Which song on 'Ride the Lightning' is an instrumental?

The instrumental song on Metallica’s album Ride the Lightning is “The Call of Ktulu.” Released in 1984, it closes the original album and contains no sung lyrics, relying instead on layered guitar melodies, bass, and drums to create a dark, atmospheric finale.

The track was initially known as “When Hell Freezes Over.” Its final title refers to H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos, particularly the story “The Call of Cthulhu,” which influenced Cliff Burton and the other band members. Metallica altered the spelling to “Ktulu,” reportedly to make the name easier to pronounce.

A common mix-up is “Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth),” another well-known Metallica instrumental. That bass solo appears on the band’s debut album, Kill ’Em All, not Ride the Lightning. “Orion” and “To Live Is to Die” are also Metallica instrumentals, but they belong to later albums: Master of Puppets and ...And Justice for All, respectively.

“The Call of Ktulu” is credited to James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Cliff Burton, and former guitarist Dave Mustaine. Its composition helped establish the expansive instrumental style that Metallica would revisit throughout its career.