5 Greatest Hard Rock Album Opening Tracks

When Alice in Chains went into their sophomore release Dirt, many of the band members were in a personal hell as they battled substance abuse. As such, the album is a deep dive into the psyche of a drug addict as they reach the end of their rope and slowly succumb to their addiction.

Pretty bleak, right? To get the listener acclimatized to the darkness, "Them Bones" announces itself with Layne Staley's agonizing screams as the guitars chug on a brutal metal climb. The fantastic vocal harmonies between Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell seem to cry out in pain as they detail the fear of awaiting their death. The song also possesses a mysterious meter as it fluctuates through odd time signatures before settling into a borderline-funky hard rock groove for the chorus. To cap it all off, Cantrell's guitar solo suits the song's subdued yet manic tone to a tee.

This track doesn't ease you into the darkness so much as it does throw you down the pit leading to Hell. It packs the perfect punch for an album full of relentless melancholy, all in just under 3 minutes.