Orion (song)

"Orion" is an instrumental by Metallica. It was the seventh track featured on their Master of Puppets album released in 1986. It was composed by Cliff Burton, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The title is in reference to the cosmic or space-like sounds heard during the transitional point of the song. Orion was the second instrumental Metallica recorded, the first being "The Call of Ktulu" from Ride the Lightning.

Related Topics:
Instrumental - Metallica - Master of Puppets - 1986 - Cliff Burton - James Hetfield - Lars Ulrich - The Call of Ktulu - Ride the Lightning

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The song varies in tempo and melody throughout. The song fades in with a heavily distorted bass line before the guitars join in with the songs main riff. The first section of the song is very heavy sounding. It is played at a moderate tempo, and has several rhythm and time signature changes. At the 4:00 mark the song changes key, and switches to a 6/8 meter. This section is more melodic, and the melody is carried by the bass. This section includes two guitar solos and a bass solo. After a solo the piece then resolves back to its original, heavily disorted riff and then slowly fades out.

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The song was played at Cliff Burton's funeral as it was largely his composition. The bass solo is often mistaken for a guitar solo due to its distorted sound and a level of skill rarely demonstrated by a bass player.

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This song is widely considered the greatest composition of Cliff Burton's career.

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