Metallica – Ride The Lightning

I haven't heard a first pressing in person, but this sounds pretty good to my ears! It's punchy, it's clear, and it’s bright! I'd imagine an original pressing isn't as clear or as loud as this. 4.5/5.

I hesitate when buying vinyl pressings of early Metallica albums. That is because anyone who has listened to original 1980's CDs knows they are pretty much the holy grail, and a great example of the capability of that format.
That said this vinyl is very good, it's a clean press, sounds fantastic to me, and I can hear everything fine. Not as good as the original CD sure, but damn close.

If it was possible to give a 4.5 I would. The pressing isn't as punchy as I was hoping for, but overall still pretty great. Worth picking up.

there is nothing wrong with this reissue/remaster. sounds fantastic to me. i don’t have my first press anymore but i’m very happy with this reproduction.

Very minor but noticeable background noise throughout the entire record. The dark blue text on a black background label was a bad idea. I'm giving it a 5/5 stars just because I can't give a 4 to this masterpiece, even though this pressing could be better.

Sounds good. The 2022 remaster sounds "more punchy" than the 2016 US remaster, though I prefer the vocals - more audible - of the 2016 remaster. Also, my 2022 copy had some noise, while the 2016 US press (same barcode) didn't have any.

The 2022 reissue record's sticker also look much better (colors are more vibrants, text is more visible, and the vinyl itself is glossier - see pictures - the 2016 variant however feel more solid, though they are both supposed to be 180g records).

In conclusion, both the 2016 and 2022 are good options. Prefer the former if you prefer vocals, the latter if you want to "feel" the music you're listening to.

Great album and all but whoever decided that it was a good idea to put dark blue letters on a black label is a f***ing idiot I literally can't see s**t on the label.

BEWARE - This title has been re-cut and reissued by Blackened Recordings with the same barcode as this pressing. If you're buying a sealed copy in December 2022 or after, you are likely getting a cut by Black Belt Mastering's Levi Seitz. So don't get your hopes up for a Chris Bellman cut. Also, the Black Belt reissue was not pressed at Pallas. The runouts possess all the same info as above except instead of a "CB" it's "BLACK BELT - LEVI" and instead of "38857" (Pallas) it's "40597". Anybody know which pressing plant uses the ID # 40597? When sealed, there is no way to distinguish the Bellman/Pallas pressing and the Black Belt/40597 pressing, as the artwork, text and hype sticker are all identical on both pressings. The labels on the Black Belt/40597 pressing, however, have more of a matte finish and are very difficult to read, compared to the ones in the photos for this pressing. The Black Belt/40597 pressing does include the 2-sided insert and a download code. Hopefully, somebody updates the discography and lists the current Black Belt reissue to avoid confusion with this CB pressing. Does anybody know which pressing plant uses the ID # 40597?

Very confused about all the negative reviews. This is mastered and cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman mastering and pressed at Pallas. One of the best engineers on the planet and the best pressing plant in the world. If you think it sounds crap, get a better turntable. It's probably mastered low like the black album so you need to turn it up. And when you do you will shit the bed

Got this for 12.50 US on a Gimme Metal Sunday sale. Based on reviews here I boosted the treble to +10 in headphones for more brightness, Cambridge AXA35 amp, Sennheiser HD 660S cans. Sounds pretty good, about how I remember it from the tapes back in the day. Not mad for $12.