10 Greatest Eddie Van Halen Guitar Moments

Van Halen tend to get brought up as one of the first hair bands that kick started the movement on the Sunset Strip in the early '80s. If the Roth-led era of the band had made that first impression, we probably wouldn't have gotten bands like Motley Crue, Poison, or even Guns N Roses farther down the line. Though Van Halen had ignited that party attitude in their music, Eddie always aimed to be a little heavier.

A descendent of guitar heroes like Tony Iommi, Eddie really let his dark side out on Fair Warning, with many songs showing the demented side of his musical brain. While "Unchained" might seem like the most pop friendly song from the era, it does have a pretty harsh bite to it. Tuning all the way down to drop C#, Eddie's firm grasp on the melody drives the entire song as the band tries their best to keep up.

Granted, David Lee Roth adds every ounce of charisma he can muster to the track, but the blunt force of this riff hits you like a battering ram, especially once the flanger effects kick in on the intro. Fair Warning may not have spawned as many notable hits, but from a guitar perspective, it could be considered Eddie's masterpiece.