10 Best Rock Album Openers Of The 1990s
The 1990s gave the world some amazing rock albums with some of the best opening tracks of all time.
As the 1980s faded into the grey, dingy, smelly old 1990s, rock music took one look at itself and said "Needs more anger."
The 90s saw the rise (and abrupt fall) of the grunge movement, the dominance of Britpop in the UK, and the emergence of pop punk at the decade's end.
There was other stuff too, but summing up the entire history of 90s rock is a task for another time.
Another change afoot was the way in which people bought their music. Vinyl records were still around, but CDs and cassettes had firmly established themselves as the preferred method of storing and selling records.
One thing that didn't change though was the quality of opening tracks on said records.
With so many good albums out in the 90s, it's not surprising that so many of them had absolutely corking opening songs on them.
Many of the songs on this list would go on to become gigantic singles in their own right, as well as casting the first stone for their respective collections.
Imaging rushing home from the store, putting on your new album, and having these songs come blasting back at you.
Heaven.
10. Painkiller - Judas Priest (Painkiller)
Judas Priest's popularity was definitely on the decline as the 90s rolled around, but that didn't mean they were finished releasing kickass metal albums.
In the decade's first year, the band put out the record Painkiller. This would turn out to be quite important, as it would mark the final appearance of singer Rob Halford for 15 years.
Thankfully, whilst Halford was still around, he contributed to this banger of an opening track.
Painkiller not only gave this album its name but it also got it off to the best possible start.
New drummer Scott Travis announced himself in a big way with a blistering drum solo to set the mood. Then comes an instantly-memorable riff and one of the maddest vocal performances of Halford's career.
And that's saying something.
The singer unleashes lyrics like a man possessed, screeching them at the very top of his register as the rest of this wild track unfolds around him.
A typhoon of noise, Painkiller laid the groundwork for the rest of the record, which had a hard job keeping up with the manic pace it had set.