Posted December 4, 2017 by AdamSG2 Comments Features

What Bands Have Been Inspired by Guns N’ Roses | Article

Guns N’ Roses have once again become the biggest rock band on the planet through their latest reunion tour Not in This Lifetime. Since the release of their seminal Appetite for Destruction album in 1986 the GNR’s lineup has changed many times due to key members leaving. With the key players of the original lineup back on stage we look at how the iconic rock band provided inspiration for three bands.

Avenged Sevenfold

This heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California have been rocking since 1999, with seven studio albums under their belt already. Avenged Sevenfold, sometimes stylised as A7F, counts GNR as one of their biggest inspirations, with their early music evoking memories of some of GNR’s heavier, fast-paced songs. In an entry on the Ernie Ball String Theory video series guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance give a shout out to GNR legend Slash, citing him as one of their heroes.

The Strokes

Way back in 2001, The Strokes released Is This It, the band’s critically acclaimed debut album. Since then, the quintet of vocalist Julian Casablancas, lead guitarist Nick Valensi, rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti have been adding to an already impressive catalogue of songs spanning the various genres of rock. Unsurprisingly, the band members were huge fans of the 80s rock scene in LA, as NME notes in its feature on The Strokes. The article discussed how Nick Valensi grew up listening to GNR for inspiration.

Fall Out Boy

Formed in Wilmette, Illinois in 2001, Fall Out Boy has since become one of the more successful bands over the past two decades despite a four-year hiatus from 2009 to 2013. The band’s debut album in 2003, Take This to Your Grave, received moderate mainstream success but was a smash underground hit. Like their peers, Fall Out Boy count GNR as one of their inspirations, with bassist Pete Wentz particularly moved by the band’s meteoric rise in the 80s. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he spoke of how watching the Welcome to the Jungle video made him want to become a rock star hero. For the better part of 20 years, Mr. Wentz and his bandmates have in their own way become rock star heroes like GNR.

Still Relevant After All These Years

Guns N’ Roses have remained relevant through the years thanks to their fiercely loyal fans. Despite only releasing six studio albums, the last of which was in 2008, the band has continued to provide outlets for fans through officially licensed GNR-related merchandise. One outlet that has allowed the band to attract new fans, and remind past fans of the original lineup is through online gaming. The Slingo Guns N’ Roses video slot game is a reminder of the band’s early Appetite for Destruction years. Using images closely associated with the band’s most productive period – such as Slash’s double-headed guitar – the game allowed fans to play while also reminiscing about the original lineup. In a twist of fate, the wishes of the fans, who played the game were granted, as last year the original lineup of the band reformed (minus Izzy Stradlin).

Today, GNR are rocking like it’s the 80s all over again, regularly performing in front of massive crowds on the band’s Not in This Lifetime world tour. The tour according to Pollstar raked in over $150 million halfway through 2017.