If we’re going to highlight the anniversary of Appetite For Destruction, then we also have to pay homage to two other pivotal metal releases. This week marks the anniversary of not one, but two Metallica classics. It was 27 years ago today when Metallica released Ride The Lightning, and it was 28 years ago this past Monday (July 25) when their debut album Kill Em’ All was released.
Featuring Metallica staples like “Seek & Destroy” and “Whiplash,” Kill Em’ All still remains as one of the strongest metal debuts of all time. Originally titled Metal Up Your Ass, the album was recorded only a month after Kirk Hammett replaced then guitarist Dave Mustaine (who went on to form another little band you may have heard of). Despite getting kicked out, Mustaine was still given co-writing credit on four songs (including “The Four Horsemen,” which Mustaine re-recorded with Megadeth as “The Mechanix” since he was pissed off by the changes Metallica made to the original version).
While Kill Em’ All showcased Metallica’s love of Motorhead and the NWOBHM movement, Ride The Lightning took the band’s sound to a new level. Songs like “For Whom The Bell Tolls” and “Fade To Black” showed the band experimenting with longer and more complex arrangements, while “Creeping Death” and “Fight Fire With Fire” maintained their aggressive sound. This album is also the last one to credit Mustaine (on the instrumental “Call To Ktulu”). Their sophomore album took Metallica one step closer to becoming the metal titans we know them as today (it was two years later when they released Master Of Puppets).
Both albums are considered “must haves” for any metal fan (that’s right, if you don’t have either album in your collection, we will judge you). As hard as it may be to choose which of these two albums you like the most, that’s exactly what we’re asking you to do. Let us know which one of these two classic Metallica albums is your favorite in the comment section below.
