Metallica: Escape was a last-minute add to Ride The Lightning

Metallica in the 80s

Metallica vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield has reflected on recording the band’s second album Ride The Lightning.

He, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Cliff Burton created the record in three weeks in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1984, with producer Flemming Rasmussen.

And Hetfield says that the sixth track on the album, Escape, was a last-minute addition which they hadn’t initially planned for.

He tells Sopitas.com: “Ride The Lightning was the first time we wrote a song in the studio. I remember we had all the songs and Lars said, ‘They want us to record one more. They need one more for the album.’

“I was like, ‘You didn’t tell me that’ So we had to record and write – and it was really last-minute. So Escape was one of those songs that was written in the studio.”

Earlier this week, Metallica released a pair of live videos for Ride The Lightning track The Call Of Ktulu and Master Of Puppets song Welcome Home (Sanitarium). Both were filmed back in Copenhagen in February at the Royal Arena.

Metallica resume live duties at Brazil’s Lollapalooza later this month, before hitting the road for the North American leg of their WorldWired tour in support of latest album Hardwired… To Self-Destruct.

Metallica 2017 tour dates

Mar 25: Sao Paulo Lollapalooza, Brazil
May 10: Baltimore M&T Bank Stadium, MD
May 12: Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field, PA
May 14: East Rutherford MetLife Stadium, NY
May 17: Uniondale The New Coliseum, NY
May 19: Foxborough Gillette Stadium, MA
May 21: Columbus Rock On The Range, OH
Jun 04: St Louis Busch Stadium, MO
Jun 07: Denver Sports Authority Field at Mile High, CO
Jun 11: Houston NRG Stadium, TX
Jun 14: San Antonio Alamodome, TX
Jun 16: Dallas AT&T Stadium, TX
Jun 18: Chicago Soldier Field, IL
Jul 05: Orlando Camping World Stadium, FL
Jul 07: Miami Hard Rock Stadium, FL
Jul 09: Atlanta SunTrust park, GA
Jul 12: Detroit Comercia Park, MO
Jul 14: Quebec City Festival D’Ete de Quebec, QC
Jul 16: Toronto Rogers Centre, ON
Jul 19: Montreal Parc Jean-Drapeau, QC
Jul 29: Los Angeles Rose Bowl, CA
Aug 04: Phoenix University of Phoenix Stadium, AZ
Aug 06: San Diego Petco Park, CA
Aug 09: Seattle CenturyLink Field , WA
Aug 14: Vancouver BC Place, BC
Aug 16: Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium, AB
Sep 02: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark

Metallica: how we made Ride The Lightning

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.