9 Great Closing Tracks On Albums
These bands were able to do "the mic drop" moment right.
The closer of an album is really important. By the time you get there, hopefully, you've taken the listener on a journey for the last 30-40 minutes, and now you have to wrap everything up nicely.
While many bands pride themselves on having good opening tracks, it takes a professional talent to create a closing track for an album that keeps the listener engaged to the very end.
But a closing track is more than just telling a story; it's more often than not the emotional high point of the record. It's where the artist lays their soul out bare on the vinyl, CD, or Spotify link. And if nothing else, it could just be another kickass song to punch you in the teeth one more time.
Whatever the intent, it's what you hear last and what should leave the longest lasting effect on you, and some bands really know how to do it...
9. The Call Of Ktulu - Ride The Lightning [Metallica]
Metallica had the reputation as being a pretty gnarly metal band by the time they got to Ride the Lightning, but the end of this record proved that there was something much more complex underneath the head-banging riffs.
The last song is an instrumental which is centered around the theme of the monster Ktulu, inspired by the writing of H.P Lovecraft. James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett paint the picture of a barren wasteland before the song explodes, revealing the horrifying Ktulu in the listener's mind.
But anyone who's heard this song knows the star of the show: Cliff Burton's bass guitar. The whole song seems to be a showcase for Burton's talent to play the bass guitar almost like a lead instrument. When the band reaches the ending, Burton uses his effects to mimic the sound of a monster coming toward you about to tear you apart limb by limb.
And just like that, the album's over and you're waiting with baited breath for whatever Metallica had up their sleeve next. Exactly how a closing track should.