12 Best Closing Songs On Hard Rock Albums

12. Release - Pearl Jam

If you're looking for a great rock album from the 90's, Pearl Jam's Ten pretty much checks every box. While this record is far from being the heaviest offering of the grunge period, not many other albums can boast such a strong lineup of riffs, from the warped funk of "Even Flow" to the emotional gut punch of "Black." Though the band's classics are all on here, "Release" is the moment where this band really starts to get interesting.

Originally thought up as a droning piece in the vein of Neil Young, Eddie Vedder takes the listener on an almost spiritual journey as he lays out his family troubles for everyone to hear. Vedder had made mention of his contentious relationship with his father on "Alive," but this song is where he's finally able to make peace with his past, as he desperately cries to be released from his shameful stigma.

The song was so powerful for the band to undertake that Vedder became an emotional wreck after playing the song for the first time, retreating into a corner shortly after the music faded. With just two chords in the entire song, this minimalist approach to this soulful cut is a masterful way to end an album full of emotionally bleak characters.