20 Best Classic Rock Guitar Riffs Of All Time

With 3 years of dismal album sales, KISS finally broke through as kings of hard rock with their live album Alive! The album's success was a double edged sword though. Would the band be able to keep up the momentum and, more importantly, could they translate their maniacal energy to a studio setting?

We all got our answer loud and clear at the very beginning of the band's followup Destroyer. Opening with the faint sound of car keys and a revved engine, the song is sent off by the greatest opening riff this band had ever created. This was not made by accident either. The way that the band originally fashioned their songwriting was like the Beatles, where every facet of the tune was centered around four or five indestructible hooks.

There's something electric about the riff that automatically gets your blood pumping from the first few notes, which only builds once you hit the verse. The solo on the song is also spellbinding, with Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley performing some of the catchiest guitar harmonies of the 70's era of hard rock. KISS may be mocked by some for what they felt was just a gimmick, but the attitude behind "Detroit Rock City" is something only the authentic rockers possess.