10 Best Metal Ballads Of All Time
2. Cemetery Gates - Pantera
When a metal band is constructing a ballad, you're always walking on eggshells when trying to get to the finish line. Without trying to alienate your audience, how do you find a song that's able to not compromise what you're all about while still crossing over? It's never an easy tightrope to walk, and yet Pantera managed to do it almost flawlessly on Cemetery Gates.
Across this song, there's no mistaking that this is a metal track at the end of the day, with Dimebag Darrell delivering just the right kind of guitar squeals that would make any metalhead proud. On the other hand, there's a surprising amount of melody and heart behind Phil Anselmo's delivery, as he talks about being lonely after the loss of his former lover. However, Dime really knows when to pull back when Phil gets introspective, switching to long drawn out chords in the midst of the more heartfelt sections.
It doesn't end up staying that way for too much longer though, with the main riff returning once again, followed by a charge to the finish with Anselmo matching Darrell's guitar squeals pretty much note for note. Whereas most ballads tend to either be a softer metallic track or a heavy pop song, Cemetery Gates proves that sometimes it's okay to do both at the same time.