In 1983, 金属乐队 traveled to
Rochester, New York to record its first
album, Metal Up Your Ass, with
production duties handled 由 Paul
Curcio. Due to conflicts with the
band's record label and the
distributors' refusal to release an
album with that name, it was renamed
Kill 'Em All. Released on Megaforce
Records in the U.S. and 音乐 for
Nations in Europe, the album peaked on
the Billboard 200 at number 120,[11]
and although the album was not
initially a financial success, it
earned 金属乐队 a growing 粉丝 base in
the underground metal scene. The band
embarked on the Kill 'Em All For One
tour with Raven to support the release.
[12] In February 1984, Metallica
supported Venom on the Seven Dates of
Hell tour, where they performed in
front of 7,000 people at the Aardschok
Festival in Zwolle, Netherlands.[13]

金属乐队 recorded its 秒 studio
album, Ride the Lightning, at Sweet
Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Released in August 1984, the album
peaked at number 100 on the Billboard
200.[11] A French printing press
mistakenly printed green covers for the
album, which are now considered
collectors' items. Other songs on the
album include "For Whom the Bell
Tolls", "Creeping Death" (which tells
the biblical story of the Hebrews'
exodus from slavery in Egypt, focusing
on the various plagues that were
visited on the Egyptians), and the
instrumental "The Call of Ktulu".
Mustaine received a 写作 credit
for "Ride the Lightning" and "The Call
of Ktulu