Ride The Lightning

“Ride The Lightning” is Metallica’s second studio album, and expanded the band’s musical style beyond pure thrash metal, incorporating acoustic guitars, instrumental passages, and more complex song structures.

Much of the material was developed in late 1983 while the band was living in a rented house (dubbed the “Metallica Mansion”) in El Cerrito, California. Unable to afford an expensive recording studio in the United States, drummer Lars Ulrich contacted Sweet Silence Studios in his hometown of Copenhagen, Denmark. The band had to sleep on the studio floor because there was no budget for a hotel.

The album was released in 1984 through Megaforce Records. Just two months later, Elektra Records signed Metallica to a multi-year deal and reissued the album and it subsequently entered the Billboard charts with virtually no radio exposure. As of 2026, the album is estimated to have sold more than 18 million copies worldwide. More than four decades after its release, “Ride The Lightning” remains a landmark album that helped redefine metal.

We have the following variations for sale:

• Blue splatter vinyl
  This is the limited edition 40th anniversary pressing on gorgeous splattered dark blue vinyl with black and white splatters. Not sealed, no hype sticker. Includes a two-sided insert. Only one copy available.
   
• Black vinyl (SOLD OUT)
  The regular black vinyl reissue, sealed. Includes a two-sided insert.
   
• CD
  Comes in a cardboard gatefold sleeve with booklet.

And there’s more! Check out our blogpost (in Dutch) for more info about the original legendary vinyl mispress we have for sale!