Like with a handful of the albums I own in my now far larger CD collection, this album has been in my possession since I was about 14, so needless to say, I should have done this review a very long time ago. Straight to the point: I really have to say that this is my absolute favorite Metallica album of all time. As a perfect follow-up to "Kill 'Em All" the sophomore album "Ride the Lighting" marks a point in their career when they were in the prime of their quality brand of thrash metal, making a name for themselves as a band, and further rising to prominence in the '80s metal scene.