5 Greatest Hard Rock Album Opening Tracks

Guns N Roses were a beautiful contradiction when they first arrived on the Los Angeles rock scene in the mid 80's. While still being qualified as "hair metal," their unique brand of punkish rock and roll put the rest of the hairsprayed metalheads to shame. With the release of Appetite for Destruction, Guns N Roses reached for the crown needed to sit on Rock's throne.

Everything started with "Welcome to the Jungle," a sleazy look into the underbelly of downtown LA. The song fades in with Slash's delayed guitar notes, rapidly picking up steam as if to lure you into GNR's world. As the drums and bass enter, Axl Rose's vocal howls creep into the mix as we begin our descent. Once the full band comes out in full force, all bets are off and the listener is treated to one of rock's nastiest grooves.

The song perfectly encapsulates the LA spirit, with beautiful lifts in the track that are undercut by the heaviest lows. It's technically metal, but with a punk's heart. Appetite for Destruction was able to demolish all of GNR's competition in LA, with "Welcome to the Jungle" being the initial death knell.