History Main / EpicRocking

* Homestuck Fancomic ''{{Webcomic/VastError}}'' also has its fare share of long songs: "Vast Error Vol. 1-3" has "Ultima Hoc Fatum" (6:09). "Repiton" has "Only the Beggining" (6:59). "Vast Error Vol. 4 has "Pandora" (7:12). "Sound Test 1" has "Godroot [Demo] (8:08). "Vast Error Vol. 5: Side 1" has "Storyteller" (7:29), "Searching for Answers" (6:32), "Mx. Misery" (7:10) and "Negative Feedback" (8:43). "Vast Error Vol. 5: Side 2" has "Kingdom Come" (10:00), "Ghost Writer (Extended)" (8:09), "Jettison (Redux)" (6:40), "Fictionalized" (6:22) and "corruptedcultist" (6:03). "Magnum Opus" has "Insecurity" (6:21), "Kheparia" (7:24) and "Analemma" (9:20). "Faux Dramatica" has "Turncoat" (6:00), "Requiem For A Dying Planet (Ft. The Emek Hefer Choir)" (8:11) and "Naught" (6:04. "Fighting Further" has "Go Beyond and Fight Further" (13:22)

* The German FolkMetal band Finsterforst has always engaged in this since their first album, which had a few ten-minute songs on it. Starting with their second album, the closing song on each of their full-length albums has lasted for at least twenty minutes, but the prize goes to their latest album as of this writing, 2019's ''Zerfall'' (''Disintegration''), which closes with "Ecce Homo" ("Behold the Man", possibly named after the book of the same title by Creator/FriedrichNietzsche), which runs for a whopping 36:28, or nearly half the album's running time. The album runs for seventy-eight minutes and contains only five tracks, the ''shortest'' of which still exceeds the eight-minute mark. Their median song length by this point is probably about eleven minutes long.

* Homestuck Fancomic ''{{Webcomic/VastError}}'' also has its fare share of long songs: "Vast Error Vol. 1-3" has "Ultima Hoc Fatum" (6:09). "Repiton" has "Only the Beggining" (6:59). "Vast Error Vol. 4 has "Pandora" (7:12). "Sound Test 1" has "Godroot [Demo] (8:08). "Vast Error Vol. 5: Side 1" has "Storyteller" (7:29), "Searching for Answers" (6:32), "Mx. Misery" (7:10) and "Negative Feedback" (8:43). "Vast Error Vol. 5: Side 2" has "Kingdom Come" (10:00), "Ghost Writer (Extended)" (8:09), "Jettison (Redux)" (6:40), "Fictionalized" (6:22) and "corruptedcultist" (6:03). "Magnum Opus" has "Insecurity" (6:21), "Kheparia" (7:24) and "Analemma" (9:20). "Faux Dramatica" has "Turncoat" (6:00), "Requiem For A Dying Planet (Ft. The Emek Hefer Choir)" (8:11) and "Naught" (6:04)

** ''[[BrokenRecord Number nine]], [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible number nine]], [[HellIsThatNoise number nine...]]''

** As originally released, "Music/AllTooWell" was five and a half minutes - the longest song to have appeared on one of her albums at that point but not really qualifying for the trope. ''Red (Taylor's Version)'' includes the fittingly named "10 Minute Version" - this is the song as she originally wrote it, with many additional verses that ended up getting cut for the album version. The 10 minute version released on the re-recorded version of "Red" clocks in at 10:13, while the acoustic "Sad Girl Autumn" version is slightly shorter at 9:58, with both releases being her two longest songs to date.

** As originally released, "Music/AllTooWell" was five and a half minutes - the longest song to have appeared on one of her albums at that point but not really quailifying for the trope. ''Red (Taylor's Version)'' includes the fittingly named "10 Minute Version" - this is the song as she originally wrote it, with many additional verses that ended up getting cut for the album version.

* Music/NeilYoung: "Cortez the Killer", "Down By The River", "Pocahontas". He and Crazy Horse stretched a live version of "Cinnamon Girl" out to over 12 minutes. He's been known to do the same with the live versions of "Sedan Delivery", "Like a Hurricane", and "Barstool Blues".

* Music/NeilYoung absolutely loved this trope, and he was a rare example that merged it with ThreeChordsandTheTruth. Well known examples include "Cowgirl in the Sand", "Down by the River", "Spirit Road", "Cortez the Killer" and "Like a Hurricane"
** Special credit to TheMovie ''Year of the Horse'', where thanks to some [[AgeCut creative editing]] by Creator/JimJarmusch, "Like a Hurricane" stretches out over [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfqwIsfK24U 20 years]].
** Also lampshaded on the 1997 LiveAlbum ''Year of the Horse'' (not quite the same):
-->'''Neil:''' Okay, here's another one, just like the last one.
-->'''Audience:''' It all sounds the same!
-->'''Neil:''' It's all one song!
*** "It's all one song" was a running gag on the [[http://hyperrust.org/Rust/ Rust mailing list]], which Neil was known to read.
** Several tracks on his studio albums invoke this trope as well, especially when Crazy Horse is his backing band:
*** 1969's ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'' has the well-known examples of "Down by the River" (9:13) and "Cowgirl in the Sand" (10:06).
*** 1989's essentially live in the studio album ''Ragged Glory'' has two tracks that exceed 10 minutes ("Love to Burn" and "Love and Only Love") and an additional two that exceed 7.
*** 1975's ''Zuma'' has "Danger Bird" (6:54) and "Cortez the Killer" (7:29, which was even longer in the studio performance).
*** 1981's ''Re·ac·tor'' has "T-Bone" (9:10) and "Shots" (7:42).
*** 1987's ''Life'' has "Inca Queen" (7:58).
*** 1994's ''Sleeps with Angels'' has the nearly 15-minute "Change Your Mind", and two additional songs that exceed six minutes ("Blue Eden" and "Safeway Cart").
*** 1996's ''Broken Arrow'' features "Big Time" (7:24), "Loose Change" (9:49), "Slip Away" (8:36), and "Baby What You Want Me To Do" (8:08). For reference, this is half the songs on the album.
*** 2003's ''Greendale'' has three songs that top ten minutes ("Carmichael", "Grandpa's Interview", "Sun Green") and an additional three that top seven ("Falling from Above", "Leave the Driving", "Be the Rain").
*** 2012's ''Americana'' features "Tom Dula" (8:10).
*** 2012's ''Psychedelic Pill'' is an eight-song double CD with three songs topping 16 minutes. The opening number, "Driftin' Back", clocks in at ''27:37''. (The other two monster tracks are "Ramada Inn", 16:49, and "Walk Like a Giant", 16:27 for the record). Also note that the Blu-Ray Audio version of the album features the absolutely monstrous "Horse Back" as a bonus track; this runs for 37:05. However, it is a medley of previous Neil Young & Crazy Horse tracks, hence the name - there is an 18:50 vamp on a riff from "Fuckin' Up" and an 18:15 version of "Cortez the Killer". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCfnEKlXPsQ You may hear it here.]] Young actually released this video on Website/{{YouTube}} months before ''Psychedelic Pill'' was even announced.
** Even when Crazy Horse isn't involved, he can still get pretty long-winded:
*** 1974's ''On the Beach'' has one song that approaches seven minutes (the title track) and one that approaches nine ("Ambulance Blues").
*** 1977's ''American Stars 'n Bars'' has "Will to Love" (7:11) and "Like a Hurricane" (8:20, performed with Crazy Horse).
*** 1980's ''Hawks & Doves'' has "The Old Homestead" (7:38).
*** 1982's ''Trans'' has "Sample and Hold" (8:03) and "Like an Inca" (9:46). Both of these were shorter on vinyl, although the LP version of "Like an Inca" was still 8:08.
*** 1989's ''Freedom'' has "Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I)", which runs for 8:45. As the title suggests, this is an excerpt of an ''even longer'' composition entitled "Sixty to Zero", which ran for more than twice as long. This composition has not yet been officially released, but it has been bootlegged.
*** 1992's ''Harvest Moon'' has "Natural Beauty" (10:22).
*** 1995's ''Mirror Ball'' (recorded with Music/PearlJam) has "I'm the Ocean" (7:05), "Peace and Love" (7:02), and "Scenery" (8:50).
*** 2000's ''Are You Passionate?'' features "Goin' Home" (8:49, recorded with Crazy Horse) and "She's a Healer" (9:08).
*** The title track of 2005's ''Prairie Wind'' runs for 7:34.
*** Two of the songs on 2007's ''Chrome Dreams II'' ("Ordinary People", 18:13, and "No Hidden Path", 14:31) surpass the fourteen minute mark with ease.
*** 2010's ''Le Noise'' features "Peaceful Valley Boulevard" (7:10).
** This is ''still'' far from an exhaustive list.

* Music/CrosbyStillsNashAndYoung, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes".

* Music/{{Madness}} composed "The Liberty of Norton Folgate" (10:12) as the climax of their concept album of the same name.

* Music/DirEnGrey has quite a few. Their debut album gives us "Mazohyst of Decadence", clocking in at 9 minutes and 22 seconds, and "Akuro no Ota", clocking in at 9 minutes and 42 seconds. ''Macabre'' has two songs just above 6 minutes, as well as the title track clocking at just under 11 minutes, not to mention "Zakuro" at 8 minutes and 37 seconds. ''Kisou'' has two songs over 6 minutes. ''Uroboros'' has "Vinushka", clocking in at 9 minutes and 37 seconds, and "Ware, Yami Tote..." at 7 minutes and 1 second. Their 2011 release, ''Dum Spiro Spero'', gives us "The Blossoming Beelzebub" at 7 minutes and 35 seconds, and "Diabolos" at 9 minutes and 51 seconds.

** The Unofficial MSPA Fans albums have few: the ''Sburb OST'' with "Sburban Prelude [Main Menu]" (6:35), "Layers Upon Layers [Build]" (11:47), "Endgame Execution [Black King Battle]" (8:50), and "Gods Of The New World [Universe Creation]" (7:19), ''Land Of Fans And Music 2'' with "Chronology" (7:44), "Who Mourns For Jack Noir?" (7:21), "Dance-Stab-Dance" (11:12), ''Land Of Fans And Music 3'' with "Emissary Of Dance" (9:12), "The Metamorphosis Of Rose Lalonde" (9:56), and "Garden Of Eden" (Part 1 is 8:15, Part 2 is 10:39). ''Beforus'' has "MOG^3" (7:01), "For Beforus" (8:02), "Caligomancy" (6:12), "Dear Heart" (6:42), "Thief Of The Ring" (6:06), "Rex Duodecim Daemonia X ([=ReDuX=])" (7:40), ''『H☯MESTUCK VAP☯RWAVE 2016 RUH​-​RUH​-​RUH​-​ＲＥＭＩＸ』アンドレア・ヒューシー・グーグル翻訳'' has －私はあなたを騙しました－( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) at 6:43. ''Ancestral'' has "Spider's Eclipse" (10:00), "Protector" (6:12), and "Handmaiden's F(l)ight" (6:01). ''Land Of Fans And Music 4'' has "Crystalendofgames" (6:55), "HOMOSUCK. DIRECTOR'S CUT, OF THE YEAR EDITION." (6:40), "Dance Of The Dead" (13:04), "Noble Ascendance" (6:31), "The Sin And The Salvation" (8:53), "Pseudumbra Phauxtasm" (6:30), "Crystalmethequins (Broken Bad)" (6:33), "Revisit/Rewind" (6:13), "Homestuck Sonata" (7:46), and "Skaian Rebirth" (8:31). ''Xenoplanetarium'' has "Depths And Water" (7:15). ''Moons Of Theseus'' begins with the 10:25 "Home" and also includes "The Return" (6:12), "Negligent Murmur" (6:29), and ends with "Violet And Gold" (7:20). ''DIVERGING DELICACIES'' includes "Gone in a moment" (7:12), "I Am Ascending (And It Is Terrible)" (7:09), and "Heritage For The Future" (6:30). ''FriendSymphony'' has "Dumbass Terminal" (6:01). ''Land of Fans and Music 5" has "Firefly Storm" (6:46), "A Dream Of Broken Clocks" (6:31), "Blood Rite" (6:13), "One Hour Later'' (6:54), "Infinite Zest" (6:00) and "Ophiuchus (Full Suite)" (28:27)

* Music/JethroTull has "Thick as a brick". The album is essentially a single piece divided by 8 parts (4 for each side of the LP). This was intentional, as the band wanted to parody the progressive rock genre, and in particular the concept albums that abounded in the genre and their excessive lengths.

* ''VideoGame/{{Celeste}}'''s soundtrack already had some pretty long songs (for example, "Reach for the Summit" is 11 minutes long), but fan-made [[https://gamebanana.com/mods/424541 Strawberry Jam Mod]] pushes it further.
** [[https://celestestrawberryjam.bandcamp.com/track/bluebird Bluebird]] is 6:24
** [[https://celestestrawberryjam.bandcamp.com/track/blueberry-bay-ebb-and-flow-mix Blueberry Bay - Ebb and Flow Mix]] is 7:52
** [[https://celestestrawberryjam.bandcamp.com/track/mango-mesa-relics-of-the-past-mix Mango Mesa - Relics of the Past Mix]] is 10:21
** [[https://celestestrawberryjam.bandcamp.com/track/garden-of-khutara Garden of Khu'tara]] is 5:10
** [[https://celestestrawberryjam.bandcamp.com/track/impeded Impeded]] is 6:22
** [[https://celestestrawberryjam.bandcamp.com/track/on-a-night-of-crimson-wind On a Night of Crimson Wind]] is 5:06
** [[https://celestestrawberryjam.bandcamp.com/track/shattersong Shattersong]] is 6:10
** [[https://celestestrawberryjam.bandcamp.com/track/passionfruit-pantheon-apotheosis-mix Passionfruit Pantheon - Apotheosis Mix]] is 13:28
** [[https://celestestrawberryjam.bandcamp.com/track/shatter-the-pantheon Shatter the Pantheon!]] is 8:15
** And finally, the longest track on the entire OST is [[https://celestestrawberryjam.bandcamp.com/track/starfruit-supernova-pillars-of-creation-mix Starfruit Supernova - Pillars of Creation Mix]] clocking at 14 minutes and 23 seconds

** ''Literature/TheThirteenthWarrior'': ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1Fi3TGnShQ Valhalla/Viking Victory]]'' (10:35)

* The last battle theme of ''VideoGame/{{Atelier Iris 3|Grand Phantasm}}'', "Schwarzweiβ (Kiri No Mukouni Tsunagaru Sekai)", features a lot of epic instrumental work. Points for Sakuraba-san (Game composer and also a prog artist) doing the Hammond and keyboard works.

Epic Rocking is the phenomenon where bands release really long songs that either seem to twist and change gears a million times before ending, or just manage to sustain themselves for their prolonged duration. More common in the '60s [[PsychedelicRock psychedelic]][=/=] acid rock era and in the '70s ProgressiveRock period. Also quite common in many forms of ElectronicMusic, particularly in the realm of {{Ambient}}, {{Trance}}, and {{Techno}}, as well as most forms of HeavyMetal music (seriously, in the metal genre -- apart from [[ThrashMetal thrash]], [[GrooveMetal groove]], and {{grindcore}} -- long tracks are easily more the rule than the exception).

Epic Rocking is the phenomenon where bands release really long songs that either seem to twist and change gears a million times before ending, or just manage to sustain themselves for their prolonged duration. More common in the '60s [[PsychedelicRock psychedelic]][=/=][[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs acid]] rock era and in the '70s ProgressiveRock period. Also quite common in many forms of ElectronicMusic, particularly in the realm of {{Ambient}}, {{Trance}}, and {{Techno}}, as well as most forms of HeavyMetal music (seriously, in the metal genre -- apart from [[ThrashMetal thrash]], [[GrooveMetal groove]], and {{grindcore}} -- long tracks are easily more the rule than the exception).

** The band's 2012 opus ''The Seer'' takes these tendencies to the extreme, with three songs exceeding nineteen minutes and the title track exceeding ''thirty-two''. Live, they're often even longer. ''To Be Kind'' [[SerialEscalation takes it even further]], with only one song clocking in at under seven minutes and "Bring the Sun / Toussaint L'Ouverture" exceeding thirty-four. ''The Glowing Man'' continues the trend, with 3 songs surpassing 20 minutes and 2 more lasting over 10 minutes. The entire album has just 8 tracks but is just shy of 2 hours in length. [[FaceOfTheBand Michael Gira]] said in an interview that it was "the musical equivalent of ''[[Film/BenHur1959 Ben-Hur]]''." Overall, the trilogy of ''The Seer'', ''To Be Kind'', and ''The Glowing Man'' comes out to 6 hours total of EpicRocking.

[[caption-width-right:312:[[http://www.cracked.com/funny-2359-progressive-rock/ 24 minutes long.]] And it isn't even the longest song in their library.]]

* Death metal band Music/{{Nile}} have quite a few: "To Dream of Ur" from the album ''Black Seeds of Vengeance'' clocks in at over 9 minutes, "Wrought" and "Extinct" from their ''In the Beginning'' compilation are 8 3/4 and 9+ minutes respectively, "Unas Slayer of the Gods" from ''In Their Darkened Shrines'' is 11:43 (and the four-part title track totals about 18 minutes), "User-Maat-Re," "Von unaussprechlichen Kulten," and the title track from ''Annihilation of the Wicked'' are 9 1/4, 9 3/4, and a little over 8 1/2 minutes long respectively, "What Can Safely Be Written" and "Even the Gods Must Die" from ''Ithyphallic'' are 8 1/4 and 10 minutes long respectively, and "4th Arra of Dagon" and the title track from ''Those Whom the Gods Detest'' run 8:40 and 8:06 respectively. Couple this with their tendency to write songs with [[LongTitle absurdly long names]] ("Libation Unto the Shades Who Lurk in the Shadows of the Temple of Anhur," "Invocation of the Gate of Aat-Ankh-es-en-Amenti," "Dusk Falls Upon the Temple of the Serpent on the Mount of Sunrise," "Chapter of Obeisance Before Giving Breath to the Inert One in the Presence of the Crescent Shaped Horns," "Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks from He Who Is in the Water," "Permitting the Noble Dead to Descend to the Underworld," and "Yezd Desert Ghul Ritual in the Abandoned Towers of Silence") and they pretty much qualify.

** The Unofficial MSPA Fans albums have few: the ''Sburb OST'' with "Sburban Prelude [Main Menu]" (6:35), "Layers Upon Layers [Build]" (11:47), "Endgame Execution [Black King Battle]" (8:50), and "Gods Of The New World [Universe Creation]" (7:19), ''Land Of Fans And Music 2'' with "Chronology" (7:44), "Who Mourns For Jack Noir?" (7:21), "Dance-Stab-Dance" (11:12), ''Land Of Fans And Music 3'' with "Emissary Of Dance" (9:12), "The Metamorphosis Of Rose Lalonde" (9:56), and "Garden Of Eden" (Part 1 is 8:15, Part 2 is 10:39). ''Beforus'' has "MOG^3" (7:01), "For Beforus" (8:02), "Caligomancy" (6:12), "Dear Heart" (6:42), "Thief Of The Ring" (6:06), "Rex Duodecim Daemonia X ([=ReDuX=])" (7:40), ''『H☯MESTUCK VAP☯RWAVE 2016 RUH​-​RUH​-​RUH​-​ＲＥＭＩＸ』アンドレア・ヒューシー・グーグル翻訳'' has －私はあなたを騙しました－( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) at 6:43. ''Ancestral'' has "Spider's Eclipse" (10:00), "Protector" (6:12), and "Handmaiden's F(l)ight" (6:01). ''Land Of Fans And Music 4'' has "Crystalendofgames" (6:55), "HOMOSUCK. DIRECTOR'S CUT, OF THE YEAR EDITION." (6:40), "Dance Of The Dead" (13:04), "Noble Ascendance" (6:31), "The Sin And The Salvation" (8:53), "Pseudumbra Phauxtasm" (6:30), "Crystalmethequins (Broken Bad)" (6:33), "Revisit/Rewind" (6:13), "Homestuck Sonata" (7:46), and "Skaian Rebirth" (8:31). ''Xenoplanetarium'' has "Depths And Water" (7:15). ''Moons Of Theseus'' begins with the 10:25 "Home" and also includes "The Return" (6:12), "Negligent Murmur" (6:29), and ends with "Violet And Gold" (7:20). ''DIVERGING DELICACIES'' includes "Gone in a moment" (7:12), "I Am Ascending (And It Is Terrible)" (7:09), and "Heritage For The Future" (6:30). "FriendSymphony" has "Dumbass Terminal" (6:01). "Land of Fans and Music 5" has "Firefly Storm" (6:46), "A Dream Of Broken Clocks" (6:31), "Blood Rite" (6:13), "One Hour Later" (6:54), "Infinite Zest" (6:00) and "Ophiuchus (Full Suite)" (28:27)

* "Highbrow", the final battle theme in ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'', is a ten-minute loop. That's not the only example in Creator/MotoiSakuraba's discography either.

** The Unofficial MSPA Fans albums have few: the ''Sburb OST'' with "Sburban Prelude [Main Menu]" (6:35), "Layers Upon Layers [Build]" (11:47), "Endgame Execution [Black King Battle]" (8:50), and "Gods Of The New World [Universe Creation]" (7:19), ''Land Of Fans And Music 2'' with "Chronology" (7:44), "Who Mourns For Jack Noir?" (7:21), "Dance-Stab-Dance" (11:12), ''Land Of Fans And Music 3'' with "Emissary Of Dance" (9:12), "The Metamorphosis Of Rose Lalonde" (9:56), and "Garden Of Eden" (Part 1 is 8:15, Part 2 is 10:39). ''Beforus'' has "MOG^3" (7:01), "For Beforus" (8:02), "Caligomancy" (6:12), "Dear Heart" (6:42), "Thief Of The Ring" (6:06), "Rex Duodecim Daemonia X ([=ReDuX=])" (7:40), ''『H☯MESTUCK VAP☯RWAVE 2016 RUH​-​RUH​-​RUH​-​ＲＥＭＩＸ』アンドレア・ヒューシー・グーグル翻訳'' has －私はあなたを騙しました－( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) at 6:43. ''Ancestral'' has "Spider's Eclipse" (10:00), "Protector" (6:12), and "Handmaiden's F(l)ight" (6:01). ''Land Of Fans And Music 4'' has "Crystalendofgames" (6:55), "HOMOSUCK. DIRECTOR'S CUT, OF THE YEAR EDITION." (6:40), "Dance Of The Dead" (13:04), "Noble Ascendance" (6:31), "The Sin And The Salvation" (8:53), "Pseudumbra Phauxtasm" (6:30), "Crystalmethequins (Broken Bad)" (6:33), "Revisit/Rewind" (6:13), "Homestuck Sonata" (7:46), and "Skaian Rebirth" (8:31). ''Xenoplanetarium'' has "Depths And Water" (7:15). ''Moons Of Theseus'' begins with the 10:25 "Home" and also includes "The Return" (6:12), "Negligent Murmur" (6:29), and ends with "Violet And Gold" (7:20). ''DIVERGING DELICACIES'' includes "Gone in a moment" (7:12), "I Am Ascending (And It Is Terrible)" (7:09), and "Heritage For The Future" (6:30).