Make no mistake about it, Guns N’ Roses are more than just the quintessential hard rock band. One only needs to look at the band’s name to know that the Los Angeles rockers were truly ahead of the curve in every sense of the word. The name Guns N’ Roses was devised by adding the names of two of the band member’s previous groups together but rather than go with the conventional conjunction “and”, Slash, Axl and co decided to slap a giant ‘N’ in its place, perfectly capturing the essence of the band while speaking volumes about their no nonsense nature and unwillingness to conform.

While easily the band’s most commercially successful effort to date, Appetite for Destruction is also undoubtedly Guns N’ Roses finest work and is packed full of tunes which have stood the test of time and sound just as fresh today as they did 30 years ago on the album’s release. Yes, Use your Illusion I and II were both very successful, but nothing beats the raw power of AfD. Interestingly enough, the album was far from a chart topper on its release, debuting at #182 on the Billboard 200 on the week commencing August 29th 1987, eventually making its way to the top of the charts almost a year later on August 6th, 1988 after extensive airplay and touring from the band. The album has gone on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, making it the eleventh best selling album of all time in the United States.

The album opens with one of the bands most well known and best loved singles, Welcome To The Jungle, which features an iconic opening lick from legendary lead guitarist Slash, leading into the repeating crashing of a snare from drummer Steven Adler, before being accompanied shortly after by the soaring, high pitched vocals of frontman Axl Rose. Rose in particular really shines on this track, with his oddly androgynous voice sending shivers down the spine for the full 4 minutes and 34 seconds. The song’s opening lyrics let you know that you’re entering dangerous territory by assuring the listener “if you’ve got the money honey, we’ve got your disease” and Axl isn’t wrong – this song is as addictive as it is melodious.

Fan favorite Sweet Child ‘O Mine also features on Appetite for Destruction, satisfying the ballad quota and providing a welcome change of pace in comparison to such tracks as Paradise City and It’s So Easy. If the songs from the album aren’t enough on their own, the accompanying videos of Mr Rose dancing like he’s being electrocuted will both amuse and soothe, while watching Slash gracefully shred his axe is both awe inspiring and inspirational in equal measure.

The impact of Appetite for Destruction was far reaching and as well as being a shining example of outstanding musicianship. The debut album put Guns N’ Roses on the map and turned Axl, Slash and co into household names. While it’s probably an understatement is to say that the band contained a number of big personalities – this album was arguably the band at their most cohesive and one of the only times than Guns N’ Roses were greater than the sum of their component personalities. It would be these personalities which would lead to plenty of infighting within the band, with Slash and Axl Rose in particular repeatedly clashing this volatile internal chemistry would plague the band for many years to come.

Following on from their breakthrough into the mainstream, Guns N’Roses had quite a significant role to play in popular culture with one of their first appearances in visual media coming when Clint Eastwood included the song Welcome To The Jungle in his final Dirty Harry film in 1988, The Dead Pool. Jim Carrey’s character makes significant narrative use of the song and Eastwood was good enough to let the band make brief appearances in the film, with an extremely strange cameo for guitarist Slash who can be seen shooting a harpoon out of a window at a funeral for absolutely no reason at all.

Guns N Roses can still be seen floating around the world of popular culture even to this day, with Slash this time getting involved in video game cameos. Appearing in Neversoft’s Guitar Hero III as a playable character, gaming enthusiasts are able to unlock the guitarist and then proceed to play Welcome To The Jungle. Staying with the video game theme, the song Paradise City served as the theme setting and setting inspiration for video game Burnout Paradise and if you look hard enough, there are even Guns N’ Roses themed slot games available to play, with free spins available from Oddschecker in order to aid players in their quest to out-riff Slash.

In addition to making appearances in the gaming industry, there’s also an abundance of still-popular Guns N’ Roses-related merchandise available on the band’s own official website for anyone looking to publicly display their affection for hair metal and Rock N Roll. Indeed, casual wear displaying the band’s logo and name is fairly commonplace at the moment, with popular UK retailer Topshop even getting in on the act and producing a number of Guns N Roses related t-shirts, while if you really want to go the whole nine yards, there are even fully licensed Slash wigs and top-hat costumes available!

It’s fair to say that the band hasn’t been the same after Slash eventually left the band in 1996 following his tumultuous relationship with the rest of the members but Guns N Roses lives on without him and the band are currently touring worldwide. The band created a piece of musical history with Appetite for Destruction, with the album often mentioned in the same breath as albums such as Nirvana’s Nevermind and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon. Let’s face it, that isn’t bad company to keep is it?