The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: A Look At The History Of GUNS N' ROSES

December 14, 2021, 2 years ago

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The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: A Look At The History Of GUNS N' ROSES

With their violent tunes, ferocious screams, and mind-boggling guitar riffs, they brought heavy metal to the top of the charts in the late 1980s to become one of the most legendary rock bands of all time: Guns N’ Roses. But bringing together such a band made up of raw energy comes with its ups and downs, massive successes, and major falls. We look at the history of the legendary band.

Where it all began: A legend in the making

The band came to life in Los Angeles in 1985. With vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler, they brought new, raw energy to heavy metal. After signing with Geffen Records, they released their debut album “Appetite for Destruction” in 1987 that soared to the top of the charts a year after its release. The furious tracks with Rose’s screams and Slash’s guitar riffs brought together hard sounds with a bluesy base, dark lyrics with honesty and sometimes sensitivity. They struck a chord and their debut sold over 30 million copies. 

The band was reaching for the stars, but their following albums could never hold a candle to that massive success. It took four years until the follow-up albums “Use Your Illusion I and II” hit the shelves. And while they were generally well-received and sold a combined 35 million copies, things unravelled both back- and onstage with controversy, disagreements, and rivalry ascending. 

The falling out: When they split up

It was the beginning of the end that would see one of the biggest rock bands break up. Adler had already been pushed out in 1990, and while the rest of the group persevered – with a changing line-up – disagreements continued to boil, with Rose acting like a tyrant, showing up late for shows, and throwing temper tantrums on stage. Until one night, according to Slash and McKagan, they signed away the rights to the band’s name as Rose refused to get on stage otherwise. The iconic group had become a sinking ship, and the original members went their separate ways after 1993. Rose even skipped the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2012 so he wouldn’t have to see his former bandmates. 

The stuff of legend: The iconic band’s legacy remained 

Despite their ugly breakup, the band’s legacy remained and kept the legend of the original group alive. Their influence surpassed the constraints of the music world and even made it into fashion, lifestyle, and games. Mainstream stores started selling t-shirts and merchandise with the band’s iconic logo, while the game industry made use of their tunes in different genres. With “Guitar Hero Legends of Rock”, fans were able to virtually step into the shoes of the iconic musicians and play Slash’s epic riffs on a fake guitar, while Slash himself created a pinball machine featuring the band and their music. The band’s legacy even filtered through to the world of casino games, inspiring the creation of an online slot. The site features a wide variety of slots that make use of different themes and mottos to appeal to players of all kinds. Thanks to reviews and rankings by experts, players can find the best platform to play on that offers popular online slots such as the “Guns N’ Roses Video Slots”. It brings the iconic band and their songs onto the reels and shows how far the band’s legacy reached. 

Rosy future ahead: The reunion of the century 

Not even fans would have suspected it, let alone Rose himself – after all, he was the one who had said the band would never reunite – but in 2016 the unimaginable happened and Slash and McKagan joined the band for a tour: the “Not In This Lifetime… Tour” that saw them playing on stages across the world until 2019, grossing over $580 million. Now, for the first time in 28 years, the original bandmates Rose, Slash and McKagan announced their new “Hard Skool” EP which will hit shelves in February next year. With more tour dates planned for the next years, it’s official: Guns N’ Roses are back. For good?

Guns N’ Roses have had a rough going in the past, with many ups and downs, major successes, and a painful breakup – but also a joyous reunion and more shows and new music on the horizon. We don’t know what the band’s future might hold, but one thing is for certain: their legacy will continue. 



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