Metallica - Ride the Lightning

Album: Ride the Lightning

Artist: Metallica

Released: July 30, 1984

Armageddon, the first song of this Thrash Metal classic - "Fight Fire With Fire", deals with the topic of the end of the world because of a nuclear war. "Blow the universe into nothingness Nuclear warfare shall lay us to rest". The songs intro is played on a 12-string acoustic, which soon takes off into the fast thrash sound of what early Metallica was all about. One of the finest most melodic guitar solo is played by lead guitarist, Kirk Hammett on the song. Powerful riffs, and the first of the Lars Ulrich's double bass can also be heard on this track. Next comes the title track, the first of the two songs on the album which credits Dave Mustaine (ex-Metallica / Megadeth) on the lead. "Ride the Lightning" has powerful vocals along with lyrics that deal with the misery and corruption of the law, the song has one of the finest bass work, done by the, late-great bassist, Cliff Burton.

Talking about Cliff Burton, the third song, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" which has now become a fan-favorite starts off with a "bass-lead" which was written by Burton before joining Metallica. For Whom the Bell Tolls features heavy drumming and bass work along with a guitar-work which is often over-shadowed by the bass. And then comes one of the most famous Metallica songs, "Fade to Black", the first power-ballad by Metallica. With the use of acoustic guitars in the song, Metallica was labelled as "sell-outs" by some of their fans, who later on realized and now, the track is a fan-favorite. It deals with the topic of suicide and depression. And was written when all of the band's equipement was stolen before a gig, in Boston. Fade to Black features a lengthy solo which has been rated 24 in the "100 best solos ever Reader's Choice". The solo and the drumming in the end is usually improvised in live versions, which makes it nothing but better.

Keeping with Fade to Black's depression, "Trapped Under Ice" deals with the death of a person due to drowning under ice. This song has one of the finest and powerful riffs along with vocals that defined the genre, we know as, Thrash Metal. From the relatively slow vocals in Fade to Black, to fast screams, James Hetfield proves to be a versatile vocalist. And yet again, for those who question Kirk Hammett's ability, Trapped Under Ice features a small, but amazing guitar-solo.

Next comes, "Escape", which is nonetheless a great song, but falls pale when taken in view with all the other great songs on the album, such as the fan-favorite, "Creeping Death". Creeping Death features thunderous drumming, and lyrics inspired by the movie, "The Ten Commandments". The song has an amazing guitar solo, along with a nice bass line. It's a fixture in Metallica's live shows and the chorus of "Die by my hand" is usually sung by the crowd which gives the song a majestic feeling. [Monsters of Rock, Russia, anyone?] Melody, which has been a part of almost every song, is seen in the ending of Creeping Death. The track ends with a mesmerizing lead.

Finally, the album ends with a almost 9-minute long 'instrumental'. "The Call of Ktulu". The song is credited to Dave Mustaine along with other members of the band, and is one of the best of the four instrumentals done by Metallica. Ktulu (Cthulu) is a beast whose name brings death to mortals. And the Instrumental gives this evil feel to it right from the start. Ktulu has been taken from H.P Lovecraft's book, which was introduced to the band by their bassist, Cliff Burton. The song's demo version was named, "When Hell Freezes Over" and probably features more work of Dave Mustaine.

Responsible for defining the sound of "Thrash Metal", Ride the Lightning is a landmark, and one of the finest albums to be produced by Metallica. The album laid the foundations for the masterpiece which was to come next, "Master of Puppets" and shows the influence of Cliff Burton on every other song. The melody along with the fast thrashy riffs are combined in a way, which couldn't have been done any better. For any thrash metal fan, Ride the Lightning is a 'must' hear.

Rating - 4.5/5

Tracklisting -

1. "Fight Fire with Fire" (Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 4:44

2. "Ride the Lightning" (Mustaine, Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 6:36

3. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 5:09

4. "Fade to Black" (Hammett, Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 6:57

5. "Trapped Under Ice" (Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) - 4:03

6. "Escape" (Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) - 4:23

7. "Creeping Death" (Hammett, Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 6:35

8. "The Call of Ktulu" [Instrumental] (Mustaine, Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 8:53

Hyphen between Matter & Soul; Life

You fall out of your mother's womb, you crawl across open country under fire, and drop into your grave. ~Quentin Crisp

And that is.., what we call, Life.

Facebook

Uh, this good for nothing site started quite some months back and gained popularity at a very rapid pace. A large number of people from orkut moved to facebook, and it prolly is right now second only to orkut. I too, joined it in its formative days. But soon I realized how lame, how disorganized and how boring the site actually is. I still have a profile there, but that profile serves only to annoy me. When you login you see around 19356 notifications, which includes 2556 new applications that you wish to add or not. It actually has an option to see what your friends scrap (post in the wall) of each other. Talk about lameness, just talk about it. Why would I want to know what a guy is posting in another guys scrapbook? WHY?

Not only that, facebook gives you a mighty lame profile page. Totally disorganized, half of the things here, half there. Takes you 11 minutes to realize where is the button you were looking for. Recently there was a news to put a ban on facebook, I say it's justified. Do it, close the goddamned site. All it serves is to make people waste 342 minutes on something which should take them at max 1 minute and 23 seconds to do. And you see every poser coming and asking you, 'dude you at facebook?' I mean, wtf? Someone explain to me what in oblivion is so good about that site? Wait, no need. End of the day, Facebook is lame, more lame than Manowar, okay maybe not that much. But it is, and if you think otherwise, I have news for you. Yes, KMAYLB!

p.s, orkut > facebook (fact)

Hole in the Sky!!

Today morning was probably one of the finest in a long time.
I met a guy by the name of promit, or simply "mit" as he liked to be called.
Everything he said was gold! Uh, priceless even! For example the following quotes;

• hair metal? wht hair metal? wht does metal hav to do with hair? arent megadeth and iron maiden hair metal bands too then??
• lars ulrich plays faster and heavier than joey jordison, mike portnoy and scott travis

The gentleman is not yet aware of hair-metal, and thinks Lars can actually play faster and heavier than Portnoy!? Whatever that means. Not to mention he apparently has more Metallica than any of us can have in this lifetime. A whooping 700 mb!! Umm, yeah, thats mb, not gb.

• ya duds think watever u like.....more METALLICA sngs than me......well not in this life.........and ma quotes r great dude....thanks again loser.............

Where did I meet this character? On orkut obviously, thats my place to roam around. I have been recently told that Megadeth covered Battery, and that all of us (me and a couple of other people trying to convinve him that 'deth never did such a cover) are assholes, and that we don't know shit about Metallica or music for that matter. The reason all this was, because he got it from.. Limewire. The self-proclaimed "Ultimate downloader" has a young sister! Err, no, nothing like that.. she is just 10, and she too was laughing on.. 'us' for having no knowledge about Metallica. Mit apparently is listening to Metallica for 5 years now. And has around slightly over 5 albums. Ah yes, you might be wanting to read another of those priceless quotes by now!

• hav lots of fade to black live......i dnt go 4 music vdos....ur gettin me na an..........i dnt kip music vdos......so idnt kno if it xists or not.....not ma fav... song 2ooo.....

That happened, when I was inquiring from him that if Metallica ever made a music video for Fade to Black. I just wanted to save these hilarious quotes, hence the post. Finally I'll leave with a bunch of more 'priceless quotes'.

• motley crue is a good band? oh ya? tell me how many copies they hav sold!!
• the crowd goes wild in metallica concerts, dosnt happen with other bands
• ma 10 yr old sis is laughin at u guys.....she knos more METALLICA than u2....ok...........asta la vista......vai nd sid............

Selling copies makes a band good, Linkin Park certainly deserves a mention here. Better than 'deth? Someone shoot him! Crowd goes wild in Metallica concerts? Certainly. Doesn't happen with other bands? I'll leave for anyone and everyone to decide who has seen or know of any concert of.., say, Lamb of God, Megadeth or any major band for that matter.

Broken - Sonata Arctica

Okay, I have fallen in love with this song. So I thought I'd share the lyrics.
The song actually reached third spot in my all time favorite songs. Behind Fade to Black & Led Zeppelin's masterpiece, Stairway to Heaven.

--------------------

I was raised from a broken seed

I grew up to be an unwanted weed

Ever faster the time exceeds me

Little harder again to remember you

---

Held a torch for you, when lightning stroke me

Once again, hope I died for the last time

Only one I have a thing greater than you

Little light on the sky every night.

---

Morning dew on the field, where I met you

I was frozen a year, couldn't get through

Got a sign, not a scar, on my shoulder

I am not quite the man you take me for

---

Fell in love with the weakness within me

Tried to force me the Ring and own me

Guess you found what you'd think would oblige me

Little version of me to consume you

---

I'd give my everything to you

Follow you through the garden of oblivion

If only I could tell you everything

The little things you'll never dare to ask me

---

Do you really know me?

Show me that you care and have a cry

How do you see me?... As the one?

Can you see my blood when I'm bleeding

How can you love this exile?

And how could I desire you?

When my pain is my pain and yours is too

---

On this dark winter's night

Darkness becomes this child

Bless this night with a tear

For I have none, I fear

---

Seven lives of a man passed before me

Seven graves, one for every love I've had

Only once I have broken my so-called heart

Only one made me see why they cry

---

Will I learn how to be one of you someday?

Will I still feel the eyes that behold me?

Will I hear what you think when you see me?

Will it tear me apart if you feel for me?

---

I'd give my everything to you

Follow you through the garden of oblivion

If only I could tell you everything

The little things you'll never dare to ask me

---

Do you really know me?

Show me that you care and have a cry

How do you see me?... As the one?

Can you see my blood when I'm bleeding?

How can you love this exile?

And how could I desire you?

When my pain is my pain and yours is too

---

On this dark winter's night

Darkness becomes this child

Bless this night with a tear

For I have none I fear

---

Little broken, always been

A part of you belongs to me

You were never mine to love

But this all has made it easy for me

---

Burning feathers, not an angel

Heaven's closed, Hell's sold out

So I walk on earth, behind the curtains

Hidden from everyone

Until I find a new life to ruin again

---

On this dead winter's night

Darkness becomes this child

Bless this night with a tear

For I have none I fear

---

On this dead winter's night

Darkness becomes this child

Bless this night with a tear

For I have none I fear

War – For Peace.., From the Victim's Eyes.

Not knowing of what the future holds, a young lad walks the streets, jokes and talks with his friends, who make the little world around him. Fed with the belief since his birth to be the master of his self, to be able to control his surroundings, this young boy looks for nothing more than a peaceful life, a nice house, love and a cup of coffee by the fire, just before the final chapter of his life unfolds before his eyes. This young kid is no one else, but me. And this is my life, my world and my fate.

Such are the little worlds spread in every house, across every nation, everywhere on the planet. When I put the morning paper on the table and I see the after-math of the war of my age, I wonder, wonder about the lives of kids and families who are not different than me, nor different than anyone who resides on our planet. An attack on the WTC’s triggered a war, which according to the president of our current super-power was, War… for peace. I am unable to comprehend such statements; they make no sense to me. A nation which is unable to figure out a hi-jacked plane en-route to a major city puts a whole list of prime suspects out in less time than imaginable. Not only that, the nation goes to attack another country, a country which probably is not able to design a ball-bearing, let alone trigger such terrorist-acts.

Osama Bin Laden, a name that brings fear to a lot of the people in the world, why does it not bring out feelings of hate and fear in my mind? Probably because man is taught to hate, not by nature, not by instinct, but his own kind. The list of the prime-suspects had Osama’s name on top; I was not surprised when the US went on to attack Afghanistan, a whole nation of innocent people, which after years of war, was finally on the verge of industrial take-off. I’m still unable to understand the reasons behind the war, which is the war of our age, hundreds of thousands of people perished, for one prime-suspect. Why? I have no answer. But this did not affect much of my life, nor did it make any difference for the world I was a part of, except that it saddened me deeply. But I still joked with my friends; I still had dreams that needed fulfillment.

The war for peace had taken a new turn, and it was now looking straight in the eyes of the nation I called mine. Iraq! Like a hungry beast, that longs to feast on his prey, America was planting excuses to invade my nation. And alas, we heard it one day. Ah yes, you guessed it right, Weapons of Mass Destruction. My country, ruled by a dictator, who tortured those who were guilty, hanged those who murdered, maybe hanged a few innocent people, was now accused of making WMD’s. After all the explanations, the urge and hunger of oil got the better of US and the fateful month of March, 2003, US invaded. Again, hundreds of thousands of people were killed, the whole infrastructure destroyed, obviously, there were not WMD’s, so the accusation cleverly removed from the gullible mind of the rest of the world, who like the once me, maybe were saddened, but forgot the original reason of the invasion pretty easily. I not only lost my family, I lost my nation, my heritage, my world. Now I live as a refugee with all the hopes which are now faded memories, and a deep grief of my perished family.

To all those who talk on the evening family gathering, I still want to say only one thing, it was not WMD’s, it was not the dictatorship, it was and still is, a war.., for peace. Peace for certain sick individuals that control the lives of millions and use them for their inhumane acts. Saddam did wrong, the country was standing, and US brought peace, I, who was a proud citizen now live as a refugee. The country has crumbled and fallen to its knees. If that’s the definition of good and bad, then I beg to differ, and I must say; I have nothing to do with this world, anymore.

Ancient Egypt and The Pyramids at Giza

I wrote this some years back, I thought I'd share my love for the pyramids.

Two Great Forces - The Nile River and the Surrounding Desert shaped one of the world's most enduring civilizations. Each year the river over-flowed its banks and deposited a fresh layer of rich earth across its flood-plain, inspiring Egyptians to call this region, Kemit - The Black Land. This predictable cycle of renewal nourished farmer's fields, filled the royal granaries and supported the theocracy headed by a divinely connected King, or Pharaoh. Whose basic concepts held steady for more than three millennia. Khufu, who built the great pyramid was the son of the First King of the Old Kingdom, in 4th Dynasty (2950 - 2575bc) named, Snefru.

As kings strengthened their control and organized the administration of their territory which stretched south to Nubia. The increasingly channeled the country's resources into the preparation of their tombs. Early architects worked in mud-bricks but in the 3rd Dynasty they began to engineer ever-larger pyramids, in stone. Only royals were buried in these tombs inside pyramids. But wealthy noblemen constructed their own elaborate tombs. They inscribed the walls with hieroglyphics that depicted the bounty they hoped the afterlife would hold. Grave goods included papyrus writing material and items made from gold and lapis-lazuli.

Much of the building took place during the month when the Nile flooded the cultivated fields and the King could put the idled farmers to work on construction crews. For King Khufu's great Pyramid at Giza plateau workers prepared and set in place some 2.3 million stone blocks weighing 2 and a half tons each. Khufu's authority was absolute, but by the 6th Dynasty regional administrators had begun to usurp royal authority. Eventually sever kings competed for control and Egypt endured a time of internal conflict, poverty and famine; the first intermediate period.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu was 481 feet high and was the tallest monument in the world until the 19th Century. There are three pyramids in line, facing West, the left most is of Menkaure (grand-son of the grand-son of Khufu), the middle pyramid is of, Khafre (grand-son of Khufu) and the right most is the Great Pyramid, built by, Khufu.

Giza is the name of the plateau where the great pyramid is situated, it was made some 4,500 years from now. There are two main chambers in the Pyramid of Khufu. Namely, the King's Chamber and the Queen's Chamber. Some 25,000 workers worked for years to make the 481 feet high monument. Some of the mysteries about the great pyramid is, that how did they managed to take those 2.5 ton heavy stone blocks up at the height of 481 feet? Or how did they squared the circle (golden ratio, math). Well maybe that’s why they called him, The Pharaoh.