12 Best Closing Songs On Hard Rock Albums

Out of all the great albums in the hard rock world, what really is the purpose of a closing track? Well, to leave the listener feeling emotionally satisfied, you need something that encapsulates the mood of the entire record while also standing on its own as an emotional powerhouse of a track. When your record is all about going through a drug-fueled Hell though, you know that the ending isn't going to be pretty.

While "Would?" is a perfect way to close out Alice in Chains' Dirt album, it nearly didn't even make the cut. Originally written as a tribute song to Mother Love Bone frontman Andy Wood, the band included it on the record because of how tortured it sounded. Once it was put in its proper place, the final screams of this song tie every single element of the album together.

Complete with a melodic foundation and demented aesthetic, this song's lyrics about dying at the hands of an overdose provides an ominous ending to an album all about a man struggling to overcome his narcotic demons. Just as the outro asks if we have the strength to forgive this man for his wrongs, the song ends in discord, leaving the listener with a blunt portrait of what happens when you let your addiction consume you.