writing a commercial hit was the song “Escape”. The album still had something for thrashers as well, including “Fight Fire with Fire” and “Creeping Death”, which proved that the group hadn’t forgotten its roots. He’d go on to say, “I’m sure I wasn’t really thinking of harming myself but it was my favourite Marshall amp.” It was written by a broken-hearted James Hetfield following the theft of the band’s gear in Boston. Metallica dealt with themes of suicide, helplessness and despair. The most drastic departure for the group was the dark ballad, “Fade to Black”. “I’m sure I wasn’t really thinking of harming myself but it was my favourite Marshall amp.” – James Hetfield Ride the Lightning represented an evolution for the band and offered a more diverse record than their debut album Kill ‘Em All. Krang magazine would gush over the record saying that it was “nothing short of breathtaking”. Ride the Lightning was released on Jon Music for Nations in the UK and Megaforce Records in the US. Ride the Lightning is Officially Released The band treated the fans to the first live rendition of the title track in the UK. When the album was finally completed, Metallica headed to England for the first time as a band for two shows at London’s famous Marquee Club. Rasmussen helped shape 3 new songs including “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “Trapped Under Ice” and “Escape”. When the group arrived in Denmark, Flemming Rasmussen was impressed by the group’s professionalism and Ulrich’s ability to keep time. Metallica Records Ride the Lightning in Denmark The band took a break to do some touring before recording the album at Sweet Sound Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark with producer Flemming Rasmussen. Ride the Lightning was recorded over the space of about three weeks from February 20 – March 14, 1984. Excited by the progress they were making, the quartet premiered 3 stunning new songs including “Fight Fire With Fire”, “Creeping Death” and the title track, “Ride the Lightning” at the Keystone Club in Palo Alto on Halloween night. In late 1983, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Cliff Burton turned their attention to writing their second album. Metallica Premieres New Songs in Palo Alto Quiet Riot became the first metal band to top the Billboard album chart in America with their Mental Health album, Van Halen along with a pretty amazing list of supporting acts, including Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest played to 375,000 head bangers at the Heavy Metal Day, ZZ Top and Def Leppard released Illuminator and Pyromania, two of the decade’s biggest selling albums and Metallica released their debut album, Kill ‘Em All. 1983 was a monumental year for hard rock and heavy metal.
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