The heavy guitars here sound more metal than grunge, further enhancing their crossover appeal.
Next up is “Dam That River”, which is another odd time song and is in possession of a killer main riff. The rhythm section of Inez and Kinney just keeps things perfectly solid and what we end up with is one of the most successful rock tracks of the early 90s. The effect is wonderful, and is a signature of the AIC sound. Opening with the furious “Them Bones”, this odd time song is wonderfully accessible and offers the first insight into Staley and Cantrell’s haunting double lead vocal harmony lines. With their seminal album “Dirt”, the band bridged that maligned musical gap between grunge and metal, and really took the world by storm.Ĭomprised of singer Layne Staley (RIP), guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney, the band hit their stride straight away. However, one band had that crossover appeal into metal and with their dark, brooding lyrics and melodies, became the thinking man’s grunge band. Plenty of bands came out of that Seattle hotbed in the early 90s, including Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. It was a huge blow to the industry and many prominent bands recorded songs as odes to Staley.Īfter extended inactivity, the band recruited Comes To The Fall frontman William DuVall to replace Staley (CTTF was also Cantrell’s solo project band at the time) and have released three successful studio albums since his inclusion.I always thought that grunge was an interesting concept. The band’s frontman, Layne Staley, suffered throughout his life from depression and substance abuse, which eventually took his life in 2002. Cantrell believes it to be heavy metal and indeed a lot of modern heavy metal bands cite Alice in Chains as an influence, including Metallica for Death Magnetic. Cantrell also serves as the primary songwriter and guitarist of the band. Their unique sound comes from the harmonized vocals of co-founders Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell, as showcased in some of their biggest songs like “No Excuses” from Jar of Flies, “Angry Chair” from Dirt and “Again” from the self-titled album. Their first 3 studio albums all went multi-platinum and they have received 8 Grammy nominations for Best Hard Rock performance (sadly, never winning once). They are one of the most critically and commercially acclaimed acts of the 90s. They rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part of the ‘grunge’ movement. Alice in Chains are a Seattle-based rock band.
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