If you could dump a few scoops of Black Sabbath and a few scoops of Nirvana in a blender, add a smidge of Pantera’s heaviness and a pinch of Led Zeppelin’s melodic sensibility, you might have something like Alice in Chains.
People called them grunge because they came from Seattle, but they’re goddamn hard-hitting at times, and also serene at times, so I don’t know, maybe more of a “melodic grungey hard rock”?
One catch to that description: Their singer Layne Stayley sounds like nobody else, and as much as I like to focus on what the rest of the band is doing, Layne is AIC’s magic ingredient. Too clean to be “scratchy,” too scratchy to be “clean,” his voice soars over this music like a big black cloud dumping sad raindrops all over your fat head! And I mean that in a good way. His lyrics seem to me like an exploration of inner pain, depression, and addiction, and they do their part in adding to the haunting vibe coming out of him. Heavy stuff for heavy music.
The other key to AIC is that they aren’t heavy ALL the time. Maybe 80% of the time. Layne might change to a more uplifting tone, or the song might change to more delicate instrumentation. It’s always effective with this band. They handle dynamics in their own AIC-like way.
Oh, by the way, guitarist/backup singer Jerry Cantrell is a damn good songwriter and can play a mean solo. The drums (Sean Kinney) and bass (Mike Starr, then Mike Inez) are well-played. I mean, fuck, this band is just really good! Why does this intro sound so goddamn serious?! Alice in Chains rocks, dude!
They didn’t last long, though. They quit in 1996, and Layne died in 2002. The band started up again in 2005 with new singer William DuVall, who sounds an awful lot like Layne, and released three new albums to date.
Library-wise, it’s a neat little package over the Layne years: heavy loud album, lighter side album, heavy loud album, lighter side album, heavy loud album, then a live lighter side album. It’s certainly not all perfect, but when you put it all together, there’s a solid chunk of classic, timeless material offered up.
Facelift
1990
7 dogs who get beat out of 10
This debut is frontloaded with three monster songs, “We Die Young,” the radio smash “Man in the Box,” and “Sea of Sorrow.” It’s big fat heavy metal with a more interesting singer than most heavy metal bands. And goddamn do these songs hit hard and sound huge. You wanna talk about a band that’s IN THE GROOVE? You can’t record this material any better. Hey, does Jerry Cantrell get enough credit? His solos give Jimmy Page a run for his money, going around the world and back, unhinged at times and sparkling with precision other times. Oh, so by the way, “Man in the Box” is fucking great.
You gotta be careful with metal this heavy, though, because this album does start to drag. The other songs are good but don’t do much to stand out. There’s a couple bits of funk rock, but they end up in the same heavy place anyway. It’s compact music, roaring guitar and powerful vocals and heavy drumming, not a lot of open spaces. And this band doesn’t mess around with dumb throwaway tracks. It’s wall-to-wall rocking.
Sap
1992
6 tortured brains out of 10
Come on out to “Rockers Around a Campfire, Part 1.” Bring the acoustics, bring the bongos, bring Ann Wilson from Heart, bring Chris Cornell from Soundgarden, bring Mark Arm from Mudhoney. This four-song EP is a cute little showcase of Alice in Chains’ lighter side. It seems haphazardly conceived but skillfully executed, a sort of acoustic EP even though there’s electric guitar on overdrive through a lot of it.
“Got Me Wrong” is a great song, upbeat by AIC standards. I’d call the chorus a little poppy if the last note didn’t fall off a cliff (and I mean that in a good, Layne Staley kinda way). But what I love is how they extend the second chorus into this really uplifting key change (I think?). It’s sneaky smart songwriting.
“Brother” is a somber little song with acoustic guitar through a chorus pedal (Maybe? What the hell do I know?), Jerry Cantrell doing the lead vocals, and Ann Wilson joining in (and it does sound good, but it’s certainly an odd mix to hear her on an AIC song). The song basically has two parts, but people friggin’ love it.
“Right Turn” is ironically where the EP takes a wrong turn, campfire guitar eventually morphing into a Layne vs. Chris sing-off. And “Am I Inside” is more moody stuff, bongos, piano, another team effort on vocals, and it’s campire as fuck.
In a time when Sap was the only way to hear “Got Me Wrong,” it was a worthy enough purchase.
Dirt
1992
9 big mistakes out of 10
The second full-length album rocks as hard as the first, more dark tones and sad themes, but with crystal clear sound, more musical definition, and a newfound ability to loosen up on the constant heaviness.
“Them Bones” is a mean heavy rocker if there ever was one, with a tight pounding section that suddenly releases into a wide open, spacey, one-line chorus, then right back to the heavy shit.
We’ve got hits galore here, “Down in a Hole,” “Rooster,” “Angry Chair,” and the scathing, rumbling, low-end big boss of songs, “Would?” They all have nice picky guitar lines that really breathe in the open spaces of slower rhythms. They all have their distinct, infectious melodies, with Layne being Layne and Jerry harmonizing and fuck it’s great.
And on an album full of dark songs, “Rain When I Die” deserves mention as the darkest, taking these quick turns down ugly dark corridors of melodic dread.
There isn’t a mediocre song on here. The ones I didn’t mention all rock, pulling from the AIC heaviness formula but with nice touches, like a drummer sticking in these airy fills that are more the jazzy “a-crack-a-tingidy-ting-ting” variety instead the metal “boom-ba-boom-ba-BOOM-BOOM” you’d expect. This band is known more for their songwriting than their musicianship, but this album displays their craftiness and focus well. This album sounds great loud!
Jar of Flies
1994
8 forgotten women and lost friends out of 10
Rockers Around the Campfire, Part 2. Seven songs, 30 minutes, lots of catchy tunes, lots of talent on display, but not necessarily a cohesive experience front to back.
It’s another “light but not really acoustic” offering. There’s certainly lots of production put into these tracks, with double vocals and electric guitar overdubs, and the core guitar is treated with some chorus pedal or some such doohickey, maybe a 12-string in there at some point? The bass and drums, while intricately played, sound pretty low in the mix.
“No Excuses” might have the finest moments on here, a cool bopping rhythm with delicate, full chords and an awesome vocal line. There’s the moody “Nutshell,” a really nice song that doesn’t feel quite fully developed. “I Stay Away” creeps up on you before some of Layne’s empassioned vocals soar over it along with a friggin’ string section. “Don’t Follow” sure is catchy and even more campfiery than the rest, but it also seems kinda rushed out the door.
This isn’t all put together expertly or perfectly recorded. But catchy? Groovy? Fun? Fuck yes! I suppose I’m grading on the curve of the EP format for this one, but hey, it’s a winner!
Alice In Chains
1995
7 discolored skins out of 10
I guess they couldn’t top Dirt, so they didn’t really try. This whole album is coated in muddy, weighty production, with bassy fuzz on the guitar and lots of distorted vocals. It sounds appropriate on the first song “Grind” with its slow-stomping opening, but it becomes a wet blanket as the album continues on. There’s even some really stilted drum fills. Maybe they were going for an edgy, dirty vibe?
There’s still awesome songs, no doubt about it. “Sludge Factory” hits hard as it tightens and loosens and soars into elongated Layne wails. “Heaven Beside You” is a Jar of Flies-style mix of hooky acoustic guitar and nice electric licks. “Again” charges at you and beats you down with heavy beats and ends on a great layering of screamy vocal lines. “Frogs” creeps along for eight dark minutes. And “Over Now” is as feel-good as this band gets, beautiful little guitar licks and clean vocals from Jerry, at least until the thing slows into a long “we don’t have an ending so we’ll go until we get tired” sequence.
It’s a tough album to rate. Great songs mucked up by murky production. If only we could hear all of AIC’s greatness in an optimal format. If only…
Unplugged
1996
10 shadows dancing everywhere out of 10
Sometimes the sweetest stories are the most unexpected. WHO KNEW what a great recording this band would get out of the potentially cheesy, potentially over-exposing MTV Unplugged show?
It’s acoustic by the book, strings played with precision and soul, Layne at midway intensity, full drumset but not too loud, and it just works. The “live-isms” like string scratches and variance in the vocal delivery work beautifully.
You know what song really shines in this performance? ALL OF THEM! Every last song is great! It’s all the best AIC songs except for the super heavy ones. Four from Dirt, four from the self-titled album, two from Sap, two from Jar of Flies, and one new song, “The Killer Is Me,” totalling 71 minutes of audio pleasure.
“Nutshell” and “Brother” float with effortless grace. “No Excuses” pops. “Sludge Factory” dances, and the opening wordless vocals are 100 times warmer than the studio version. “Down in a Hole” weeps. “Angry Chair” whines with newfound depth. “Rooster” is fucking gorgeous. “Got Me Wrong” rides waves and features great little guitar licks and vocal harmonies. “Heaven Beside You,” “Would?” “Frogs,” and “Over Now” … they’re all great, but I’m out of words. If you haven’t checked it out, do it now!
Live
2000
6 dudes in Dallas out of 10
Released before Layne Staley died but after the band quit, this live album might serve devoted AIC fans, but the rest of us won’t find anything too special about it. The sound is just okay, the performances are just okay, and the song selection is just okay. It’s mostly rocking, big loud rock concert kind of stuff, including a few of the hits like “Man in the Box,” “Rooster,” “Would?” and “Angry Chair.” It’s put together from three shows in 1990, 1993, and 1996, including the last show Layne ever did. It’s still Alice in Chains, and it’s still good, but there’s a reason you don’t hear people talk up this album too much.
Published October 2021