Alice in Chains

This is definitely the most morose and utterly depressing album that AIC has ever put out, but there is some real musical genius going on here. Layne Staley’s drug addiction has all but turned him into a shadow of his former self, yet somehow he managed to get his voice in proper shape to deliver another stellar performance. However, unlike on the other releases preceding this one, Jerry Cantrell has assumed the role of reluctant front man. Although some fans of Alice In Chains may not have fully taken to Jerry’s increased vocal presence, the precedent set on this album would serve him well as he embarked on a rather brilliant solo career after this band split.

The two true highlights of this album, ironically, are two of the most well-known. “Grind” contains a lot of spooky sounding lead riffs over top a thudding guitar and bass drone. The vocals are a bit disjointed, as Layne Staley has thrown some distortion onto his vocal track, while Jerry Cantrell keeps his track clean. But it all meshes together beautifully; further complemented by one of my two favorite Cantrell solos of all time. “Heaven beside You” has a large collection of guitar tracks, all of them creating a sort of collage of riffs, one on top of the other. Cantrell dominates this song both vocally and musically, and what results is a highly catchy, yet gloomy slower song.

Songs that highlight Layne Staley’s singing include “Brush Away”, “Sludge Factory” and “Again”. The first is a short and dreary rocker with a rather spooky sounding main riff. The second is a bit overlong, but is heavy as hell and highlights one of the most twisted sounding vocal harmonies that AIC has put together. “Again” is a catchy mid-tempo song with a very simple, yet quite powerful driving guitar line.

The rest of the songs on here are solid, though some are a bit longer than they need to be. “Frogs” is the darkest sounding track on here, in addition to the longest, and is spearheaded by some more twisted vocal harmonies and gloomy sounding lead breaks. “Shame in You” is a slow rocker with a more laid back feel and some strangely pleasant sounding vocal harmonies. “Over Now” is another long track that almost seems to be taken from their EP material, as it is mostly acoustic and sounds heavily blues influenced.

As the last full length release by this esteemed Seattle quartet, this was a departure on a high note. It's not quite the masterpiece that "Facelift" was, but it carries many essential listening for the fan of Alice in Chains more Sabbath inspired brand of Metal/Grunge. The band has recently reformed and may record another album, and although it may not be the same without Layne, I'm quite optimistic. Though probably not an opinion that will sit well with everyone, I argue that Jerry Cantrell was the driving force behind this band and that he will continue to make it the great experience that it was.


Later submitted to (www.metal-observer.com) on August 19, 2008.