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Track List
01) Grind
02) Brush Away
03) Sludge Factory
04) Heaven Beside You
05) Head Creeps
06) Again
07) Shame in You
08) God Am
09) So Close
10) Nothin' Song
11) Frogs
12) Over Now
01) Grind
02) Brush Away
03) Sludge Factory
04) Heaven Beside You
05) Head Creeps
06) Again
07) Shame in You
08) God Am
09) So Close
10) Nothin' Song
11) Frogs
12) Over Now
4:45
3:22
7:12
5:27
6:28
4:05
5:35
4:07
2:45
5:40
8:18
7:03
Data Complete
90%
Total Rating
90%Total Rating
(1 users)
Back Cover
CD Art
3D Case
3D Thumb
3D Flat
3D Face
3D Spine
First Released
1995
Alternative Metal
Gritty
Rock/Pop
---
Medium
Album
3,000,000 copies
Album Description
Available in:
Alice in Chains is the eponymous third studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains. Released on November 7, 1995, it was the follow-up to the highly successful Dirt. Similar to Dirt the album's songs focus on heavy subject matter such as depression, isolation, drug use, anger and death. The album relies less on metallic riffs and more on melody and texturally varied arrangements than the group's previous full-length albums, finally integrating some of the more delicate acoustic moods of their EPs. It marks the band's last studio album to feature vocalist Layne Staley (who would die of a drug overdose in 2002) and the last until Black Gives Way to Blue was released in 2009 featuring new vocalist William DuVall. The album has been certified two-times platinum by the RIAA and has sold 3 million copies worldwide. After the release of Jar of Flies, vocalist Layne Staley entered rehab for heroin addiction. The band had been scheduled to tour during the summer of 1994 with Metallica, Suicidal Tendencies, Danzig and Fight, but while in rehearsal for the tour, Staley began using heroin again. Staley's condition prompted the other band members to cancel all scheduled dates one day before the start of the tour, putting the band on hiatus. They were replaced by Candlebox on the tour. While Alice in Chains was on hiatus, Staley joined the "grunge supergroup" Mad Season while guitarist Jerry Cantrell worked on material originally intended for a solo album. In January 1995, Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney began jamming on Cantrell's material. In the spring of 1995, Staley was invited back to join the band. Staley said that "we started to split apart and went different ways, and we felt like we were betraying each other."
In April 1995, Alice in Chains entered Bad Animals Studio in Seattle with producer Toby Wright, who had previously worked with Corrosion of Conformity and Slayer. Few of the songs on the album had been written before the sessions began, so Cantrell's material was used as a starting point. The band would then give the demo tapes to Staley so he could write lyrics. The album was finished in August 1995. Cantrell said, "It was often depressing, and getting it done felt like pulling hair out, but it was the fucking coolest thing, and I'm glad to have gone through it. I will cherish the memory forever," while Staley added, "I'll cherish it forever, too, just because this one I can remember doing."
During the recording of the album Staley was severely addicted to heroin and was often late or absent for recording and rehearsal sessions for the album. Cantrell said "...It was a really painful session because it took so long. It was horrifying to see in that condition. Yet, when he was cognizant, he was the sweetest, bright-eyed guy you'd ever want to meet. To be in a meeting with him and have him fall asleep in front of you was gut-wrenching."
While in the studio, a rough mix of the song "Grind" was leaked to radio, and received major airplay. On October 6, 1995, the band released the studio version of the song to radio via satellite uplink. The mockumentary, The Nona Tapes, features interview footage regarding the album.
User Album Review
Wow. If Dirt was the journey to alienation and abject hopelessness, then this is surely the destination. To say that there were serious problems in the Alice in Chains camp by 1995 would be a severe understatement: vocalist Layne Staley had been in rehab and relapsed into a heroin addiction, and inter-band relationships were at an all-time low. Drummer Sean Kinney even admitted that "If we had kept going, there was a good chance we would have self-destructed". In fact, such were the health issues of Staley in particular, he became a recluse after the release of this album, rarely appearing in public until his tragic, if inevitable, death from an overdose in 2002.
As the above paragraph emphasises, things were bleak for Alice in Chains by 1995. And this explains why the resultant self-titled album from the same year is the very epitome of depression, a virtual soundtrack to despondency. Its lyrics are less focused on addiction; the problem has taken root too deeply now to even be discussed in lyrics. No, the lyrics are the broken poetry of a hopeless addict. Seriously, read any of Staley's lyrics for this record and tell me they make any sense. That the line "Man, I nearly snapped my twig" makes it onto a metal album is a testament to Staley's mental state at the time of the making of this record.
But aside from their brilliant, broken lead singer, while the remaining members of AiC may have been addicts themselves, they could still compose some of the most original, enduring music of the 1990s, possibly of all time. The variation on display here is equally impressive, from the outright heaviness of "Sludge Factory" (one of my favourites from the band) to the soft acoustics, and twisted balladry of "Over Now" (another favourite). "Over Now" also carries a particular emotional weight to it, the Cantrell-penned lyrics and title implying him seeing the end of the band. Of course, he stated this may not have been the implication, but in his situation, I'd be thinking the end was in sight.
And that's just two songs. The overall standard of composition and performance throughout the album is incredible. Once again Alice deliver not just good singles but consistently high-standard deep cuts too. Take for example "Brush Away": while it may be the second track, it has an odd, almost disconnected quality, aided by Staley's abstract lyrics and Cantrell's slow, simple but distorted guitars. It's a compelling listen and one of many standouts. Another is the lengthy penultimate song, "Frogs". Opening with a sample of frogs from which the song gets its title, and sets an almost foreboding tone right from the outset. The lyrics here (as you can tell the weird, strung-out lyrics are the focal point of the album for me, odd as it sounds) seem to detail the loss of a friend. It's a dark, hopeless piece, and Staley's mournful intonation of "Why's it have to be this way?" during the chorus has to be one of the most depressing sounds I've ever heard.
The only downside to this album is the lack of a filter: if a couple of songs, like "God Am" or "Shame in You" were cut, this would be the same length as the first two and a comfortable 90%, but unfortunately, the ponderous, pointless "Shame in You" and the, well, stupid sounding "God Am" remain, and the score is high, but there's some stuff on here that, while not filler, as the album would remain a good length without it, just isn't up to the standard of the other songs.
And in a way, this is almost less depressing than Dirt for me. The lyrics no longer deal with addiction and other dark topics, they have instead embody these problems with their disjointed, nonsensical nature. But hell, it is more depressing than Dirt: this thing is a fucking monster. The only reason my score is higher for this is because I believe this to have stronger content musically, difficult as it may be to endure as a listening experience.
This is an album to retreat to in the darkest of times. It is depressing and disconsolate, it is a portrait of a broken man and a broken band. It doesn't get a lot of listens from me, but make no mistake: this is darkly brilliant.
SOURCE: https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Alice_in_Chains/Alice_in_Chains/3961/
External Album Reviews
None...
User Comments
Available in:
Alice in Chains is the eponymous third studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains. Released on November 7, 1995, it was the follow-up to the highly successful Dirt. Similar to Dirt the album's songs focus on heavy subject matter such as depression, isolation, drug use, anger and death. The album relies less on metallic riffs and more on melody and texturally varied arrangements than the group's previous full-length albums, finally integrating some of the more delicate acoustic moods of their EPs. It marks the band's last studio album to feature vocalist Layne Staley (who would die of a drug overdose in 2002) and the last until Black Gives Way to Blue was released in 2009 featuring new vocalist William DuVall. The album has been certified two-times platinum by the RIAA and has sold 3 million copies worldwide. After the release of Jar of Flies, vocalist Layne Staley entered rehab for heroin addiction. The band had been scheduled to tour during the summer of 1994 with Metallica, Suicidal Tendencies, Danzig and Fight, but while in rehearsal for the tour, Staley began using heroin again. Staley's condition prompted the other band members to cancel all scheduled dates one day before the start of the tour, putting the band on hiatus. They were replaced by Candlebox on the tour. While Alice in Chains was on hiatus, Staley joined the "grunge supergroup" Mad Season while guitarist Jerry Cantrell worked on material originally intended for a solo album. In January 1995, Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney began jamming on Cantrell's material. In the spring of 1995, Staley was invited back to join the band. Staley said that "we started to split apart and went different ways, and we felt like we were betraying each other."
In April 1995, Alice in Chains entered Bad Animals Studio in Seattle with producer Toby Wright, who had previously worked with Corrosion of Conformity and Slayer. Few of the songs on the album had been written before the sessions began, so Cantrell's material was used as a starting point. The band would then give the demo tapes to Staley so he could write lyrics. The album was finished in August 1995. Cantrell said, "It was often depressing, and getting it done felt like pulling hair out, but it was the fucking coolest thing, and I'm glad to have gone through it. I will cherish the memory forever," while Staley added, "I'll cherish it forever, too, just because this one I can remember doing."
During the recording of the album Staley was severely addicted to heroin and was often late or absent for recording and rehearsal sessions for the album. Cantrell said "...It was a really painful session because it took so long. It was horrifying to see in that condition. Yet, when he was cognizant, he was the sweetest, bright-eyed guy you'd ever want to meet. To be in a meeting with him and have him fall asleep in front of you was gut-wrenching."
While in the studio, a rough mix of the song "Grind" was leaked to radio, and received major airplay. On October 6, 1995, the band released the studio version of the song to radio via satellite uplink. The mockumentary, The Nona Tapes, features interview footage regarding the album.
User Album Review
Wow. If Dirt was the journey to alienation and abject hopelessness, then this is surely the destination. To say that there were serious problems in the Alice in Chains camp by 1995 would be a severe understatement: vocalist Layne Staley had been in rehab and relapsed into a heroin addiction, and inter-band relationships were at an all-time low. Drummer Sean Kinney even admitted that "If we had kept going, there was a good chance we would have self-destructed". In fact, such were the health issues of Staley in particular, he became a recluse after the release of this album, rarely appearing in public until his tragic, if inevitable, death from an overdose in 2002.
As the above paragraph emphasises, things were bleak for Alice in Chains by 1995. And this explains why the resultant self-titled album from the same year is the very epitome of depression, a virtual soundtrack to despondency. Its lyrics are less focused on addiction; the problem has taken root too deeply now to even be discussed in lyrics. No, the lyrics are the broken poetry of a hopeless addict. Seriously, read any of Staley's lyrics for this record and tell me they make any sense. That the line "Man, I nearly snapped my twig" makes it onto a metal album is a testament to Staley's mental state at the time of the making of this record.
But aside from their brilliant, broken lead singer, while the remaining members of AiC may have been addicts themselves, they could still compose some of the most original, enduring music of the 1990s, possibly of all time. The variation on display here is equally impressive, from the outright heaviness of "Sludge Factory" (one of my favourites from the band) to the soft acoustics, and twisted balladry of "Over Now" (another favourite). "Over Now" also carries a particular emotional weight to it, the Cantrell-penned lyrics and title implying him seeing the end of the band. Of course, he stated this may not have been the implication, but in his situation, I'd be thinking the end was in sight.
And that's just two songs. The overall standard of composition and performance throughout the album is incredible. Once again Alice deliver not just good singles but consistently high-standard deep cuts too. Take for example "Brush Away": while it may be the second track, it has an odd, almost disconnected quality, aided by Staley's abstract lyrics and Cantrell's slow, simple but distorted guitars. It's a compelling listen and one of many standouts. Another is the lengthy penultimate song, "Frogs". Opening with a sample of frogs from which the song gets its title, and sets an almost foreboding tone right from the outset. The lyrics here (as you can tell the weird, strung-out lyrics are the focal point of the album for me, odd as it sounds) seem to detail the loss of a friend. It's a dark, hopeless piece, and Staley's mournful intonation of "Why's it have to be this way?" during the chorus has to be one of the most depressing sounds I've ever heard.
The only downside to this album is the lack of a filter: if a couple of songs, like "God Am" or "Shame in You" were cut, this would be the same length as the first two and a comfortable 90%, but unfortunately, the ponderous, pointless "Shame in You" and the, well, stupid sounding "God Am" remain, and the score is high, but there's some stuff on here that, while not filler, as the album would remain a good length without it, just isn't up to the standard of the other songs.
And in a way, this is almost less depressing than Dirt for me. The lyrics no longer deal with addiction and other dark topics, they have instead embody these problems with their disjointed, nonsensical nature. But hell, it is more depressing than Dirt: this thing is a fucking monster. The only reason my score is higher for this is because I believe this to have stronger content musically, difficult as it may be to endure as a listening experience.
This is an album to retreat to in the darkest of times. It is depressing and disconsolate, it is a portrait of a broken man and a broken band. It doesn't get a lot of listens from me, but make no mistake: this is darkly brilliant.
SOURCE: https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Alice_in_Chains/Alice_in_Chains/3961/
External Album Reviews
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