Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains was formed in 1987 as a heavy metal band, characterized by a very dark and gloomy sound. After releasing their first EP entitled "We Die Young" and their first full length record, "Facelift", AiC started to become give themselves more of an alternative sound, although they were still just as dark. They released the all-acoustic EP "Sap" in 1992, followed in the same year with "Dirt", which went multi-platinum. In 1993, they released "Jar of Flies", another acoustic EP (and the first EP ever to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200). Around the same time, problems within the band (caused mostly by lead singer Layne Stayley's heroin addiction) caused them to stop touring. In 1995, they released their self-titled album, and in 1996 they did their first concert in three years (for an MTV Unplugged show), which was recorded and released as an album. They have not officially broken up, but they have not put out an album since 1996; their lead guitarist, Jerry Cantrell, has released a solo album since then, and Staley recently worked with Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine on a cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall", which appeared on The Faculty soundtrack.
Album reviews (I only review the ones that I own)
Sap: **1/2 of five stars
This is AiC's first attempt at acoustic work. It is a four-song EP (with one secret track). I personally don't think it's that great, although it features "Got Me Wrong", which is one of the band's better songs. The only other song on this CD worth listening to, in my opinion, is "Brother". Both of these songs are pretty cool, but you might want to listen to the album before you buy it... I personally don't think it's worth the $8 that I spent.
Dirt: ****1/2 of five stars
This very dark album is also one of AiC's best. It features some of their greatest hits, such as "Them Bones", "Down in a Hole", "Rooster", "Angry Chair", and "Would?", along with some other cool songs such as "Dam That River", "Rain When I Die", and more. This one is definately worth checking out if you like Alice in Chains.
Jar of Flies: **** of five stars
Alice in Chains' second attempt at an acoustic album works out pretty well. Every song on this seven-track EP is worth listening to, I think. The best include the very dark "Rotten Apple", along with "No Excuses" and "I Stay Away". This is another album that's worth checking out.
Alice in Chains: **** of five stars
I doubt that most people will agree with my acclaim of this album. It is very heavy and dark, and a lot of the songs are pretty unique, such as "Sludge Factory" and "Again". Other noteworthy songs are "Grind", "Brush Away", and "Head Creeps", along with the softer tracks, "Heaven Beside You" and "Over Now". Again, I recommend that you try this album out.
Alice in Chains MTV Unplugged: ****1/2 of five stars
If you are going to buy one Alice in Chains record, you should buy this one since it has most of their good songs. Many of the songs sound better on this album such as "Down in a Hole", "Got Me Wrong", "Heaven Beside You", and "Over Now". Harder songs such as "Angry Chair", "Rooster", "Sludge Factory", and "Would?" sound different (but not bad), while others, such as "Nutshell", "Brother", and "No Excuses" sound almost the same as on the other records. This album also features a new song, "Killer is Me". I strongly recommend that you try out this album.
Back
If you have Microsoft Internet Explorer, you should be hearing the MIDI version of "Got Me Wrong" by Alice in Chains.