Ride the Lightning is the second studio album by the American metal band Metallica, released in 1984. The band broadened its thrash metal with more complex structures, melodic passages and the instrumental "The Call of Ktulu". Bassist Cliff Burton left a clear mark on the compositions. Well-known songs are the title track, "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Fade to Black" and "Creeping Death". The album is regarded as an important step in the group's development.