Fade To Black Tab by Metallica

Fade To Black tab by Metallica (Ver. 3)

Guitar Tab

Fade To Black by Metallica: Guitar, Bass & Songwriting Insights

"Fad to Black" by Metallica, from their album "Ride the Lightning," showcases the band's shift towards more complex songwriting. The song features intricate acoustic and electric guitar work by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, with a haunting guitar solo that has become iconic in the metal genre. The track's melancholic lyrics and dynamic shifts demonstrate Metallica's evolving musical maturity.

Tuning: Standard tuning

Difficulty: advanced




                              Fade to Black
                              by Mettalica

Tab Explanation
---------------
12/13   slide from 12th fret to 13th
1312   slide from 13th down to 12th
 /13    slide up to 13th fret
P.M.    palm mute
12h13   hammer-on from 12th to 13th
13p12   pull-off from 13th to 12th
12b(14) whole-step bend
(14)r12 reverse bend from whole-step

🎸

Accuracy Rating: - Votes: -



Gtr. 1 (Acoustic)
Rhythm fig. 1                                                    End fig. 1
|------------------|------------------|-----------------|
|------------------|------------------|-----------------|
|------0-----------|------0-----------|-----0-----------|
|----4---4---4-0-4-|----4---4---4-0-4-|---4---4---4-0-4-|
|--2-------2-------|--0-------0-------|-2-------2-------|
|------------------|------------------|-----------------|

                                    Gtr. 2 (Electric)
                 (Gtr. 2)           w/Rhythm fig. 1 4x
                                     Bm                         A
|----------------------------------|--------------------------|--------------|
|----------------------------------|--------------------------|--------------|
|--------2---------------2---------|---------11-12-14---12-14-|-/16-14-12-14-|
|-----2----2-------2---(12)-(14)2--|--------------------------|--------------|
|--4----------4--(/14)-------------|--14----------------------|--------------|
|----------------------------------|--------------------------|--------------|

 Bm                         A/C#               Bm                A
|-------------------------|------------------|-----------------|-------------|
|-------------------------|------------------|-----------------|-------------|
|-16-14-1211-12-11----11h|12-11----11-------|-----------------|----------12|
|-------------------14----|------14----14-12-|--------------12|11--1211----|
|-------------------------|------------------|-12/14-----------|-------------|
|-------------------------|------------------|-----------------|-------------|


 Bm        A/C#         Bm
|--------|------------|-19----------15p14---------------------------|
|--------|------15h19-|----19p15----------15----17-15-14------------|
|-11-12/|14----------|----------16----------16----------16-(14)b16-|
|--------|------------|---------------------------------------------|
|--------|------------|---------------------------------------------|
|--------|------------|---------------------------------------------|

 A                      Bm                              A/C#
|---------------------|-------------------------------|----19-17-15--15-17-|
|---------------------|-------14-15-14h15p14----14-15-|-14-----------------|
|-14---14h16----------|-14-16----------------16-------|--------------------|
|------------14-14h16-|-------------------------------|--------------------|
|---------------------|-------------------------------|--------------------|
|---------------------|-------------------------------|--------------------|

 Bm                  A                 Bm                A/C#
|--14--------14-15-|-14--------14-15-|-14----17---15---|--14---------------|
|-----15-----------|----15-----------|----15-----------|-------------------|
|--------16--------|-------14--------|-----------------|-------------------|
|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------|
|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------|
|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------|

 Gtr. 2
|-----------------------------------12-13-15-13h15p1312--|/17-----------------
|--------------------------12-13-15-----------------------|--------------------
|--------------------12-14--------------------------------|--------------------
|-----------12-14-15--------------------------------------|--------------------
|--12-14-15-----------------------------------------------|--------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------|--------------------
|
| Gtr. 1                                              Begin Rhy. Fig. 2
|---------0-----------0-----------0----------0------------|-0--(0)-----0-------
|------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----0----0--------0------|-0-h-1--------1-----
|---------------------------------------------------------|-2--(2)-2-------0h2-
|---------------------------------------2-----------------|-2--(2)---2---------
|---------------------------2-----------------------------|-0--(0)-------------
|---1-----------4-----------------------------------------|--------------------

Gtr. 1                                End Rhy. Fig. 2
---|-------0---------|-------3-------|-------------|
-1-|-1-------1-----1-|-0-------0-----|-------0--/3-|
---|---0-------0h2---|---0-------2-0-|---0---0--/4-|
---|-----2-----------|-----0---------|-2---2-------|
---|-3---------------|---------------|-------------|
---|-----------------|-3-------------|-2-----------|

Gtr. 1 Rhy. fig. 2 5x
Life it seems to fade away...........

Gtr. 2 & 3(distortion) [Gtr. 1 Out]
|-----------------|----------------|--------------|------------------|
|-----------------|----------------|--------------|------------------|
|-----------------|----------------|--------------|------------------|
|--2--2-2-------7-|-5--5-5-------7-|------------7-|-9--9-9-------5-4-|
|--0--0-0-------5-|-3--3-3-------5-|-7--7-7-x-x-5-|-7--7-7---0-0-3-2-|
|---------0-0-3---|--------0-0-3---|-5--5-5-------|------------------|
         P.M.--            P.M.-                           P.M.--
                                                                   2x
|-----------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|--2--2-2-------7-|-5--5-5-------7-|------------------|-2--------------|
|--0--0-0-------5-|-3--3-3-------5-|-7--7-7-------5-4-|-2--------------|
|---------0-0-3---|--------0-0-3---|-5--5-5---0-0-3-2-|-0--------------|
         P.M.--            P.M.-


Gtr. 1 Rhy. Fig. 2 2x
Gtr. 2
|--------------|----------------|------------|-------------------|------------|
|-----------12-|-13---h15p13-12-|------------|-------------------|--------12--|
|--14----14----|----------------|-12---12h14-|------9-9/12-12/14-|-14--14-----|
|--------------|----------------|------------|-/14---------------|------------|
|--------------|----------------|------------|-------------------|------------|
|--------------|----------------|------------|-------------------|------------|

|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----------|
|-13---15b(17)r15p13-|-15b(17)-15b(17)-15b(17)-15b(17)-|-15--------|
|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----------|
|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----------|
|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----------|
|--------------------|---------------------------------|-----------|


Gtr. 1 Rhy. Fig. 2 4x


Gtr. 2 & 3(distortion) [Gtr. 1 Out]
|-----------------|----------------|--------------|------------------|
|-----------------|----------------|--------------|------------------|
|-----------------|----------------|--------------|------------------|
|--2--2-2-------7-|-5--5-5-------7-|------------7-|-9--9-9-------5-4-|
|--0--0-0-------5-|-3--3-3-------5-|-7--7-7-x-x-5-|-7--7-7---0-0-3-2-|
|---------0-0-3---|--------0-0-3---|-5--5-5-------|------------------|
         P.M.--            P.M.-                           P.M.--
                                                                   2x
|-----------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|--2--2-2-------7-|-5--5-5-------7-|------------------|-2(7/9-9-9)-----|
|--0--0-0-------5-|-3--3-3-------5-|-7--7-7-------5-4-|-2(5/7-7-7)-----|
|---------0-0-3---|--------0-0-3---|-5--5-5---0-0-3-2-|-0--------------|
         P.M.--            P.M.-                       (Gtr. 2 plays part
						        in () 2nd time,Riff A)

Gtr. 2                                      End Riff A
|-------------|--------|------------------------------|
|-------------|--------|------------------------------|
|-------------|--------|------------------------------|
|-7/9-9-1211-|-7-7-7--|-9-9-9--7-7-7--5-5-5--4-4-4/5-|
|-5/7-7-109--|-5-5-5--|------------------------------|
|-------------|--------|------------------------------|

Gtr. 2 Riff A once

Gtr. 2 & 3 Riff A twice

Gtr. 2 Riff A twice
Gtr. 3                                                      2x
Riff B_________________________________________________________
|----------|-----------|--------|------------------------------|
|----------|-----------|--------|------------------------------|
|----------|-----------|--------|-7-7-7--5-5-5--4-4-4--2-2-2/4-|
|--4/5-5-5-|-4/5-5-97-|-4-4-4--|------------------------------|
|----------|-----------|--------|------------------------------|
|----------|-----------|--------|------------------------------|

Gtr. 2 & 3 Riff A twice

Gtr. 2 Riff A twice
Gtr. 3 Riff B twice

Gtr. 2 & 3                                                            4x
|------------|----------------|------------|------------------------------|
|------------|----------------|------------|------------------------------|
|------------|----------------|------------|------------------------------|
|---------9--|---------1211--|---------7--|-9-9-9--7-7-7--5-5-5-4-4-4/5--|
|---------7--|---------109---|---------5--|------------------------------|
|-0-0-0-0----|-0-0-0-0--------|-0-0-0-0----|------------------------------|

Gtr. 2
|-------|--------------|-------|--------------|------|--------------|------|---
|-------|--------------|-------|--------------|------|--------------|------|---
|-------|--------------|-------|--------------|------|--------------|------|---
|-0---4-|-5-4--2-0-----|-----4-|-5-4--2-0-----|----4-|-5-4--2-0-----|----4-|---
|-------|----------4-0-|-4-----|----------4-0-|-2----|----------4-0-|-4----|---
|-------|--------------|-------|--------------|------|--------------|------|---
|                                                                          |
|Gtr. 3                                                                    |
|-------|--------------|-------|--------------|------|--------------|------|---
|-------|--------------|-------|--------------|------|--------------|------|---
|-------|--------------|-------|--------------|------|--------------|------|---
|-----4-|-2-0----------|-----4-|-2-0----------|----4-|-2-0----------|----4-|---
|-2-----|------4-2-0---|-0-----|------4-2-0---|------|------4-2-0---|-0----|---
|-------|------------2-|-------|------------2-|-3----|------------2-|------|---

|--------------|
|--------------|
|--------------|
|--5-7-5p4-2h4-|
|--------------|
|--------------|
|              |   This part keeps repeating and fades out at the end.
|              |
|--------------|
|--------------|
|--------------|
|--2-0---------|
|------4-2-0---|
|------------2-|

Last updated: July 4, 2025

Metallica tabs for Fade to black (Ver. 3)

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