Members of Escape The Fate, Asking Alexandria and more comment on Guns N' Roses

Artistdirect has published a massive feature in which bands talk about the influence of Guns N' Roses–or more directly, the band's debut Appetite For Destruction. Here are some highlights:

“Robert Ortiz of Escape The Fate: Are you kidding me? Guns N' Roses is everything. They've been my favorite band since I was born. Appetite for Destruction is hands down the best rock album ever made. There is no argument; this is simply a fact. It is the second best overall album ever made just behind Michael Jackson's Thriller. This band is the perfect blend of everything you could possibly need in a musical group. The way they look is the perfect complement to how they sound. They're really cool and styling, but they're dirty and honest at the same time. It's why they were so huge. It's why you can show them to a young kid who is far removed from the era of listening to cassette tapes and he won't think it's old people music. They were controversial without having to think about being controversial. They were badass, and girls thought they were hot. The most important thing about Guns 'n Roses is that they never, ever compromised. They spared no expense and didn't care what you thought. “November” Rain is my favorite song. Imagine a nine-minute epic song being a hit radio single. In an era where music videos could be made for millions of dollars and make an artist millions of dollars, no one came close to what they created. I've been all over the world, heard thousands upon thousands of songs and seeing countless concerts, but watching Slash walk out of the little chapel in the middle of the desert to play the best solo of all time is still the coolest thing I've ever seen. I still watch that video and it takes me back into a place of wonder. I lose all sense of reality and never want to leave that vibe, like being a child. This band is magical. While I wasn't trying to look like Slash—I was actually going for Michael Jackson—he gave me the confidence to be who I am and embrace my curly hair and say, “Fuck it”. I don't mind being told I look like him.

P.S. How can I get into the induction ceremony? Fuck yeah!

Joel Birch of The Amity Affliction: I was about eight-years-old and riding the bus to school with some kids who were in high school at the time and one of them was rocking the shirt with the two guns and the roses on it—the one that all the hipster fucks wear these days. I was staring at it, and so the kid gave me his Walkman and he had Guns N' Roses playing on a mix tape that he'd made. Funnily enough that's how I discovered Metallica and Megadeth as well. It was quite the mix tape. I thought it was amazing. It was so epic. When you're eight-years-old and you go from listening to Frank Sinatra and those shitty compilations like Best of the 50s and shit like that to hearing something as heavy as Guns N' Roses were back then, it was mind blowing. I don't know why, but I loved how pissed-off the music sounded. When that was coupled with how they presented themselves, I thought they were the coolest motherfuckers I'd ever seen [Laughs]. My best memories are probably smoking my first cigarette, smoking my first joint and just hanging out with my deadbeat mate up the road for about five years just listening to the same records. They're only the best memories because they're funny [Laughs]. I don't smoke weed or cigarettes, but for some reason when I was ten-years-old, I thought they were both cool as fuck!

Ben Bruce of Asking Alexandria: I remember I was probably about 12-years-old, and my stepdad started introducing me to a lot of different rock bands such as The Scorpions, Deep Purple and, obviously, Guns N' Roses. I fell in love with Appetite for Destruction. To this day, I still believe it to be one of rock's best albums. The raw energy, the aggression and the complete lack of care or respect for anything other than themselves that seemed to pour from the album really hit me hard. It was around this time that I truly started working hard on guitar and songwriting. My best memory to date is definitely playing with them in New Jersey this year. Opening up for Guns N' Roses was just an insane experience that I will never forget.”

Read the rest of the feature here.