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While no conclusive source exists on the matter (that I was able to locate), it’s believed that the advent of the fade-out correlated with the symbiotic development of both pop music and radio in the ’50s and/or ’60s. A fade-out ensured that singles wouldn’t overextend their welcome, allowing DJs to create a familiar and predictable momentum that facilitated the interjection of advertising. By doing so, it blurred the worlds of art and product and encouraged a realm of sound that could be easily remembered yet instantly replaced. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to propose that this contributed to a demographic of lazy songwriters who focused more on memorable hooks rather than fitting finales.
But metal, by definition, never had to compromise to the standards of marketing in its infancy. It would then seem that its use of the fade-out developed along with its ideologies, most notably its endless quest for extremes and its cartoon-ish bravado. It implied that whatever riff you were hearing was so thoroughly massive and indisputably crushing that it could loop forever in an endless and epic universe until bone and brain atomized.
So what are some of metals most memorable fade-out riffs? I’ve compiled a few of my favorites but by all means this list is far from complete. Rather than find offense at the absence of your dearly beloved jam, please contribute to this lengthy litany.
To read more about the history of the fade-out, check out this NPR article from a few years back.
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Morbid Angel – “God of Emptiness”
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Sepultura – “Desperate Cry”
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Pantera – “Cemetery Gates”
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Metallica – “Fade to Black”
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Cynic – “Pleading For Preservation”
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!T.O.O.H.! – “Kali”
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Black Sabbath – “Electric Funeral”
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Awesome post. I feel like i have many favorites that are just escaping my early morning memory.
One that does stick out, however, is “43% Burnt.” This one has always stuck out for me b/c it fades out so slowly, and b/c its an interesting variation of the opening riff that holds your attention.
good call – 43% Burnt is a sweet fade
Does The Philosopher by Death count?
Grey Matter by Castevet is a great recent example
I guess most (metal) people hate fade-outs? I know the rest of my band does, but I have always appreciated then when done right
Suffocation- suspended in tribulation
Down- bury me in smoke (fade out then fade back in!)
‘tallica- the thing that should not be
That Down riff is so massive it had to come back for another round.. great entry.
This reminded me of the Agoraphobic Nosebleed song “Repercussions In The Life Of A Pseudo Intellectual Jackass” from Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope. This song fades out, then fades back in—in reverse!
TOTALLY SAVAGE.
What I’ve learned from writing songs for quite a few years now, is that coming up with ending is HARD. Almost impossible sometimes. Because usually you have to settle with “fuck it, that’ll do”. It’s like ending a book or a movie, there’s almost no way to do it satisfactory. But when someone comes close, you’ll remember it.
I guess the “fade out” is some sort of compromise then… not a very good one.
Suffocation – Ignorant Deprivation
I was gonna say this one. Good call.
“Orion” by Metallica is the very first thing that came to mind.
The only reason the fade-out in “Orion” is acceptable is that it fades into “Damage, Inc.” I’ve always thought fade-outs were a cop-out, particularly on a song like “Fade to Black,” since Metallica had already proven itself perfectly capable of ending a song (their cover of “Blitzkrieg” notwithstanding.)
(a departure of the sun) ignite the tesla coil — by decrepit birth is a recent favorite that comes to mind. And too many bolt thrower songs.
Generally not a fan though.
Death – Symbolic
Deceptively simple, incredibly badass. Having Gene Hoglan helps too.
hell yeah, this was my first thought, too.
and the Kyuss, Cave In, & Dillinger songs listed here are excellent examples.
Gojira’s ‘Where Dragons Dwell’ has an epic fadeout
I’m Broken was he pantera “riff” that came to mind, but the guitar/vocal interaction in cemetery gates is pretty awesome .
+1
Emperor’s “With Strength I Burn” is delightfully torturous because it starts just as Ihsahn starts really kicking into the solo. The closer one tries to listen to the lead, the more elusive it becomes and leaves one with a sense of profound emptiness and frustration that somewhere in the vaults of the studio lies the rest of an exquisite solo…
Oops, meant to +1 this (though, that Pantera fade out is still pretty badass). I have forever wanted to hear the rest of that “With Strength I Burn” solo as well.
Not at all metal (but sometimes popular amongst metalheads), the last track off Eluvium’s ‘Similies’ (‘Cease to Know’) has an epic fade for days. Likely my fave of any song.
Kyuss’ Gardenia.
YES.
This is an interesting topic, but I’m afraid I hate fade-outs. I’ve always felt it was a cop-out. Obviously, “Fade to Black” is the better song, but “Leper Messiah” has a much better ending.
While Metallica never knew how to end a song and always just kept going and going, I immediately thought of them when I read the title of this post. They have some of the best fade outs in metal IMO.
Nachtmystium – “A Seed for Suffering”
Katatonia – “Murder”
Christian Mistress – “Hunter/Hunted”
October Tide – “12 Days of Rain”
Gojira – “To Sirius”
loooooooove fade-outs
That Katatonia song is one of the best fade or non-fade songs ever. Yes!
Christian Mistress – “Haunted/Hunted”
YES!
Some awesome ones mentioned here! Also, “April Ethereal” by Opeth.
YES. The fade out of “April Ethereal” into the “When” intro is perfect. The sequencing of that album is top-notch. Pantera’s “5 Minutes Alone” is great, with the increasingly erratic screaming over the riff that keeps changing up ever-so-slightly.
The best fade out riff Opeth recorded was for the ending of the title track for Deliverance. It ended up being so good that they decided not to fade it out at all, and kept the entire four minutes or so they recorded. Which is a good thing, as the small variataions they introduce are fascinating.
I’d 2nd Orion.
I’ve always been partial to the “Fade Out Fake”, where the band/artist gradually drops the dbs, lulling you into thinking they are doing a fade out, then BOOM, they’re back for more! Or they go into some sort of change or coda. Jimmy Page did this rather wimpily with Over the Hills and Far Away. My favorite is probably Jimmy Castor’s Bertha Butt Boogie, where the actually quiets down with a real instrumental fade, and then they’re back on the 1, slamming that funky beat. Awesome stuff.
David
The fade-out fake is also great on Cave In’s “The End of Our Rope Is A Noose”
hell yeah! the classic fake-out.
I refer to these as ‘Night trains’. The best example in recent years has to be DEP – Parasitic Twins
Teeth Into Red – Dead Congregation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29U55hcbAzw
oh yes! so epic!!! FVCK
Holy shit how could I forget about this? Heavy rotation for three years now…
Dawnbringer – VII
Fade-outs fucking rule.
Carcass – Empathological Necroticism. A really circular riff, and fading out here is way more effective than if it just ended.
Machine Head’s “Davidian”
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Good call.
I can’t believe no one has yet to mention Pantera’s “Walk,” that was the first one to come to mind for me.
Also among the greats not yet mentioned:
Death – “Crystal Mountain”
Faith No More – “Falling to Pieces” & “Take This Bottle”
Life of Agony – “Seasons”
Mercyful Fate – “Egypt”
EXACTLY
Nile – User Maat Re.
Van Halen – One foot out the door. THE greatest solo fade out ever!!!! Also Fates Warning – Wish : more like a ending of successive instruments until all that’s left is what the song started with.
i want “Orion” to never ends
not very metal but foo fighters ‘new way home’ is fabulous
crowbar ‘existence is punishment’ punishes
i’ll throw in machine head ‘davidian’
and along the same lines lamb of god ‘black label’
At The Gates’ Slaughter Of The Soul has my all-time fave. Instrumental acoustic interlude “Into The Dead Sky” ends with a gorgeous fade-out that’s cleverly a slowed-down reprise for a motif that appears only once in the middle of “Cold” which sits two songs earlier in the album. An amazing piece of musical deja vu.
Another great Carcass fade-out is the acoustic ending of “Pedigree Butchery” on Necroticism. Lastly, the ending of “Aquarian” off Sleep’s Holy Mountain.
Hypocrisy’s self-titled album is a fade-out smorgasbord. I hate fade outs, 99 times out of 100.
Fade in and fade out on Reverend Bizzare’s Teutonic Witch is fuckin bad arse (fade out as They Used Dark Forces comes in).
uh, might be They Used Dark Forces…
“Return to NOD” by High on Fire. And I think “In Every Dream Home a Heartache” by Roxy Music is one earliest/coolest fadeout fakeouts for sure.
Both of those are FANTASTIC choices! Well done. Well done!
When I was in a band, my bandmate said he made a pact that he would never end a song with a fadeout, so we never did. They don’t bother me too much, but I guess they are a bit of a cop out. Amon Amarth – Gods of War Arise is a good one.
Fading out, in general, doesn’t bother me all that much. However, when bands fade out during a solo, it drives me crazy. Where was that solo going? What could we have enjoyed that we are now missing. : (
The worst example of this I’ve ever heard in my life is Randy Rhoads last solo on “Tonight.” It might be one of the greatest guitar solos of all-time but disappears too soon in an unnecessary fade out.
Emperor – Night of the Graveless Souls. Ends on a badass riff that goes spiraling off into space somewhere.
I really like the !T.O.O.H.! shout-out.
That’s a great topic to discuss, and I wished the author of the post talked a bit about each of the examples he gave instead of just unloading them like that.
I disagree with the sizably represented position that fadeouts are a cop-out. Sometimes there just isn’t a better way to end a song. And a lot of times it’s actually a perfect way to end a song. Don’t get the dislike.
NOBODY HAS SAID JANE DOE YET. THE FUCK IS WRONG W/ YOU PEOPLE.
Pardon my tone there, got overexcited. The great thing about ‘Jane Doe’ is it ain’t just the song fading out, it’s the whole damn record, and i’m not just saying that because it’s the last song on the album. Converge spend the whole album stopping and starting on a dime, but when it comes time to finish the record, they let it fade out, and the sense of having some breathing room is so unfamiliar that it causes you to stop and ponder everything that came before it.
Exactly. Great point and example. Well placed, well done, impactful. It should go without saying that that’s what makes any element great (as opposed to a crutch or, as has been said here, a cop out). They’re like breakdowns in that way.
Ozzy’s Tonight off of Diary Of A Madman has a great fadeout. The outro solo by Randy Rhoad is amazing and I find my self turning up the volume to catch the last few notes.
Personally love “I Want You” by the Beatles in this category. On the LP, the riff literally kicks the needle off the groove at the very end of side 1. I guess Coroner’s cover is the metal link?
I have loved some great fade-out solos, but definitely wished they’d keep going: I think Chris Poland does a wicked one on a track from Return to Metalopolis (can’t remember which one) and I know he also has a great one to end the first track on that Damn the Machine album. I also still like the Death Angel “Bored” outro solo.
Immolation – The Devil I Know
Immolation – Bring Them Down
…can’t believe no one mentioned these two brilliant album enders!
Madness of an Architect – High on Fire?
I realize I’m a lot late on this one, but I can’t believe there is only one person lobbying for ‘The Philosopher’…
Here is another amazing fade out I recently found as I was catching up on all the music I’ve bought over the past year or two. Fucking Cripple Bastards ‘Sangue Chiama’. Just perfect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krZFaLVhyPY