Metal Reviews

This is inspired by this weeks Danzig review. I was wondering what some of your favorite album opening and closing tracks were, and, if you're feeling saucy, why? What is it about your picks that makes these songs stand out, not just as individual songs but as the introduction or closing that you receive to an album?

I'm listening to Versus the World right now, and I think that "Death in Fire" is a great song with which to begin the album, because it gets me fired up for the album in a way that "For the Stabwounds in Our Backs" probably could not. I think that the latter song is great, but I don't believe that it would function as an album-opener, which is likely why it is track number two and not one. For lack of a better way or putting it, there is something about "Death in Fire" which makes me go "Fuck Yes!" and gets me pumped for the album. It seems like a fairly typical move in music to start albums off on a strong note, which only makes sense, I suppose.

I was going to say something about not enjoying many intro/outro instrumentals, but I realized that it's likely all about the context of the music following it. Some bands go more for atmosphere, and what would likely be an appropriate intro track for one may not work for they other. But then, is the context of the following music what shapes the intro or is it the intro that shapes the expectations of the listener and thus the context of the music? Does this make any sense?

This topic could also be related to the listening of music on computers and mp3 players/downloading, which I find often de-emphasizes the listening of complete albums in favor of individual songs. At least it does for me. For instance, I don't really care for Dissection's "At the Fathomless Depth's," and I'd much rather skip on to "Night's Blood." It could be that "At the Fathomless Depth's" isn't a very good intro, or it could be due to the fact that I've perhaps listened to that album as a whole maybe once or twice, but I've listened to individual songs from it much more frequently. Perhaps the intro that I consider boring works well in the context of the album as a whole, something which I am avoiding.

This kind of turned into me musing on the nature of introductions, so feel free to simply answer the original question.

Angel of Death and Raining Blood

as overrated as this album is, they could not of picked 2 better songs to open and close the album.

Concubine and Jane Doe

Heh heh, Death in Fire was actually the first opener that came to mind when I read the thread. What an awesome song that is, Amon Amarth's best by a mile if you ask me.

Its really hard to beat the opener/closer combo on Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. Solitude is arguably the best doom opener...ever, and the ending to A Sorcerer's Pledge is such a perfect way to close out an album.

Other awesome openers that come to mind:

The Hellion/Electric Eye
Black Sabbath
Agent Orange
Last Rites/Loved to Deth
Through Silver in Blood
Det Som En Gang Var
Return Trip
Angel Witch

Closers:

Hallowed Be Thy Name
The Call of Ktulu
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Roisin Dubh

Imaginations From The Other Side/And The Story Ends

Attack/Soldier Side

"Blackest Eyes" and "Collapse The Light Into Earth"

"Given To The Rising" and "Origin"

That's what comes to mind right now.

Walls of Jericho/Ride the sky - How many tears.
Invitation/ Eagle Fly Free - Keeper of the 7 keys
Prowler - Iron Maiden
Painkiller - One shot at glory
Behind the courtain/Mister Torture - The dark ride
Blood of my enemies - Bridge of death
Incomunicación - El barón vuela sobre Inglaterra

Kathaarian Life Code - The Pagan Winter



aaaagaaatuuuus daaiiimooooon

Devin Townsend is really good at these. Pretty much all of his albums have intros that get me excited to listen to the album, and last songs that wrap things up perfectly.

Origin's Antithesis is an amazing closer off the top of my head. Danzig's first four albums had some amazing openings.

The Harvest Floor has such an amazing opening in Gardeners of Eden and then closing with Harvest Floor/Regret and the Grave.

Daimonos off Behemoth's new album is awesome and Lucifer closes it up really well in an epic fashion.

Dio - The Last In Line

"We Rock", is considered one of the greatest metal openers of all time. It's fast and rocks like hell. The CD ends with "Egypt (The Chains Are On), one of Dio's best epic songs he's ever written, a slower track with a classic riff at the beginning and end of the song.

Lunatic Of God's Creation/Crucifixation, of course. Into The Infinity Of Thoughts and Inno A Satana.

Jane Doe is THE best closing song ever. This is one occasion where I will not respect anyone else's opinion...hahaha.

War Pigs - Fairies Wear Boots / Jack the Stripper

Highway Star - Space Truckin

Evil - Melissa

This.

Oh, yeah.

Jailbreak - Emerald

Yes.

+1

Bathory - Shores In Flames / One Rode To Asa Bay
Blind Guardian - Traveller In Time / The Last Candle
Heathen - Death By Hanging / Heathen
Manilla Road - Necropolis / Dreams of Eschaton
Overkill - Deny The Cross / Overkill II (The Nightmare Continues)
Reverend Bizarre - They Used Dark Forces / Anywhere Out Of This World
Running Wild - Port Royal / Calico Jack
Rush - The Spirit Of Radio / Natural Science
Solstice - New Dark Age / New Dark Age II
Symphony X - Inferno / The Oddyssey
Uriah Heep - The Wizard / The Spell
Virgin Steele - Invictus / Veni, Vidi, Vici - this is one of the best closers ever.

Wladimir's March - Under the Carpathian Yoke

End (lol, end as an opener) - Procession of the Dead Clowns

Transilvanian Hunger - En as I Dype Skogen