Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s around singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash, quickly becoming one of the most dangerous and influential rock bands of their era. Blending the raw attitude of punk with blues-rock guitar work and hard rock heaviness, they cut through a music scene then dominated by glossier hair metal acts. Their 1987 debut, «Appetite for Destruction», featuring songs like «Sweet Child O' Mine» and «Welcome to the Jungle», became the best-selling debut album of all time and established the band as a defining rock act.

The band expanded its sound and ambition with the sprawling, simultaneously released double albums «Use Your Illusion I» and «Use Your Illusion II», home to epics such as «November Rain» and «Civil War», and they went on to headline stadiums to crowds well over 20,000. Their cover of Bob Dylan's «Knockin' on Heaven's Door» became another signature hit. Behind the scenes, however, internal tension grew: drummer Steven Adler was fired before the Illusion releases, and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin left during the subsequent tour, with Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke stepping in.

After the 1993 covers album «The Spaghetti Incident?», creative conflict between Rose and Slash stalled the band for years. Guns N' Roses remains one of rock's most storied acts, remembered for its volatile chemistry and a run of songs that defined an era of hard rock.