Ride the Lightning vs. Master Of Puppets

It wasn't me!

scouser.tommy wrote:

Load was the right thing for them to do.

I really, really hope you're taking the piss. That made me wince!

SirLemonhead

It wasn't me! wrote:

I really, really hope you're taking the piss. That made me wince!

I like Load too. Rather listen to it than any album between RTL and it actually. I only really lost respect for them when St. Anger came out.

Het-Field

buck65 wrote:

come on guys this argument is ridiculous anyone that says Ride the Lightning is better than Puppets is having a laugh.
Escape?
Trapped under Ice?
Ride the lightning?

Decent songs but not classics

all of Master fits perfecly
you are only saying different to be different

Ahh come on. Eveybody is entitled to their own opinion. Really im a Load man myself. Its the best album. Just because it doesnt rock like MOP. AJFA, doenst mean its not a good record. Outlaw Torn/ Bleeding me are two epics, and Aint My Bitch is probably the most rocking track of the 1990s

A Primal Nut

Motley Crue wrote:

Ok, heres something ive been meaning to trash out here for a while, I prefer Ride the Lightning to Master of Puppets. Its simple really, because to have made RLT only 1 year (or less) after Kill Em All was phenomenal, the progress that the band had made and the songwriting ability that they had aquired is quite frankly astonishing, rarely do you see such sequels so close together where the music is so drastically improved from the previous effort. Dont get me wrong, Kill Em All is just what it says on the tin, a true Trash record...nothing else, but RLT is something that showcased the fact they had a future in the music Industry (underground or mainstream regardless) for the next 20 years. what do ppl think?

Disagree RTL is better than Kill Em All. For me, Ride The Lightning was more of an experimental album, which apart from the three obvious classics, was pretty average by their 80's standards. Master Of Puppets was where they brought that experimenation to its peak.

It's interesting the albums are very similiar in terms of structure.

1. Fight Fire With Fire/Battery

Interesting that both albums open with classical style guitar intro before turning into moshfests. Dislike Hetfields' vocals on FFWF and its a pretty generic thrash riff. Battery is much better in my opinion. Great solo and two great riffs in the bridge.

2. Ride The Lightning/Master Of Puppets

The epic title tracks. Ride The Lightning solo is amazing and the song has kinda been stuck in my head lately. Has a catchy chorous. The riffs, like FFWF are average enough again. Master Of Puppets in the best heavy metal song ever. The live version is still just the best live performance by any band in my opinion, except maybe Paradise City.

3. For Whom The Bell Toles/The Thing That Should Not Be
Both albums slow down on track three but still as heavy as ever. Both solos are plain weird. TTTSNB (apart from the solo) is the only song on MOP that never did anything for me. FWTBT is an out-and-out classic. Cliff Burton's genius on this track has been well documented, but for me the best part is the verse, especially with all the echos when played live.

4. Fade To Black/(Welcome Home) Sanitarium

The ballads. Love both tracks and the solos are amazing on each song. The classical riff in FTB is brilliant but the transition from quiet to loud is a bit extreme. I like the way the verse builds into the heavier chorus on Sanitarium. The transition between quiet and loud is awesome. The main reason Sanitarium wins is for the "Fear of living on" bridge section. And then the solo. My favourite ever Metallica song.

5. Trapped Under Ice/Disposable Heroes.

Trash metal excess in all its glory. One of my favourite Metallica tracks vs one of my least favourite. Disposable Heroes is an awesome trash fest and the solo is incredible. Also love the lyrics.

6. Escape/Leper Messiah

Both songs are a bit more upbeat musically than the rest of both albums. Writing Escape for commercial success clearly backfired. Still, its not a bad song, but I prefer Leper Messiah.

7. The Call Of Ktulu/Orion

I've swapped tracks 7 and 8 on RTL to compare the two instrumentals.

Orion wins hands-down.

8. Creeping Death/Damage Inc

Two more extreme trash metal tracks with two very melodic solos. Creeping Death is another of my favourites. Damage Inc is another track that has been stuck in my head lately. Its also got a cool intro, but Creeping Death wins this one.


6-2 to Master Of Puppets, didn't expect it to be that much, but their is no doubting my favourite. Can't decide between it and Kill 'Em All for my alltime favourite Metallica album.

senordingdong

scouser.tommy wrote:

Slightly off-topic, but, Metallica did the thrash metal thing. They completely and utterly did it, properly. It's there, it's done. Which is why after that, Load was the right thing for them to do.

I agree completley.
I've never seen it better put into words.

Motley Crue

I think dave mustaines trash carrer went downhill from the day he did this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwNIABdqBxY

'Nobody rocked harder or better then Dave Mustaine of Megadeth'
Daffy Duck

LivingDeadGirl

Ride The Lightning

Mental Mickey

Master of Puppets wins by a country mile!!! There isn't a bad track on the album!!
From the nice quiet opening of "Battery" to the pure thrash metal barrage of "Damage Incorporated", the album is pure class!!!! And NOT because it just happened to be Cliff Burton's last album, either!!!

Along with Reign In Blood and Appetite For Destruction, it is quite possibly one of THE best Metal albums ever!!!!!

Hearing it being played live IN FULL at the RDS was f**kin brilliant!!!

phantom_lord

Puppets is a refined version of rtl for me.

Look at battery vs ff
puppets vs rtl

They're doing similiar stuff, but just better on puppets.

SirLemonhead

Got RTL on right now, not listened to it in a long long time. Much better than MOP for sure...I find it to be a better sounding album, production wise.I like the sorta atmosphere it has, and even the fact that the guitar solos aren't too high in the mix (and they're pretty good in fairness to old Hamster). It just sounds more 'interesting' to me than MOP.

Civilian_Target

I'd have always said Ride the Lightning until I saw them play Master of Puppets over the Summer. Creeping Death, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Fade to Black are great great tracks, but the album as a whole just doesn't stand up as well as Master of Puppets.

Chuchu

Great debate. RTL has always been not only my favourite Metallica album but favourite metal album full stop. There's something about it that encapsulated the time of its release, its got a rough edge to it that was just perfect, they weren't that big and don't seem to have been as bothered about a perfectly polished end product or production sound. Although MOP has its moments, Orion really stands out for me (esp as Burton was coming into his own with melody writing and all the rest), RTL just tips it.... and the solo on RTL itself really kisks a**!

Mental Mickey

Puppets still sounds fresh/relevant to today's music, whereas with ROTL & Kill Em All, you can tell that they are still learning......?

With MOP, it just feels like the perfect album......? I think someone already said that the planets must've been aligned.....or words to that effect....?

dcr22B

MoP for me simply because of one song.............Escape! Quite possibly one of the worst songs the band ever had the misfortune to release.

I prefer FFWF/RTL opening to Battery/MoP and For Whom The Bell Tolls to TTTSNB but after that, it's MoP all the way with classics like Welcome Home, Disposable Heroes (my favourite song on the album) and Leper Messiah. To finish it with two of the most underrated Metallica songs in Orion and Damage Inc. only goes to show that MoP is the ultimate Metallica album.

Motley Crue

dcr22B wrote:

MoP for me simply because of one song.............Escape! Quite possibly one of the worst songs the band ever had the misfortune to release.

i have to say that just goes to show what happens when a record company forces a decent band to record a song in a couple of days

Sofaspud

dcr22B wrote:

MoP for me simply because of one song.............Escape! Quite possibly one of the worst songs the band ever had the misfortune to release.

I disagree, I think The Thing That Should Not Be is a terrible song, and that's what drops the standard of MoP for me. Escape ain't so bad.

Mental Mickey

The Thing That Should Not Be a terrible song??? Will ye f**k off with yerself!!??:mad: It's one of the best on the album!!!!!

If you want to hear a terrible Metallica song, look no further than "Jump In The Fire",or most of ReLoad - f**kin AWFUL!!!!!

Pyr0

Jump in the fire is a great song !! Fair enough it doesn't fit well with Kill 'em all, but it's still a great track regardless.

Sofaspud

Mental Mickey wrote:

The Thing That Should Not Be a terrible song??? Will ye f**k off with yerself!!??:mad: It's one of the best on the album!!!!!

If you want to hear a terrible Metallica song, look no further than "Jump In The Fire",or most of ReLoad - f**kin AWFUL!!!!!

Reload is awful, but Jump in the fire is a great song.

I think you're the first person I've heard of that like TTTSNB. I believe, as do most 'talicat fans I know, that it's boring, repetitive, droning, crap. Every time I listen to puppets, I skip it, simply because it bores the arse off me.

To each their own, I suppose.

buck65

jump in the fire is ridiculous as is most of Kill Em All. Ride the Lightning is good , Master is great , Justice is good everything else is lame, napster is embarassing, Newsted said it best when he left. Metallica were a great band circa 84-90 hard, ballsy, then they started supporting themselves!(with videos of themselves) wearing makeup writing **** music suing their fans, playing in Ireland annually like those muppets RHCP
Do you know what is great music- Tool.Now get over it Metallica are finished.

Black NG-60-90

Jump in the fire is ok, an example of a bad Metallica song is Motorbreath. Hetfield's vocal melody is pretty good but Lars' serious lack of drumming skill sends the song down. As for The Thing That Should Not Be, it is one of the best, its a song i never get sick of.

Ph3n0m

Black NG-60-90 wrote:

an example of a bad Metallica song is Motorbreath. Hetfield's vocal melody is pretty good but Lars' serious lack of drumming skill sends the song down.

what are you? high? Motorbreath is sheer rawness at its best - the kind of song that sinks its teeth into your ass and rips you a new one (IMO)

sham69

Have to go with puppets, classic album just seems to have it and has dated really well. I love And Justice aswell as I think of it as a musicians album, great drums and great guitar solo's, definitely the last decent metallica album.
Pity the albums just arent hitting the spot anymore.
I am sure someone will come back with statistics to the contrary as in sales etc.
Just gonna have a listen to puppets now......

It wasn't me!

Ph3n0m wrote:

what are you? high? Motorbreath is sheer rawness at its best - the kind of song that sinks its teeth into your ass and rips you a new one (IMO)

Very well put.

The Bollox

Ph3n0m wrote:

what are you? high? Motorbreath is sheer rawness at its best - the kind of song that sinks its teeth into your ass and rips you a new one (IMO)

deffinitly man!

TTTSNB is not great IMO, and I am not a great fan of Leper Messiah either

senordingdong

Yeah I liked Motorbreath but he is right, most of Kill 'em All was a joke.

Sofaspud

I like Kill 'em all, simply because it's a Fun album. I love the bouncyness of what is clearly a young group of lads enjoying themselves in what they're doing.

senordingdong

Ah yeah, I'm not saying it's bad joke.

Larry David

Motley Crue wrote:

Ok, heres something ive been meaning to trash out here for a while, I prefer Ride the Lightning to Master of Puppets. Its simple really, because to have made RLT only 1 year (or less) after Kill Em All was phenomenal, the progress that the band had made and the songwriting ability that they had aquired is quite frankly astonishing, rarely do you see such sequels so close together where the music is so drastically improved from the previous effort. Dont get me wrong, Kill Em All is just what it says on the tin, a true Trash record...nothing else, but RLT is something that showcased the fact they had a future in the music Industry (underground or mainstream regardless) for the next 20 years. what do ppl think?

Why didn't you make a poll? DUH!

Mushy

Ph3n0m wrote:

what are you? high? Motorbreath is sheer rawness at its best - the kind of song that sinks its teeth into your ass and rips you a new one (IMO)

Not only your opinion there. Great song, probably my favourite from that album. But back on-topic, RTL is amazing, it really is too difficult to pick. Both albums have highs and lows, as does any, and they are in very similar vein to each other. I think I say MOP is my favourite between the two but sometimes Im just not sure, Im more likely to put on RTL than MOP.