Metallica - Fade to Black (Studio Version) video free download

Fade to Black is the fourth song on the thrash metal band Metallicas second studio album, Ride the Lightning. It was the first musical ballad released by the band, and is considered to be the precursor to The Unforgiven and Unforgiven II due to strong similarity in sound and subject matter. It was ranked as having the 24th best guitar solo ever by Guitar World magazine readers. It is one of Metallica's most famous songs.

In an interview with drummer Lars Ulrich on the set of the production MTV Icon: Metallica in 2005, he recalls how he and bandmate James Hetfield were obsessed with death at the time the album and song were produced. It was written after almost all of their equipment, including a very rare amplifier, given to singer/rhythm guitarist James Hetfield by his mother just before she died, was stolen in Boston, MA, following a gig at the Channel Club on 14th January 1984. This event forced Metallica to borrow equipment from fellow tour band and friends, Anthrax, for the remainder of the tour. The lyrics suggest a man contemplating, then eventually committing suicide.

It begins with an acoustic guitar introduction and becomes progressively heavier as the song goes on.

Since its release, Fade to Black has been a fixture in Metallica's live performances. It was also the last song that Metallica performed live with former bassist Jason Newsted. Jason's last gig was at the VH1 Music Awards on November 30, 2000. It was one of Newsted's favorite Metallica songs, and was said to be of great sentimental value to him, although it had been written before he had joined the band. Jason Newsted's previous band, Flotsam And Jetsam, performed a song called Fade To Black on their 1986 album Doomsday For The Deceiver before Jason left to join Metallica, although it bears no resemblance to the Metallica version.

Metallica was playing the intro of this song during their concert at Montreal's Olympic Stadium in 1992, when James Hetfield suffered second and third-degree burns from a pyrotechnic accident.

The song's title is never mentioned in the lyrics.

Life, it seems, will fade away

Drifting further every day

Getting lost within myself

Nothing matters, no one else

I have lost the will to live

Simply nothing more to give

There is nothing more for me

Need the end to set me free

Things aren't what they used to be

Missing one inside of me

Deathly lost, this can't be real

Can not stand this hell I feel

Emptiness is filling me

To the point of agony

Growing darkness taking dawn

I was me, but now he's gone

No one but me can save myself, but it's too late

Now I can't think, think why I should even try

Yesterday seems as though it never existed

Death greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye