Mars Volta Deloused in the Comatorium -> Son et Lumiere + Inertiatic. Such an amazing beginning to an amazing album.

Bring Me the Horizon's "Crucify Me" at the beginning of "There is a Hell...." is pretty epic. Love the way it starts instrumentally, and his opening scream of "Crucify me" is just so strong.

Saosin's "It's Far Better to Learn" from their s/t'd has a pretty sweet drum piece going for it.

Silverstein's "The Fire" from Shipwreck is pretty sick as well

some of my favorites :
Brendan Rivera - "Intro" into this song

it just sets the tone of a perfect "summer" album

Thursday - For A Workforce, Drowning

i remember being excited as fuck when i first listened to it, i have a boner for these "in your face" openers

AFI - Miseria Cantare

Polar Bear Club's Pawner
The Wonder Years' Came Out Swinging

Thunder Road.

Eruption. Wasn't alive at the time to really appreciate it, but my father talks all the time about how it altered his perception of guitar playing. That album is fantastic, I love Van Halen.

Sun Kil Moon - "Lost Verses" from April
Animal Collective - "Leaf House" from Sung Tongs
Japandroids - "The Boys Are Leaving Town" from Post-Nothing
Modest Mouse - "3rd Planet" from The Moon and Antarctica
Smashing Pumpkins - "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Twilight Sad - "Cold Days from the Birdhouse" from Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters
Titus Andronicus - "A More Perfect Union" from The Monitor
Wilco - "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Polar Bear Club's Pawner
The Wonder Years' Came Out Swinging

Your second one should have been on my list. Such a great pop-punk opener. No regrets.

Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road. Just so fucking good.

Jack's Mannequin - Holiday From Real. I wouldnt say its the best song on the album but it's up there. It kinda plays like the opening number to a musical, it sets the scene for everything to come. Also it was such a shift from North.

Lydia - This Is Twice Now. I love this album, this song is beautiful.

Say Anything - Belt. No brainer.

the dangerous summer - where i want to be
the dangerous summer - war paint
the used - maybe memories
the wonder years - came out swinging
a day to remember - fast forward to 2012
every time i die - romeo a go-go
taking back sunday - you know how i do

Saosin - It's Far Better To Learn
The first track of every ETID album.

Daphne Loves Derby - Are These Chords Enough, Dear?

Frank Turner - "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous." The first song I ever heard by Frank, when he performed it acoustically to open up for The Gaslight Anthem. I knew right then and there that he would soon be one of my favorite artists. Such consummate storytelling, delivered with amazing passion to boot.

Also, even though I doubt anyone has heard it, I'll offer up Andy McKee - "Joyland" as well. I'm continually floored by how McKee takes a kitschy carnival-esque melody and turns it into something so spellbindingly beautiful. The strings that come in around the minute mark only make it more so.

Blink 182 - American Idiot, and Britney Spears Baby One More time was a great opener and introduction to her. There are so many but these are definitely my favourites.

Interpol - "Untitled" (Turn On The Bright Lights)

I love how sparse and "cold" it feels. Really builds this tense air and sense of anticipation into the record. Rather than pulling you in, it seems to drag you in whether you like it or not.

Radiohead - "Everything In Its Right Place" (Kid A)

That sound. It's able to sound like the most soothing yet most eerie/haunting tone in a set of notes and I love it for that reason.

Bombay Bicycle Club - "Emergency Contraception Blues" (I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose)

An instrumental opener which is just walls of sound and noise, full of energy. Gears you up nicely for the record. Also love the way this and final track, "The Giantess", seal the album up with the same final riff.

The Smiths - "The Queen Is Dead" (The Queen Is Dead)

The World War I song to intro it and the the almost tribal drums roll and roll before the unmistakeable combination of Marr and Morrissey takes over.

Death Cab For Cutie - "Steadier Footing" (The Photo Album)

Most of my favourites tend to be in some way eerie or haunting or even melancholy. This falls under the latter of those caetgories more so but has always been a track I could listen to on repeat for that exact reason. The way it transitions into the rolling drums of "A Movie Script Ending" is also one of my favourite segways.

All Downhill From Here off NFG's Catalyst comes to mind.