10 Best Opening Tracks In Metal

10. Ties That Bind - Alter Bridge

While Alter Bridge certainly left an impression with their first record One Day Remains, there were still many skeptics who felt that it may have been a fluke. Would this new reincarnation from the non-Stapp members of Creed be the face of rock to come or just a one-album wonder?

With one listen of "Ties That Bind" from Blackbird, all the metalheads' prayers had been answered. Starting off with a complicated rhythmic intro from guitarist Mark Tremonti, the song quickly broods with intensity before giving way to the angelic shrieks of Myles Kennedy. The song has a definite metal stomp while still having a signature groove that made it stand out from the other bands in the post-grunge scene. Kennedy's roar is only undercut by Tremonti's solos, whose brilliant phrasing and frantic speed give them a certain character that was missing from Creed's material.

Even when the band is slamming you with the chorus in the outro, the complicated riff from the beginning reemerges as a soaring lead part to close the song off. Armed with golden performances and a spectacular song arrangement, "Ties That Bind" was the call to arms to all Alter Bridge fans and an essential for any 2000's metalhead.