Appetite For Destruction tops the poll compiled by HMV and magazines Metal Hammer and Classic Rock.

Although Led Zeppelin are runners up, they are one of just two UK bands in the top ten.

Zeppelin's 1971 album IV gives them the number two spot, while their Physical Graffiti release from 1975 stands at number eight in the survey of music fans.

The other UK entry is Paranoid by Black Sabbath, whose lead singer Ozzy Osbourne has gone on to become rock royalty after featuring in a fly-on-the-wall show for MTV.

G N' R's Appetite album caused outrage when released in 1987 with its strong language making it among the first to carry warnings about explicit lyrics. The original cover design which featured a woman who appeared to have been raped by a robot was barred by many record chains. It was eventually withdrawn and given a new sleeve.

Mark Steadman, HMV's rock & metal specialist said: "There can be little argument with Appetite at number one. Guns N' Roses kick-started the whole genre in the late-Eighties by making rock n' roll unruly and cool again."

"The Gunners brought together old and new metal fans along with disillusioned indie and rock kids to bring the music back to the top again. Since then there has been little looking back."

American-Armenian band System Of A Down are the highest contemporary act with their Toxicity album landing at number three. Nearly half the 100 were recorded in the Nineties, while just two from the sixties are included - Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (95) and Led Zeppelin's debut album (70).

Just a third of the albums were made by UK acts, while 63 were made by US artists.

Chris Ingham, editor of Metal Hammer, said: "It's interesting to note that there are almost no female fronted or all girl groups in the Top 100. Hole, Kittie, Manhole, Otep - or classic acts like Vixen, Wendy O. Williams and Joan Jett - have failed to register any significant votes. Whether this is down to simple songwriting quality or a more basic chauvinism in male rock fans is a debate that will no doubt continue around pub tables the land over."

The top ten of the HMV, Metal Hammer and Classic Rock Poll:

1. Appetite For Destruction: Guns N' Roses
2. IV: Led Zeppelin
3. Toxicity: System of A Down
4. Master of Puppets: Metallica
5. Nevermind: Nirvana
6. Back In Black: AC/DC
7. Reign In Blood: Slayer.
8. Physical Graffiti: Led Zeppelin
9. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
10. Korn: Korn