I really was just trying to make a point of preference between these two very similar albums. Master of Puppets is still second place for me, but if you ask me the songwriting carries Ride the Lightning further. You've got the faux-classical intro of "Fight Fire With Fire" (nice name for a track, too), their lyrical zenith with "Creeping Death" - also their best song musically, and then you have "Call of Ktulu" which has some of Dave Mustaine's influence on it. I think it's a better instrumental and more crucially it fits in at a better spot at the end of the album rather than the penultimate track.
Metallica's second album is a giant leap in every way from their debut and while Master of Puppets is better in certain ways it's definitely not the kind of leap Ride the Lightning took. I'm sure more people than me think perhaps Master of Puppets's conservatism may have led to not innovating enough. I guess I'd say you don't need to move forward always but I want the songs- always. And I admit Metallica's performance on Master of Puppets is superior.
