Metallica - Ride the Lightning

 

Cost: $2.00

I mentioned in the Master of Puppets post that I had picked up a cheapo copy of Ride the Lightning, but getting around to this post took so long that I actually found another one. Both were in pretty good condition (one seems to have a minor printing defect since there's a blob of black ink on the disc face where some of the copyright text around the edge is supposed to be, but who cares for 2 bucks!). Again, this would have been unthinkable even a few years ago--I doubt you could even find a completely trashed copy for less than $5.

Everyone should know what this sounds like, but since I haven't listened to the album in its entirety for ages, I'll do some track-by-track thoughts. The highs here are some of the best Metallica material ever, but I don't think it quite matches the quantity of consistently great material on Kill 'Em All. While the songwriting has positively advanced in some areas, it largely comes at the expense of the sheer frantic energy from the debut.

1. Fight Fire with Fire

Great opener, always specifically loved the delivery of the "we all shall die" line. I'd consider this to be the most aggressive Metallica song, which is kind of funny when thinking about the broader thrash scene, as this seems downright quaint compared to something like "Chemical Warfare."

 

2. Ride the Lightning

If I remember right the title track was the first "deeper" cut on the album I heard after "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Creeping Death," and possibly "Fade to Black." Always especially gravitated towards the "Someone help me..." sections. 

 

3. For Whom the Bell Tolls

Terribly overplayed to the point where this track gave me serious ear fatigue long before I actually owned the album! Still, I don't find it as grating as "Seek & Destroy," and I recognize it brings some variety to the album.

 

4. Fade to Black

Meh for a ballad. "Sanitarium" is better. 

 

5. Trapped Under Ice

Fine, but never considered this essential early Metallica. It certainly sounds more Exodus-y than other Metallica tracks, but I knew about the "Impaler" connection before ever hearing the song. Would I have thought that if I didn't know of its origins? We shall never know.

 

6. Escape

Never had any sort of hatred for this track, but I do understand the general consensus that it feels out of place. It's better at giving the album some additional stylistic and tempo variety than being a particularly interesting song in its own right.

 

7. Creeping Death

Now we're talking! This song alone makes it very difficult for me to definitively pick Kill 'Em All above Ride the Lightning.

 

8. The Call of Ktulu

Obviously, a strong preview of their far more technical/progressive future, though without being as lame. I will admit that if they had been able to come up with more material on a similar level to  "Creeping Death" or the first 2 songs, I would have preferred that to a lengthy instrumental. But as it stands, it's good for what it is.

 

Perzonal War - Faces (2004)

 

Cost: $2.00

Was vaguely familiar with the bandname, and while I don't recall if I ever actually heard them before or not, I associated their name with thrash. Based on the look of the layout, the later band logo, and the band pictures, it looked like it was going to be more modern sounding stuff, and I wasn't terribly excited.

It's impossible to accurately describe the band's music without some mention of Metallica, because the vocals are some of the most blatant James Hetfield emulation I've ever heard in the entire metal scene. This is quite a varied album, and I suppose the mix of heavier and more mellow, accessible songwriting elements feel like the band are re-imagining some of The Black Album concepts in 2004, though this has way more actual thrashiness. That said, I wasn't overly impressed by any of the thrash elements here, and anyone approaching this as a straightforward thrash release would probably be disappointed (if they're more discerning, at least). "Devil in My Neck," "Into the Fire," "Just Some Pain," and "What We Call Progressive" are the fastest and thrashiest tracks, but in every case any straightforward thrashing is interrupted by more melodic choruses.

While there are the inevitable groove metal influences you'd expect for this kind of thing in the '00s, they're actually nowhere as prevalent as I expected. "Divergent" is probably the closest to being a straightforward groove/thrash song, and even then, it's not that bad--I think the vocal style helps make it work. 

The most memorable song on the CD for me ended up being "All I Gave," which ironically is the most Black Album sounding song. It's a slower track that definitely takes some influences from "Of Wolf and Man" and "Sad But True." 

The Apocalyptic Riders - Samurai (2004)

 

Cost: 50¢

Obviously, this is Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, but Nuclear Blast chose to translate their name for this US version. Their German name definitely sounds cooler as a plural, although Apocalyptic Rider wouldn't be a bad band name.

Previously, I was only familiar with the band's first 3 albums. While they were enjoyable and interesting for their weirdness, other than a few token tracks like "Metal Will Never Die" and the cover of "Dschinghis Khan," I never considered them to be a mandatory listen. While this continues the genre-mixing and convention-defying craziness, it's easy to tell from the music, cover/layout, and choice of label that things are slowly beginning to go downhill. Even without specifically classifying their music, some sort of extreme metal mix was at the heart of the early material. There's still some of that here, but many songs feel like groovier, more contemporary metal, and any extreme metal influences are secondary. Also, to be fair, with that comes some more rocking, catchier material too.

My favorite part of the album is easily the 4-song block of interrupted extreme material beginning with the BM-influenced "Der Teufel." "Reitermaniacs" has some nice doomdeath sections broken up by peppy part-folk, part-melodeath choruses. "Per Aspera ad Astra" has a very Morbid Angel-esque intro and breakdown later on, but the rest of the song is more like melodeath with Viking metal/folk metal-style male choir vocals.

Two of the most interesting tracks are the completely metal-free ones. "Lazy Day" is a pleasant summerpop-sounding tune that switches to full on reggae for the choruses. Then "Northern Lights" is an electronic-tinged ambient closer. It feels the most out of place here, but is a nice track in its own right.

Despite my gripes and unfavorable comparisons to some of their old material, there is some decent stuff on here, and the genre-mixing is pulled off more skillfully than other bands that make the attempt. Ultimately, while I wasn't super impressed, it's a far more interesting listen than a generic melodeath or folk metal band.

Thunder Fist - Pain

 Cost: 99¢

The hand grasping the lightning bolt on the cover immediately made me think of the logo/opening animation for the old Hard 'N' Heavy series of video magazines. I was going to pick this up regardless since it was so cheap, but it was a little worrying the band weren't on Metal-Archives.

The first few moments were very promising due to the heavy guitar sound, but it became quickly obvious this was going to be a hard rock CD rather than a metal one. The vocals were a nice surprise, as they sound like the ultimate cross between Udo and Brian Johnson. The accent and some of the strained tones are similar to Mr. Dirkschneider, but there are mannerisms and a swagger here that are clear Brian influences. That said, aside from the vocals, it's not really as close to AC/DC as one might expect, except perhaps "Down in the Blues," which has the most blatant bluesy/boogie influences. "Demon Night" in particular and perhaps the ballad "Walking Down the Street" wouldn't sound too out of place stylistically on the first 2 Accept albums. And no, "Demon Night" is not nearly as heavy as Accept's "Demon's Night." 

The guitar tone, solos, and vocals all really make me wish these guys had explored their metallic edge more. But for a hard rock indie, not bad at all.