Contrary to just about everyone else saying "Master of Puppets" is Metallica's best album, I have always felt "Ride the Lightning" was Metallica's finest, and my all time favorite album.  The album starts off with "Fight Fire With Fire", a song starting with a classical acoustic guitar riff followed by an extreme pulse pounding rhythm section courtesy of James Hetfield, and lyrics about the aftermath of nuclear warfare.  The title track deals with whats on the cover, awaiting execution in the electric chair.  The track also showcases Lars Ulrich's double bass drums.  "For Whom the Bell Tolls", one of Metallica's most recognized songs, showcases every band member's talents, especially Cliff Burton's sonic bass assault.  Up next is "Fade to Black", a haunting seven minute opus dealing with suicide, and this as well has become one of Metallica's most popular songs.  The song has a special meaning to me personally, it was the first Metallica song I had ever heard, and it helped me through some bad times.  "Trapped Under Ice" is about, of all things, being frozen suffocating under ice.  The lyrics give a chilling (no pun intended) feel to it, and the song has a great chorus.  "Escape" is hte only song that could be classified as "filler material", but it is a solid track in itself.  Next up is "Creeping Death", which is a concert staple to this day, and contains biblical references as lyrics.  This is another song that showcases every bandmembers talents.  The final track, the instrumental "Call of Ktulu" is very well done and we get to hear Cliff's bass talents put to the test and we hear Kirk Hammett shine on guitar.  The only complaint I can even think of is that the album is too short and it leaves you wanting more, but that's not really much of a complaint.  All in all, "Ride the Lightning" is one of the finest albums ever crafted, and the second of the first five Metallica albums that are essential to every metal fan's collection.