10 Greatest Hard Rock Closing Tracks

10. Cygnus X1 - Rush

Over their 70's run, Rush were always fantastic at being an albums band. Even if the maximum capacity limited their albums to only a handful of tracks, this Canadian powerhouse made every single one of them count. While tracks like the instrumental "La Villa Strangiato" and the blues-rocker "Working Man" are also great closers, "Cygnus X-1" off of A Farewell to Kings is the one which leaves the biggest impression.

Across the track's 10-minute runtime, the band employs ethereal-sounding synth work in between hard rock thunder. Neil Peart's lyrics on this track detail the journey of a man out in space and his encounter with a black hole. As the track reaches its peak, the music grows more chaotic as the man starts getting pulled further and further into the black hole.

After Peart's fast fills and Alex Lifeson's guitars break into near-anarchy, the track fades away into an ominous synth and sound effects drone. You realize the man has been overtaken by the black hole, with the album leaving his fate uncertain. While a sequel song would show up on the band's next release Hemispheres, "Cygnus X-1" leaves the listener with an unsettling feeling which is musically masterful.