To mark Metal Hammer magazine’s 30th birthday next month, we’re looking back at the past three decades of rock and metal to celebrate the best music on planet Earth. And what better place to start than with the best debut albums of the past 30 years?

We took a collective look back through our record collections to come up with the 30 greatest debuts of the last 30 years, and came up with one helluva list. From Sepultura to Death, Emperor to Machine Head, Babymetal to Mastodon – there have been some incredible first records over the years… but there’s one album that Hammer readers love the most.

In a poll posted on the Metal Hammer website over the weekend, readers have voted Guns N’ Roses’ 1987 record Appetite For Destruction as the best debut album of the last 30 years.

And it’s easy to see why. From the roaring opener Welcome To The Jungle, through My Michelle to the closing Rocket Queen, every song is a bona fide classic and a rock ‘n’ roll anthem. A record never bettered by the band themselves, and at almost 30 years old itself, still puts most rock bands to shame with its attitude, dexterity and hooks. You know every single word to every single song, even if you didn’t realise it.

The top ten debut albums of the last 30 years – as voted for by Metal Hammer readers – are as follows:

Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction Babymetal – Babymetal Slipknot – Slipknot Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine Bullet For My Valentine – The Poison Machine Head – Burn My Eyes System Of A Down – System Of A Down Morbid Angel – Altars Of Madness Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory Rammstein – Herzeleid



Keep your eyes peeled for more 30th birthday celebrations over the coming month. It’s gonna be biiiiiiig.

The 30 Greatest Metal Debut Albums Of The Last 30 Years