Fade to Black

E546885

"Fade to Black" is a seminal 1984 Metallica power ballad that blends acoustic passages with heavy riffs and explores themes of depression and suicidal despair.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Fade to Black canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf single
song
album Ride the Lightning NERFINISHED
artist Metallica NERFINISHED
composer Cliff Burton NERFINISHED
James Hetfield NERFINISHED
Kirk Hammett NERFINISHED
Lars Ulrich NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
criticalReception considered one of Metallica's most influential songs
often cited as an early example of a metal power ballad
genre heavy metal
power ballad
thrash metal
hasLivePerformanceCharacteristic frequently performed in Metallica concerts
often features audience sing-alongs
hasMusicalFeature acoustic guitar intro
clean guitar passages
extended guitar solo
heavy distorted riffs
hasNotableInstrument Cliff Burton bass guitar
James Hetfield rhythm guitar
Kirk Hammett lead guitar
Lars Ulrich drums
hasSection chorus
guitar solo
intro
outro
verses
hasTempoChange gradual build from slow ballad to faster heavy section
hasTheme depression
despair
emotional pain
loss of will to live
suicidal thoughts
language English
length 6:55
lyricist James Hetfield NERFINISHED
partOf Ride the Lightning NERFINISHED
performer Metallica NERFINISHED
positionInAlbum fourth track on Ride the Lightning
producer Flemming Rasmussen NERFINISHED
Metallica NERFINISHED
recordingLocation Copenhagen, Denmark NERFINISHED
recordingPeriod February 1984
recordingStudio Sweet Silence Studios NERFINISHED
recordLabel Elektra Records
Megaforce Records NERFINISHED
releaseDate 1984-09-30
releaseYear 1984

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Metallica notableSong Fade to Black