Metallica: Ranking Every Album’s Last Song
3. The Call Of Ktulu - Ride The Lightning
"The Call of Ktulu" from the band's second album Ride The Lightning hasn't been played live in over three years. Don't feel too bad though, because this qualifies it for the title of "hidden gem".
A beautifully crafted piece of music, this song proves to any doubter that Metallica aren't just noise merchants - they are talented musicians with an ear for melody and a hand for structure.
At almost nine minutes long, it bucks the trend of Metallica album closers overstaying their welcome and will keep any listener thoroughly entranced for its entire duration.
The only thing preventing this song from taking the second spot on this list is its lack of lyrics.
Whilst it's a great instrumental, one of the best the band have ever done, ending with an instrumental is not the optimal way to close out an album.
"The Call of Ktulu" might have fulfilled its potential as a closer to Side A of the record or maybe even the opener to Side B. As it stands, it's not the smartest pick for a full-on last song, but it is still a great track nonetheless.