Editing Ride the Lightning (section)

==Music and lyrics==
Music writers opine that ''Ride the Lightning'' exhibits greater musical maturity, with sonically broader songs than ''Kill 'Em All'', which was noted for its one-dimensional sound. This development is partially because of bassist [[Cliff Burton]]'s knowledge of music theory. He showed Hetfield how to augment core notes with complementary counter-melodies and how basic guitar harmony works, which reflected on the song compositions.{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=109}} Hetfield developed more socially aware lyrics, as well as ominous and semi-philosophical references.{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=117}} Ulrich explained that Metallica opted not to rely strictly on fast tempos as on the previous album, but to explore other musical approaches that sounded powerful and heavy.{{sfn|Popoff|2013|p=45}} ''Grinder'' magazine's Kevin Fisher summarized the album as "ultimate thrash, destruction and total blur" that reminded him of the speed and power of ''Kill 'Em All''.{{sfn|Popoff|2013|p=46}} Music journalist [[Martin Popoff]] observed that ''Ride the Lightning'' offered "sophistication and brutality in equal measure" and was seen as something new at the time of its release.{{sfn|Popoff|2013|p=47}} Discussing the album's lyrical content, philosopher [[William Irwin (philosopher)|William Irwin]] wrote: "After ''Kill 'Em All'', the rebellion and aggression became much more focused as the enemy became more clearly defined. Metallica was deeply concerned about various domains in which the common man was wrongfully yet ingeniously deceived. More precisely, they were highly critical of those in power".{{sfn|Irwin|2009|pp=49, 50}}

{{Listen
|filename=Ride The Lightning.ogg
|title="Ride the Lightning"
|description=The title track's sound has a foreboding mood suiting the morbid lyrics. Hetfield recorded his guitar parts relatively fast and overlaid them with two more takes played live, instead of [[overdubbing]] them.{{sfn|Winwood|Brannigan|2013|loc=Chapter 5: Fight Fire with Fire}}
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|format=[[Ogg]]}}

The major-key acoustic introduction to "Fight Fire with Fire" displays Metallica's evolution towards a more harmonically complex style of songwriting. The fastest Metallica song in terms of picking speed, it is driven by nimbly [[tremolo picking|tremolo-picked]] riffs in the verses and chorus. The extended solo at the end dissolves in a sound effect of a vast nuclear explosion.{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=118}} The main riff was taped during the [[Kill 'Em All Tour]] and the acoustic intro was something Burton was playing on acoustic guitar at the time.<ref name="Hammer">{{cite web|last=Everley|first=Dave|title=Metallica: How We Made Ride The Lightning|url=http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-05-19/metallica-how-we-made-ride-the-lightning|work=[[Metal Hammer]]|date=May 19, 2016|access-date=August 12, 2016|archive-date=August 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815015112/http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-05-19/metallica-how-we-made-ride-the-lightning|url-status=live}}</ref> The lyrical themes focused on nuclear annihilation, and specifically critiques the doctrine of [[Mutual Assured Destruction]].{{sfn|Popoff|2013|p=47}}

"Ride the Lightning" is Metallica's first song to have emphasized the misery of the criminal justice system. The lyrics are in the perspective of a death row inmate anticipating execution by the electric chair. The song, one of the two album tracks that credits Mustaine, begins in a mid-tempo which gradually accelerates as the song progresses.{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=118}} One of the riffs, originally composed by Mustaine, was simplified. It features an instrumental middle section highlighted by Hammett's soloing.{{sfn|Popoff|2013|p=47}} According to Hetfield, the song is not a criticism of capital punishment, but a tale of a man sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, as in the opening lyrics: "Guilty as charged/But damn it/It ain't right".{{sfn|Irwin|2009|p=129}}
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{{Listen
|filename=Metallica - Fade to Black (song).ogg
|title="Fade to Black"
|description="Fade to Black" has a similar structure to [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]]'s "[[Free Bird]]". The use of acoustic guitars and clean vocals alienated some of Metallica's fanbase at the time.{{sfn|Winwood|Brannigan|2013|loc=Chapter 5: Fight Fire with Fire}}
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"For Whom the Bell Tolls" begins with a bell tolling, followed by a marching riff and high-register bass melody. The chromatic introduction, which Burton wrote before he joined Metallica, is often mistaken for an electric guitar but is actually Burton's bass guitar augmented with [[distortion (music)|distortion]] and a [[wah-wah pedal]]. The lyrics were inspired by [[Ernest Hemingway]]'s 1940 [[For Whom the Bell Tolls|novel of the same name]], which explores the horror and dishonor of modern warfare.{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=119}} "For Whom the Bell Tolls" was released as a promotional single in two versions, an edit on side A and the album version on side B.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

"[[Fade to Black (Metallica song)|Fade to Black]]" is a [[power ballad]] with lyrics about suicide. Hetfield wrote the words because he felt powerless after the band's equipment was stolen before the January 1984 show in Boston.{{sfn|Winwood|Brannigan|2013|loc=Chapter 5: Fight Fire with Fire}} Musically, the song begins with an acoustic guitar introduction overlaid with electric soloing. The song becomes progressively heavier and faster, ending with multi-layered guitar solos.{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=120}} The ballad's [[arpeggio|arpeggiated chords]] and reserved singing was incongruous for thrash metal bands at the time and disappointed some of Metallica's fans. The song's structure foreshadows later Metallica ballads, "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", "[[One (Metallica song)|One]]", and "[[The Day That Never Comes]]".{{sfn|Pillsbury|2013|p=34}} "Fade to Black" was released as a promotional single in 1984, in [[phosphorescence|phosphorescent]] green.{{sfn|Popoff|2013|p=184}}

"Trapped Under Ice" is about a person who wakes from a cryonic state. Realizing there is nowhere to go, and no-one will come to the rescue, the person helplessly awaits impending doom. The song is built on a fast-picked galloping riff, reminiscent of the album's opener.{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=120}} It was inspired by a track Hammett's former band [[Exodus (band)|Exodus]] had demoed called "Impaler", which was later released on that band's 2004 album ''[[Tempo of the Damned]]''.<ref name="Guitar World">{{cite journal|first=Brad|last=Angle|title=High Voltage|url=http://www.guitarworld.com/metallicas-kirk-hammett-talks-ride-lightning-cliff-burton-and-benefits-taking-guitar-lessons-joe-satriani|journal=[[Guitar World]]|page=54|date=August 2014|access-date=July 19, 2014|archive-date=April 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411111246/http://www.guitarworld.com/metallicas-kirk-hammett-talks-ride-lightning-cliff-burton-and-benefits-taking-guitar-lessons-joe-satriani|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{anchor|escape|Escape}}"Escape" was originally titled "The Hammer" and was intended to be released as a single due to its lighter riffs and conventional song structure. The intro features a counterpoint bass melody and a chugging guitar riff that resolves into a standard [[Downpicking|down-picked]] riff.{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=121}} "Escape" is Hetfield's most disliked Metallica song, due to it being the result of the record company forcing Metallica to write something more radio friendly. Book authors [[Mick Wall]] and [[Malcolm Dome]] said the song was influenced by the [[album-oriented rock]] of 1970s bands such as [[Journey (band)|Journey]] and [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]], but fans perceived it as an attempt for airplay on rock radio.{{sfn|Dome|Wall|2011|loc=Chapter 2: Ride the Lightning}} Metallica has so far performed "Escape" live only once, at the 2012 [[Orion Music&nbsp;+ More]] festival, while performing ''Ride the Lightning'' in its entirety.<ref>{{cite news|title=Metallica Performs 'Escape' Live For First Time Ever; Pro-Shot Footage Available|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-performs-escape-live-for-first-time-ever-pro-shot-footage-available/|work=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|date=June 24, 2012|access-date=September 11, 2015|archive-date=September 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914232656/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-performs-escape-live-for-first-time-ever-pro-shot-footage-available|url-status=live}}</ref>

"Creeping Death" describes the [[Plagues of Egypt#10. Death of firstborn (מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת): Ex. 11:1–12:36|Plague of the Death of the Firstborn]] ([[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 12:29). The lyrics deal with the ten plagues visited on [[Ancient Egypt]]; four of them are mentioned throughout the song, as well as the [[Passover]].{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=121}} The title was inspired by a scene from ''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]'' while the band was watching the movie at Burton's house.<ref name="Hammer"/> The bridge, with its chant "Die, by my hand!", was originally written by Hammett for the song "Die by His Hand" while he was playing in Exodus, who recorded it as a demo but did not feature it on a studio album. Journalist [[Joel McIver]] called the song a "[[moshpit]] anthem" due to its epic lyrical themes and dramatic atmosphere.{{sfn|McIver|2014|loc=Chapter 11: 1984–1985}} "Creeping Death" was released as a single with a B-side titled ''Garage Days Revisited'' made up of covers of [[Diamond Head (English band)|Diamond Head]]'s "[[Am I Evil?]]" and [[Blitzkrieg (metal band)|Blitzkrieg]]'s "Blitzkrieg".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metallica.com/releases/creeping-death.asp|title=Creeping Death|publisher=Metallica.com|access-date=June 28, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623023149/http://www.metallica.com/releases/creeping-death.asp|archive-date=June 23, 2012}}</ref>

"The Call of Ktulu", tentatively titled "When Hell Freezes Over", was inspired by [[H.&nbsp;P. Lovecraft]]'s book ''[[The Shadow over Innsmouth]]'', which was introduced to the rest of the band by Burton.{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=122}} The title was taken from one of Lovecraft's key stories featuring Cthulhu, ''[[The Call of Cthulhu]]'', although the original name was modified to "Ktulu" for easier pronunciation. The track begins with a D minor chord progression in the intro, written by Mustaine (Mustaine later re-used the chord structure on Megadeth's track "[[Hangar 18 (song)|Hangar 18]]") followed by a two-minute bass solo over a rhythmic riff pattern.{{sfn|McIver|2009|p=122}} Conductor [[Michael Kamen]] rearranged the piece for Metallica's 1999 ''[[S&M (Metallica album)|S&M]]'' project and won a [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|title=Past Winners Search – Metallica|url=https://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=metallica&title=&year=All&genre=All|publisher=[[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=August 12, 2012|archive-date=July 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719073104/http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=metallica&title=&year=All&genre=All|url-status=live}}</ref>