Best Hard Rock Anthem of Our Generation: Round 1

Okay folks, we're all ready to once-and-for-all decide which song is the greatest hard rock anthem of our generation. (For details and background, click here.) There have been some changes to the 32 songs in the bracket, and thanks go out to those who posted comments.

And what better time to start the voting than on the release date of the first single off of GNR's fourteen-years-in-the-making Chinese Democracy (aptly named "Chinese Democracy," which you can hear here), and the day that the release date of Chinese Democracy has been announced (11/23, exclusively at Best Buy, for those interested; click here to pre-order). Who knows, if it had been released on time, some of its songs might very well be on the list. But I digress.

Here is how the voting will work. I will go down the following list, giving each match-up 24 hours during which you will vote for which song you think is the better hard rock anthem for our generation (defined narrowly as those who graduated high school between 1994 and 1998). To vote, simply see the poll on the sidebar below the website counter. Due to limitations in the space-time continuum, I will not be able to post a new poll every day, but rest assured, each poll will only be given 24 hours of voting time. With each new poll, I will post up-to-date results.

I have seeded the songs from 1-32 based on a combination of my perceptions as to how people might vote and my own likes and dislikes. If you don't like how a song is seeded, too bad. I'm sure there will be disagreement as to which song deserved to be seeded 14 over another, but presumably the best anthem will win out no matter who it's up against and the wheat will be separated from the chaff.

So, without further ado, here are the matchups, with Enter Sandman vs. Give It Away in the first poll. Please remember that this may be the single most important voting event of the year. I'm counting on you to be diligent and fair. And . . . go!

1. Enter Sandman by Metallica (1991)
32. Give It Away by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991)

16. Come Out and Play by The Offspring (1994)
17. Longview by Green Day (1994)

9. Welcome To The Jungle by Guns N' Roses (1987)
24. Sabotage by The Beastie Boys (1994)

8. Here I Go Again by Whitesnake (1987)
25. Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots (1994)

5. November Rain by Guns N' Roses (1991)
28. My Hero by Foo Fighters (1997)

12. Closer by Nine Inch Nails (1994)
21. Right Now by Van Halen (1991)

13. Are You Gonna Go My Way? By Lenny Kravitz (1993)
20. Hard to Handle by The Black Crowes (1990)

4. Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard (1987)
29. Epic by Faith No More (1989)

3. Livin' On a Prayer by Bon Jovi (1986)
30. Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson (1996)

14. Loser by Beck (1994)
19. You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette (1995)

11. Plush by Stone Temple Pilots (1992)
22. More Human Than Human by White Zombie (1995)

6. Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses (1987)
27. Violet by Hole (1994)

7. Even Flow by Pearl Jam (1991)
26. Today by Smashing Pumpkins (1993)

10. Mother by Danzig (1993)
23. Cult of Personality by Living Colour (1988)

15. Killing in the Name Of by Rage Against the Machine (1992)
18. Creep by Radiohead (1993)

2. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana (1991)
31. Dammit by Blink 182 (1997)