| ALICE IN CHAINS |
| Alice In Chains mixed Black Sabbath's riffing style with unconventional vocals and strong songwriting which produced a unique metal sound. The band is aclaimed for having created classic hits like "I Stay Away" and "Would". Songs like these pushed along the lagging metal scene which has been in transition since the late 80's. |
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| Featured Artist |
| - Alice In Chains - Black Sabbath - Doors, The - Green River - Led Zeppelin - Mudhoney - Metallica - Nirvana - Pearl Jam - Screaming Trees - Smashing Pumpkins - Sonic Youth - Soundgarden - Temple Of The Dog |
| The band then released "Sap" a mini-album which featured guest from Soundgarden and Mudhoney. The band's lable felt that they could now safely boost Alice In Chains's sales by marketing them as a grunge band. The band's second, darker album, "Dirt", proved Alice In Chain's ability to follow up their debut album with a fresh sound. The album was more personal than their first, specifically songs like "Rooster" which delt with Cantrell's father's Vietnam War experiences. Other songs refer to Staley's past heroin problems, a common addiction in the Seatlle scene. "Dirt" was named album of the year in many heavy metal magazines (ArtistDirect). In early 1994, "Jar Of Flies" became the first EP to top the U.S. album charts, debuting at number 1. This is the last album Alice In Chains would release for a few years and rumors circulated that AIC had split. These rumors were further entertained when Alice In Chains appearence at Woodstock II was canceled citing further "Heath Problems." |
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| The band was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by four friends who had met at a party. Layne Staley was on vocals, Jerry Cantrell sang back up vocals and played lead guitar with Mike Starr on base and Sean Kinney on drums. After dispensing their early band name, "F***", they became Alice In Chains, a name invented by Staley for "a parody heavy metal band that dressed in drag". Their first album, Facelift, received excellent reviews, but took off slowly. After touring with acts like Van Halen and Slayer, the album became more popular with the general public. "Man In The Box" became an MTV favorite and the album went Gold in the autumn of 1991, just as Nirvana's success began to take headline news. |
| Layne began work on a side project which was called by some to be the "Seattle Supergroup" since it contained members from many of the best bands in Seattle at the time. The band's name was "Mad Season" and also contained members Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Barrett Martin from Screaming Trees. |
| Despite rumors that Alice In Chains had broken up, the band released the self titled album "Alice In Chains" in 1995. The album continues along the path that Seattle is known for, singing about inner turmoil and real personal hells. In 1996, "Grind" and "Again" were both nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance. In 1996 the band performed their first concert in over three years, and unplugged special for MTV. Although it is not the first AIC Unplugged session, it is the first MTV sanctioned one. Songs from "Jar Of Flies" and "Sap" are both low key, mostly acoustic outings that achieved a similar vibe without the benifit of an MTV appearence. Alice In Chains has maintained a fairly persistant release schedual considering the bands very existance is in question. A couple of new releases have come out in the last few years. Hardcore fans will likely prefer the "Nothing Safe: Best Of The Box" while moderate fans will be satisfied with the "Greatest Hits" and "Live" albums. On April 20th, 2002, the body of lead singer Lane Staley was found in his home dead of a drug overdose. It is said that Lane died the same day that Kurt Cobain comited suicide. Strange, yes? R.I.P. Lane Staley. |