10 Best Rock Music Album Closers Of The 2000s
9. I’ll Cast A Shadow - Pantera (Reinventing The Steel)
To date, Pantera's final studio album is 2000's Reinventing the Steel.
Those who know their rock history will know exactly why this is; lead guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage in 2004 and drummer Vinnie Paul died of a heart condition in 2018.
As sad as it is that the two Abbott brothers are now both gone, at least they went out on a great final song.
Reinventing the Steel wasn't Pantera's most lauded album, but there was (and still is) a lot of love for the track that rounds it off. I'll Cast a Shadow was written by the band about their own influence on the heavy metal genre; a fascinating subject matter for true innovators to tackle.
A more traditionally metal song than some of the band's other work, vocalist Phil Anselmo provides a twisted performance, mixing singing, screaming, and a near-theatrical combination of both.
Naturally, all the instruments are on point. The song ends on a swirling cacophony of noise, as the album and the band fade away into the distance.
In writing a song so self-aware, Pantera offered up a haunting final image of them as a studio act.