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Alice in Chains

 
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Alice in Chains

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"We don’t stuff our personal demons inside ourselves," explained Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley in a Rolling Stone interview. "We get them out. It’s therapeutic." The Seattle group has made a career of musical exorcism; known for its heavy, brooding sound and angst-ridden lyrics, Alice broke through in 1992 with Dirt, an album preoccupied with addiction and other trials of the soul. "At its best, live or on record," declared Ann Powers in Spin, "Alice in Chains hits the vein of the rock tradition that fearlessly confronts the most threatening end of the emotional spectrum."

Guitarist Jerry Cantrell—a Tacoma, Washington, college dropout who picked up the guitar at age 17, influenced primarily by heavy metal innovator Eddie Van Halen—met Staley in the late 1980s. The singer was working with other musicians at the time but maintained his association with Cantrell by allowing him to stay in his rehearsal space. "The place was open twenty-four hours," the guitarist recalled to Jeffrey Ressner of Rolling Stone, "and there were always bands

playing, chicks going in and out, beer and drugs everywhere, some really wild times." Cantrell wanted Staley to join the hard-rock band he had put together with drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr, but the vocalist was reluctant; he had plans for his own group, a funk-influenced act Cantrell agreed to join if Staley would reciprocate by singing in the guitarist’s band.

Borrowed "Joke" Name
The name Alice in Chains originally belonged to "a side project of my old group," Staley informed Ressner. "We were going to have this band that dressed in drag and played heavy metal as a joke." But Staley’s band fell apart, so Cantrell’s project ended up in sole possession of the name—originally Alice ’N’ Chains—as well as the singer’s achingly soulful and sinister vocals. The band gigged on the Northwest music circuit "for about a year and a half, just playing, and then we finally started gelling, as far as what we wanted to do musically," Cantrell told Rip magazine. During Alice’s maturation, the "Seattle Sound"—encompassing a wide range of styles but characterized by dense metallic guitars, post-punk attitude, and a certain experimentalism—took the record industry by storm. Bands like Mother Love Bone and Soundgarden turned their underground followings into lucrative record deals; Alice in Chains, too, signed with a major label, Columbia, in 1989. "They came to us at a time when we were hungry for music," Columbia president Don lenner declared to Rolling Stone, adding, "I flipped out the first time I heard their demo tape."

The label sacrificed early profits in the name of promotion when it sent retailers a free Alice EP, We Die Young, in June of 1990, two months before the band’s album Facelift hit stores. Even so, the album took a while to move. Produced by rock veteran Dave Jerden, Facelift contains the hypnotic single "Man in the Box," the nightmarish video of which got the group noticed early in 1991. But it wasn’t until Columbia hit on the inspired promotional tactic of a "combo pack"—a package that included an Alice concert video called Live Facelift along with the album—that sales increased markedly. Critics, nonetheless, were not impressed by the album; L.A. Weekly’s Mike Rubin dismissed it two years later as "full of thin, stringy guitar leads and glossy production," while Bruce Bitt of the Los Angeles Daily News found Facelift "promising" but "marred by sluggish songs and conceptual similarities" to Soundgarden.

Survived "Clash"; Cut Dream EP
Alice in Chains began touring with alternative-rock icon Iggy Pop late in 1990 and the following year were nominated for a best heavy metal Grammy and a favorite heavy metal artist American Music Award. Though Alice didn’t win the awards, the nominations demonstrated the group’s growing influence on the hard rock and metal scenes. They went on the road with nouveau metalheads Megadeth in February, later joining that band, Anthrax, and the notorious satanic speedmetal outfit Slayer for the "Clash of the Titans" tour. Slayer fans were impatient, to say the least, with Alice’s deliberate, complex arrangements, hurling verbal abuse and—in one instance—jugs of Kool-Aid at the group. "That was one of our finest shows," Kinney said of the Kool-Aid incident in an interview with Request’s Daina Darzin. The latter half of the year saw Alice in Chains touring with Van Halen—"a cool way to meet a hero," Cantrell told Katherine Turman of Guitar World—and making their network TV debut on ABC’s In Concert.

Late in 1991 Alice released a mostly acoustic EP called Sap. The release was inspired, Cantrell revealed to Turman, by a dream Kinney had. "He actually dreamed that we put these songs on an EP and called it Sap. He saw us talking about it at a press conference and saw it doing really well." The realization of the dream, Cantrell added, "came together so smoothly, it’s almost scary." Sap features guest appearances by members of the venerable Seattle rock bands Heart, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney and one noisy cut called "Love Song" on which Alice’s members switched instruments. In that same vein, Cantrell, who more than holds his own on back-up, sang lead on the song "Brother."

Year of Grunge
1991 will long be remembered as the year the Seattle Sound took the rock world by storm; Nirvana’s multiplatinum album Nevermind and strong-selling efforts by Pearl Jam—formed by surviving members of Mother Love Bone after singer Andy Wood died of a heroin overdose—Soundgarden, and the one-off Pearl Jam/Soundgarden hybrid Temple of the Dog put the city on the pop-cultural map for good and introduced the word "grunge" to music parlance. This high-profile position was cemented by Cameron Crowe’s 1992 film Singles, the soundtrack of which included tracks by many Seattle luminaries. Alice in Chains contributed the melodic, mid-tempo "Would?" and appeared in the film as—what else?—a club band. The characters portrayed onscreen by Campbell Scott and Kyra Sedg-wick enact a feverish courtship ritual to the dirgey strains of the song. "Would?" received considerable airplay and nicely positioned Alice for the release of their next album, on which it also appears. As evidence of their new mainstream appeal, the group took the hosts of the popular television show Entertainment Tonight on a tour of Seattle.

Despite their burgeoning prominence, difficult circumstances plagued the recording of Alice’s next album. The band was laying down tracks in Los Angeles in April of 1992 when the city erupted in violence following the acquittal of the white police officers who had been videotaped beating black motorist Rodney King. Cantrell described the group’s subsequent apprehension to Richard Rosenthal of Screamer, remembering, "I was caught in traffic a couple of times and I saw people ripping other people out of cars and looking at me … it was a trip. So we said, ‘F— it, let’s not record. Let’s not go out. Let’s just leave town."’ They split up and visited various locations before reuniting to begin the recording process again. The result was an uncompromising album called Dirt, full of introspection about matters ranging from substance abuse—Staley’s recovery from heroin addiction became a preoccupation of journalists—and abusive relationships.

"We always write from a personal perspective," Cantrell revealed to Rosenthal. "From our perspective, we see that there’s a lot of dark things going on." Even so, he insisted, "We’re not a big message band. We pretty much write for ourselves. But [if there’s] something that we’re scared about or we’re feeling bad about, we put it in our music. Letting it out gives you a little peace. You’ve dealt with it and it’s outside of you now. That’s pretty much how it works out." In Rip the guitarist noted, "Taking something that’s ugly and making it beautiful is something that’s of interest to me." Several of Dirt’s compositions deal explicitly with drugs, and some—like "Junkhead," with its brazen query "What’s my drug of choice?/ Well, what have you got?"—seemed positively blasphemous in a decade of "positive message" entertainment. "Dirt doesn’t offer simple, self righteous, ‘just say no’ sloganeering," commented Jon Pareles of the New York Times. "While songs portray the miseries of craving and withdrawal, they also understand the temptations of drug-induced numbness."

Reviews of the album were largely enthusiastic. The New York Daily News called the band’s progress since Facelift "one of the most remarkable jobs of bootstrapping ever in the history of pop" and labeled Dirt "a masterwork filled with locomotive grooves, soaring harmonies, and monstrous guitar flourishes." Pulse! deemed it "gloriously bummed and brilliant stuff." Entertainment Weekly’s Janiss Garza heaped praise for the album atop an "A" grade, stating, "Dirt is somber psychedelia, a brooding chronicle of the hell of drug addiction set to slow, Black Sabbath-like rhythms. The pain and insight that went into these 12 songs make Alice in Chains shine above and beyond most of its Seattle neighbors." Cantrell himself exemplified the group’s optimism about Dirt when he told Musician, "This new album’s lethal. It’ll sneak up behind you like a mako shark and take a bite out of your butt."

In support of the album, the band launched a tour with metal legend and former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. But Staley broke his leg in an accident involving an off-road vehicle. While many pop stars would have cancelled a few performances, Staley continued his duties in a wheelchair, rolling around menacingly; bassist Starr told Rolling Stone’s Ressner, "It somehow makes Layne look more … evil." Dirt climbed up the charts, powered by the propulsive single "Them Bones." Staley avoided discussing his heroin addiction with interviewers, though his comment to Ressner was fairly definitive: "I took a f—ing long, hard walk through hell. I decided to stop because I was miserable doing it. The drug didn’t work for me anymore."

The rush of success in the wake of Dirt’s undeniable power clearly motivated the band. Variety described Alice in Chains onstage as "exciting the sellout crowd … into a frenzy." Asked by Rip’s Turman to define success, Cantrell replied, "That so many people are really into the music, and that when we play, people will come out to see us." Later in the interview he called the band a "family," adding, "It blows my mind what Sean, Layne, and Mike do every time we play. It’s just a reaffirmation that these are a great bunch of guys to play with, and that I’m really lucky to be in this band. They’re my brothers." This fraternal vigor notwithstanding, Alice drummer Mike Starr was replaced by former Ozzy Osbourne sideman Mike Inez in February of 1993.

Selected discography

On Columbia Records
We Die Young (EP), 1990.
Facelift (includes "Man in the Box"), 1990.
Sap (EP; includes "Brother" and "Love Song"), 1991.
Dirt (includes "Would?" "Junkhead," and "Them Bones"), 1992.
(Contributors) "Would?," Singles (soundtrack), Epic, 1992.
(Contributors) Last Action Hero (soundtrack), Columbia, 1993.

Sources
Billboard, October 24, 1992.
Daily Variety, October 5, 1992; December 23, 1992.
Entertainment Weekly, October 19, 1992.
Guitar Player, February 1993.
Guitar World, April 1992.
Los Angeles Daily News, October 2, 1992; October 16, 1992.
L.A. Weekly, December 11, 1992.
Music Express, January 1993.
Musician, February 1993.
New York Times, October 25, 1992.
Pulse!, December 1992.
Reflex, December 15, 1992.
Request, November 1992.
Rip, February 1993.
Rolling Stone, November 26, 1992.
Screamer, November 1992.
Spin, November 1992; March 1993.
Additional information for this profile was provided by Columbia Records publicity material, 1992.
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Alice in Chains

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  • Genres: Rock

Biography

In many ways, Alice in Chains was the definitive heavy metal band of the early '90s. Drawing equally from the heavy riffing of post-Van Halen metal and the gloomy strains of post-punk, the band developed a bleak, nihilistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock with subtly textured acoustic numbers. They were hard enough for metal fans, yet their dark subject matter and punky attack placed them among the front ranks of the Seattle-based grunge bands. While this dichotomy helped the group soar to multi-platinum status with their second album, 1992's Dirt, it also divided them. Guitarist Jerry Cantrell always leaned toward the mainstream, while vocalist Layne Staley was fascinated with the seamy underground. Such tension drove the band toward stardom in their early years, but following Dirt, Alice in Chains suffered from near-crippling internal tensions that kept the band off the road for the remainder of the '90s and, consequently, the group never quite fulfilled their potential.

Staley formed the initial incarnation of the band while in high school in the mid-'80s, naming the group Alice N Chains. Staley met Cantrell in 1987 at the Seattle rehearsal warehouse the Music Bank and the two began working together, changing the group's name to Alice in Chains. Cantrell's friends Mike Starr (bass) and Sean Kinney (drums) rounded out the lineup, and the band began playing local Seattle clubs. Columbia Records signed the group in 1989 and the label quickly made the band a priority, targeting heavy metal audiences. Early in 1990, the label released the We Die Young EP as a promotional device and the song became a hit on metal radio, setting the stage for the summer release of the group's debut, Facelift. Alice in Chains supported the album by opening for Van Halen, Poison, and Iggy Pop, and it became a hit, going gold by the end of the year. As the band prepared their second album, they released the largely acoustic EP Sap in 1991 to strong reviews.

Prior to the release of Alice in Chains' second album, Seattle became a media sensation thanks to the surprise success of Nirvana. As a result, Alice was now marketed as an alternative band, not as a metal outfit, and the group landed a song, the menacing "Would?," on the Singles soundtrack during the summer of 1992. "Would?" helped build anticipation for Dirt, the group's relentlessly bleak second album that was released in the fall of 1992 to very good reviews. Following its release, Starr left and was replaced by Mike Inez. Dirt went platinum by the end of 1992, but its gloomy lyrics launched many rumors that Staley was addicted to heroin. Alice in Chains soldiered on in the face of such criticism, performing successfully on the third Lollapalooza tour in 1993, which helped Dirt reach sales of three million.

The band released the low-key EP Jar of Flies in early 1994. It debuted at number one upon its release, becoming the first EP to top the album charts. Despite the band's continued success, they stayed off the road, which fueled speculation that Staley was mired in heroin addiction. Later that year, Staley did give a few concerts as part of the Gacy Bunch, a Seattle supergroup also featuring Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, the Screaming Trees' Barrett Martin, and John Saunders. The group subsequently renamed itself Mad Season and released Above in early 1995. Later that year, Alice in Chains re-emerged with an eponymous third album, which debuted at number one on the American charts. Again, the band chose not to tour, which launched yet another round of speculation that band was suffering from various addictions and were on the verge of disbanding. The group did give one concert -- their first in three years -- in 1996, performing for an episode of MTV Unplugged, which was released as an album that summer. Despite its success, the album did nothing to dispel doubts about the group's future and neither did Cantrell's solo album, Boggy Depot, in 1998.

Cantrell basically released Boggy Depot because he couldn't get Staley to work, but its very existence -- and the presence of Inez and Kinney on the record, not to mention Alice producer Toby Wright -- seemed to confirm that the group was on moratorium at best, defunct at worst. Staley, for his part, stayed quiet, conceding his spot on Mad Season's second album to Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan. In 1999, Sony put together a three-disc Alice in Chains box set, Music Bank, divided between the group's best work and assorted rarities. At the turn of the new millennium, Columbia Records issued Live, which plucked material from bootlegs, demos, and festival shows covering the years 1990, 1993, and 1996.

As if the group hadn't been repackaged as many times as possible with its limited repertoire, a ten-track best-of set, Greatest Hits, appeared in July 2001. With no sign of the group reclaiming their spot atop the alt-metal heap (and such copycat acts as Godsmack, Days of the New, Puddle of Mudd, and Creed taking the Alice in Chains formula to the top of the charts), Cantrell completed his sophomore solo effort, Degradation Trip, in 2002. But just two months before the album's release, in April 2002, the news that every Alice in Chains fan had been fearing for years had finally come to pass: Layne Staley was found dead due to a lethal overdose of cocaine and heroin. (Former bassist Mike Starr also battled his own addictions through the years, and in fact appeared on the VH1 reality show Celebrity Rehab in 2010; Starr continued to fight chemical dependency until his death in March 2011 in Salt Lake City, UT.) Although understandably grief-stricken, Cantrell launched his solo album's supporting tour according to schedule, opting to open shows in the summer for another Alice in Chains-influenced band, Nickelback. Alice in Chains spent the next few years in limbo, eventually reuniting in 2005 for a benefit show with Damageplan vocalist Pat Lachman filling in for the deceased Staley. After rotating through a handful of different singers, the group eventually settled on Comes with the Fall vocalist William DuVall, who appeared on the group's 2009 comeback record Black Gives Way to Blue. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Greg Prato, Rovi
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Alice in Chains

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Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains in September 2007. From left to right: William DuVall, Sean Kinney, and Jerry Cantrell.
Background information
Origin Seattle, Washington, USA
Genres Alternative metal, grunge, alternative rock, heavy metal
Years active 1987 (1987)–2002, 2005–present
Labels Columbia, Virgin/EMI
Associated acts Alice N' Chains, Class of '99, Comes with the Fall, Mad Season, Spys4Darwin, Alice Mudgarden
Website www.aliceinchains.com
Members
Jerry Cantrell
Sean Kinney
Mike Inez
William DuVall
Past members
Layne Staley
Mike Starr

Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr (who was replaced in 1993 by Mike Inez). Cantrell, Kinney and Inez are still members of the band.

Although widely associated with grunge music, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and acoustic elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released four studio albums, three EPs, two live albums, four compilations, and two DVDs. The band is known for its distinct vocal style which often included the harmonized vocals of Staley and Cantrell.

Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with other Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. The band was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 35 million albums worldwide,[1] and over 14 million in the US alone.[2] In 1992 the band released their album Dirt which was critically acclaimed and has been certified quadruple platinum. The band also achieved two No.1 Billboard 200 albums (Jar of Flies and Alice in Chains), 14 top ten songs on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and eight Grammy Award nominations.

Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity from 1996 onwards due to substance abuse, which resulted in the 2002 death of Layne Staley, and the 2011 death of former bassist Mike Starr (who left the band in 1993). The band reunited in 2005 with new lead vocalist William DuVall and released Black Gives Way to Blue, their first studio album in 14 years, on September 29, 2009.[1] The album was a success, being certified gold by the RIAA in March 2010. Alice in Chains is currently working on a new album, which is rumored for release in early 2012.[3]

Contents

History

Formation (1986–89)

Vocalist Layne Staley. Staley formed Alice in Chains along with guitarist Jerry Cantrell.

Following the demise of his band Sleeze in 1986, vocalist Layne Staley formed Alice N' Chains, a band which he said "dressed in drag and played speed metal".[4] The new band, featuring guitarist Nick Pollock, bassist Johnny Bacolas, and drummer James Bergstrom, performed around the Seattle area playing Slayer and Armored Saint covers.[5] Staley met guitarist Jerry Cantrell while working at Music Bank rehearsal studios, where the two struggling musicians became roommates, and lived in a rehearsal space they shared. Alice N' Chains soon disbanded and Staley joined a funk band who at the time also required a guitarist. Staley asked Cantrell to join as a sideman. Cantrell agreed on condition that Staley join Cantrell's band, which at the time included drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr. Eventually the funk project broke up and in 1987 Staley joined Cantrell's band on a full-time basis, playing in clubs around the Pacific Northwest, often stretching 15 minutes of material into a 45-minute set. The band played a couple of gigs calling themselves several different monikers, including Diamond Lie, which was the name of Cantrell's previous band,[6] before they eventually took the name of Alice in Chains.[4][7]

Local promoter Randy Hauser became aware of the band at a concert, and offered to pay for demo recordings. However, one day before the band was due to record at the Music Bank studio in Washington, police shut down the studio during the biggest cannabis raid in the history of the state.[4] The final demo, completed in 1988, was named The Treehouse Tapes, and found its way to the music managers Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver, who also managed the Seattle-based band Soundgarden. Curtis and Silver passed the demo on to Columbia Records' A&R representative Nick Terzo, who set up an appointment with label president Don Ienner. Based on The Treehouse Tapes, Ienner signed Alice in Chains to Columbia in 1989.[4] The band also recorded another untitled demo over a three-month period in 1989. This recording can be found on the bootleg release Sweet Alice.[8]

Facelift and Sap (1990–92)
"Man in the Box" (1990)
A sample of "Man in the Box" from Facelift, representing the grunge music style Alice in Chains plays. This is the band's debut single and is considered the song that popularized the band.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Alice in Chains soon became a top priority of the label, who released the band's first official recording in July 1990, a promotional EP We Die Young. The EP's lead single, "We Die Young", became a hit on metal radio. After its success, the label rushed Alice in Chains' debut album into production with producer Dave Jerden.[9] Cantrell stated the album was intended to have a "moody aura" that was a "direct result of the brooding atmosphere and feel of Seattle".[10]

The resulting album, Facelift, was released on August 21, 1990, peaking at number 42 in the summer of 1991 on the Billboard 200 chart.[11] Facelift was not an instant success, selling under 40,000 copies in the first six months of release, until MTV added "Man in the Box" to regular daytime rotation.[12] The single hit number 18 on the Mainstream rock charts, with the album's follow up single, "Sea of Sorrow", reaching number 27,[13] and in six weeks Facelift sold 400,000 copies in the US.[12] The album was a critical success, with Steve Huey of Allmusic citing Facelift as "one of the most important records in establishing an audience for grunge and alternative rock."[14]

Facelift was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America by the end of 1990, while the band continued to hone its audience, opening for such artists as Iggy Pop,[15] Van Halen, Poison,[10] and Extreme.[12] In early 1991, Alice in Chains landed the opening slot for the Clash of the Titans with Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer, exposing the band to a wide metal audience.[16] Alice in Chains was nominated for a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award in 1992 for "Man in the Box", but lost to Van Halen for their 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.[17]

Guitarist Jerry Cantrell is a co-founder of the band. He is credited, along with Staley, with creating the band's notable sound.

Following the tour, Alice in Chains entered the studio to record demos for its next album, but ended up recording five acoustic songs instead.[12] While in the studio, drummer Sean Kinney had a dream about "making an EP called Sap".[15] The band decided "not to mess with fate", and on March 21, 1992, Alice in Chains released their second EP, Sap. The EP was released while Nirvana's Nevermind was at the top of the Billboard 200 charts, resulting in a rising popularity of Seattle-based bands, and the term grunge music.[12] Sap was soon certified gold. The EP features guest vocals by Ann Wilson from the band Heart, who joined Staley and Cantrell for the choruses of "Brother", "Am I Inside" and "Love Song". The EP also features Mark Arm of Mudhoney and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, who appeared together on the song "Right Turn", credited to "Alice Mudgarden" in the liner notes.[18] In 1992, Alice in Chains appeared in the Cameron Crowe film Singles, performing as a "bar band".[19] The band also contributed the song "Would?" to the film's soundtrack, whose video received an award for Best Video from a Film at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards.[20]

Dirt (1992–93)
"Would?" (1992)
A sample of "Would?" from Dirt. The song originally appeared on the soundtrack to the film Singles. "Would?" is one of Alice in Chains' signature songs, appearing at nearly every concert the band has performed since its release.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

In February 1992, the band returned to the studio. With new songs written primarily on the road, the material has an overall darker feel than Facelift, with six of the album's twelve songs dealing with addiction.[21] "We did a lot of soul searching on this album. There's a lot of intense feelings."[21] Cantrell said, "We deal with our daily demons through music. All of the poison that builds up during the day we cleanse when we play".[7]

On September 29, 1992, Alice in Chains released its second album, Dirt. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200, and since its release has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA, making Dirt the band's highest selling album to date.[4][9] The album was a critical success, with Steve Huey of Allmusic praising the album as a "major artistic statement, and the closest they ever came to recording a flat-out masterpiece".[22] Chris Gill of Guitar World called Dirt "huge and foreboding, yet eerie and intimate", and "sublimely dark and brutally honest".[12] Dirt spawned five top 30 singles, including "Rooster", "Them Bones", and "Down in a Hole", and remained on the charts for nearly a year.[11][23] Alice in Chains was added as openers to Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tears tour. Days before the tour began, Layne Staley broke his foot in an ATV accident, forcing him to use crutches on stage.[12] While on tour, Starr left the band, and was replaced by former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Mike Inez.[24] In 1993, the band recorded two songs with Inez, "What the Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter", for the Last Action Hero soundtrack.[25] During the summer of 1993, Alice in Chains toured with the alternative music festival Lollapalooza, their last major tour with Staley.[26]

Jar of Flies (1993–94)

Following Alice in Chains' extensive 1993 world tour, Staley said the band "just wanted to go into the studio for a few days with our acoustic guitars and see what happened".[27] "We never really planned on the music we made at that time to be released. But the record label heard it and they really liked it. For us, it was just the experience of four guys getting together in the studio and making some music."[27]

While never originally intended for a public release, Columbia Records released Alice in Chains' second acoustic-based EP, Jar of Flies, on January 25, 1994. Written and recorded in one week,[28] Jar of Flies debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP—and first Alice in Chains release—to top the charts.[11] Paul Evans of Rolling Stone called the EP "darkly gorgeous",[29] and Steve Huey stated "Jar of Flies is a low-key stunner, achingly gorgeous and harrowingly sorrowful all at once".[30] Jar of Flies features Alice in Chains' first number-one single on the Mainstream Rock charts, "No Excuses". The second single, "I Stay Away", reached number ten on the Mainstream rock charts, while the final single "Don't Follow", reached number 25.[11] After the release of Jar of Flies, Layne Staley entered rehab for heroin addiction.[31] The band was scheduled to tour during the summer of 1994 with Metallica and Suicidal Tendencies, but while in rehearsal for the tour, Staley began using heroin again.[32] 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.[33]

Alice in Chains (1995–96)

While Alice in Chains was inactive during 1995, Staley joined the "grunge supergroup" Mad Season, which also featured Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, bassist John Baker Saunders from The Walkabouts and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin. Mad Season released one album, Above, for which Staley provided lead vocals and the album artwork. The album spawned a number-two single, "River of Deceit", as well as a home video release of Live at the Moore.[23] 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.[34] While in the studio, an inferior version of the song "Grind" was leaked to radio, and received major airplay.[35] On October 6, 1995, the band released the studio version of the song to radio via satellite uplink.

Alice in Chains' 1996 MTV Unplugged concert was one of the band's last performances with Layne Staley (pictured).

On November 7, 1995, Columbia Records released the eponymous Alice in Chains,[34] which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and has since been certified double platinum.[11] Of the album's four singles, "Grind", "Again", "Over Now", and "Heaven Beside You", three feature Cantrell on lead vocals. Jon Wiederhorn of Rolling Stone called the album "liberating and enlightening, the songs achieve a startling, staggering and palpable impact."[36] The song "Got Me Wrong" unexpectedly charted three years after its release on the Sap EP. The song was re-released as a single on the soundtrack for the independent film Clerks in 1995, reaching number seven on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[37] The band opted not to tour in support of Alice in Chains, adding to the rumors of drug abuse.[38][39]

Alice in Chains resurfaced on April 10, 1996, to perform their first concert in three years for MTV Unplugged, a program featuring all-acoustic set lists.[40][41] The performance featured some of the band's highest charting singles, including "Down in a Hole", "Heaven Beside You", and "Would?", and introduced a new song, "The Killer Is Me".[13] The show marked Alice in Chains' only appearance as a five-piece band, adding second guitarist Scott Olson.[40] A live album of the performance was released in July 1996, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, and was accompanied by a home video release, both of which received platinum certification by the RIAA.[11] Alice in Chains performed four shows following the 1996 Lollapalooza tour supporting the reunited original Kiss-lineup, with the final live appearance of Layne Staley on July 3, 1996, in Kansas City, Missouri.[42]

Hiatus and the death of Layne Staley (1996–2002)

Although Alice in Chains never officially disbanded, Staley became a recluse, rarely leaving his Seattle condominium following the death of his ex-fiancée Demri Parrott in 1996, due to bacterial endocarditis.[23] "Drugs worked for me for years", Staley told Rolling Stone in 1996, "and now they're turning against me, now I'm walking through hell".[39] Unable to continue with new Alice in Chains material, Cantrell released his first solo album in 1998, entitled Boggy Depot, which also featured Sean Kinney and Mike Inez.[43] In 1998, Staley reunited with Alice in Chains to record two new songs, "Get Born Again" and "Died". Originally written for Cantrell's solo album, the songs were released in the fall of 1999 on the box set, Music Bank. The set contains 48 songs, including rarities, demos, and previous album tracks.[4] The band also released a 15-track compilation titled Nothing Safe: Best of the Box, serving as a sampler for Music Bank, as well as the band's first greatest hits compilation. The band's last official releases include a live album, simply titled Live, released on December 5, 2000, and a second greatest hits compilation, titled Greatest Hits in 2001.[44]

By 2002, Cantrell had finished work on his second solo album, Degradation Trip. Written in 1998, the album's lyrical content focused heavily on what Cantrell regarded as the demise of Alice in Chains which still remained evident as the album approached its June 2002 release. However, in March that year, Cantrell commented, "We're all still around, so it's possible [Alice in Chains] could all do something someday, and I fully hope someday we will."[45]

After a decade of battling drug addiction, Layne Staley was found dead in his condominium on April 20, 2002.[46] His mother and stepfather became alarmed when accountants noticed that money was no longer being withdrawn from his accounts. With assistance from the police, they broke into his condo and made the discovery. An autopsy revealed Staley had died from a mixture of heroin and cocaine. His friends speculate that in addition to drugs, he may have contracted an illness that his body could not fight off, due to a compromised immune system. His body was discovered two weeks after his death.[46] In his last interview, which was given months before his death, Staley admitted, "I know I'm near death, I did crack and heroin for years. I never wanted to end my life this way."[47] Cantrell dedicated his 2002 solo album, released two months after Staley's death, to his memory.[48]

Reunion shows (2005–08)

Sean Kinney in 2006. Kinney has been Alice in Chains' drummer since its conception.
Mike Inez in 2009

In 2005, Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, and Sean Kinney reunited to perform a benefit concert in Seattle for victims of the tsunami disaster that struck South Asia.[49] The band featured Damageplan vocalist Pat Lachman, with other special guests including Maynard James Keenan of Tool, and Ann Wilson of Heart.[49][50] On March 10, 2006, the surviving members performed at VH1's Decades Rock Live concert, honoring fellow Seattle musicians Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. They played "Would?" with vocalist Phil Anselmo of Pantera and Down, and Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, then they played "Rooster" with Comes with the Fall vocalist William DuVall and Ann Wilson.[50] The band followed the concert with a short United States club tour, several festival dates in Europe, and a brief tour in Japan. To coincide with the band's reunion, Sony Music released the long-delayed third Alice in Chains compilation, The Essential Alice in Chains, a double album that includes 28 songs.[51]

DuVall joined Alice in Chains as lead singer during the band's reunion concerts. Velvet Revolver and ex-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan also joined the band for the reunion tour, playing rhythm guitar on selected songs.[50] Before the tour, Kinney mentioned in an interview that he would be interested in writing new material, but not as Alice in Chains.[52] However, AliceinChains.com reported that the band had begun writing new material, with DuVall on lead vocals.

Black Gives Way to Blue (2008–10)

Blabbermouth.net reported in September 2008 that Alice in Chains would enter the studio that October to begin recording a new album for a summer 2009 release.[53]

In October 2008, Alice in Chains began recording its fourth studio album at the Foo Fighters' Studio 606 in Los Angeles with producer Nick Raskulinecz.[54] At the Revolver Golden God Awards, Jerry Cantrell said that the group had finished recording in March 2009, and were mixing it for a September release.[55] In April 2009, it was reported that the new Alice in Chains album would be released by Virgin/EMI,[56] making it the band's first label change in its 20-plus year career. On June 11, 2009, Blabbermouth.net reported that the new album would be titled Black Gives Way to Blue, and was officially set to be released on September 29, 2009.[1] On June 30, 2009, one of the album's songs, "A Looking in View", was released as the first single from the album. It was made available for a limited time as a free download through the official Alice in Chains website in early July. The music video for "A Looking in View" debuted via Alice in Chains' official website on July 7, 2009.[57] The second single "Check My Brain" was released to radio stations on August 14, 2009, and was made available for purchase on August 17, 2009.[58] In addition, it was announced that Elton John appears on the album's title track.[59]

In September 2008, it was announced that Alice in Chains would headline Australia's Soundwave Festival in 2009, alongside Nine Inch Nails and Lamb of God.[60] In February 2009, it was also announced that Alice in Chains would play at the third annual Rock on the Range festival.[61] On August 1, 2009, Alice in Chains, along with Mastodon, Avenged Sevenfold, and Glyder, performed at Marlay Park, Dublin as a direct support to Metallica. The band made an appearance on Later Live... With Jools Holland on 10 November 2009, performing "Lesson Learned", "Black Gives Way To Blue", and "Check My Brain" as the final performance of the episode.

To coincide with the band's European tour, Alice in Chains released its next single, "Your Decision", on November 16 in the UK and was in the US on December 1.[62][63] The fourth single from the album is "Lesson Learned" and was released to rock radio in mid-June.[64] On May 26, 2010, Black Gives Way to Blue was certified gold by the RIAA for shipments of over 500,000 copies.

Along with Mastodon and Deftones, Alice In Chains toured the United States and Canada in late 2010 on the Blackdiamondskye tour, an amalgam of the three bands' latest album titles (Black Gives Way to Blue, Diamond Eyes, and Crack the Skye).

Future fifth album and the death of Mike Starr (2010–present)

In April 2010, guitarist Jerry Cantrell revealed to MTV News that Alice in Chains was contemplating making a fifth studio album in the foreseeable future. He explained, "There are thoughts. We'll see how far we get. Staying in the moment is a good way to live and we certainly hope that it happens. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't [happen]."[65] Frontman William DuVall also commented on the next album and Alice in Chains' future, "we've got a lot of water to sail before we do that. There's a lot of shows. But yeah, generally speaking, yeah, we're excited about the future. I don't anticipate some long layoff."[66]

DuVall revealed in September 2010 that Alice in Chains had not begun writing their next album yet, but "there's plenty of riffs flying around." He added, "That was the case when we first started back up. We would just stockpile these fragments, and then some time later we would sift through the mountain of stuff, and that's what became Black Gives Way to Blue. The same thing has been happening since we've been touring Black Gives Way to Blue, so it would be only natural to at some point say, 'Hey, we've got a lot of stuff. Let's sift through and see what we've got this time.'" DuVall also mentioned that it is possible that the new album will feature songs that were written for Black Gives Way to Blue.[67]

On March 8, 2011, former Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr was found dead in Salt Lake City. Police told Reuters they were called to Starr's Salt Lake City home at 1:42 PM where the musician's body was found; Starr was 44. Reports later surfaced that Starr's roommate had seen him mixing methadone and anxiety medication hours before he was found dead. Later reports indicated Starr's death may have been linked to two different types of antidepressants he was prescribed by his doctor.[68][69][70] A public memorial was held for Starr at the Seattle Center's International Fountain on March 20, 2011.[71] A private memorial was also held, which Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney attended according to Mike Inez.[72]

On March 21, 2011, Metal Hammer reported that Alice in Chains will begin recording their new album at the tail end of 2011.[73]

On July 19, 2011, Heart vocalist Ann Wilson told Ultimate Classic Rock that she had visited Alice in Chains at the recording studio where they are now working on their new album.[3] On August 13, 2011 at the end of their concert in Oklahoma Cantrell concluded the performance by saying "Time to head back to the studio and finish that record."

Musical style
"Nutshell"
A sample of "Nutshell" from Unplugged. This song originally appeared on Jar of Flies and represents the unique acoustic sound Alice in Chains has created.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Although Alice in Chains has been labeled grunge by the mainstream media, fans and critics alike have disdained the grunge label and have felt the grunge label is inaccurate. Jerry Cantrell identifies the band as primarily heavy metal. He told Guitar World in 1996; "We're a lot of different things... I don't quite know what the mixture is, but there's definitely metal, blues, rock and roll, maybe a touch of punk. The metal part will never leave, and I never want it to".[74]

Jerry Cantrell's guitar style combines what Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic called "pummeling riffs and expansive guitar textures" to create "slow, brooding minor-key grinds".[75] While down-tuned distorted guitars mixed with Staley's distinctive "snarl-to-a-scream"[12] vocals appealed to heavy metal fans, the band also had "a sense of melody that was undeniable", which introduced Alice in Chains to a much wider pop audience outside of the heavy metal underground.[14][26]

The band has been described by critics as "hard enough for metal fans, yet their dark subject matter and punky attack placed them among the front ranks of the Seattle-based grunge bands".[43] Three of the band's releases feature all acoustic music, and while the band initially kept these releases separate, Alice in Chains' self-titled album combined the styles to form "a bleak, nihilistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock with subtly textured acoustic numbers".[43]

Alice in Chains is also noted for the unique vocal harmonies of Staley and Cantrell, which included overlapping passages, and dual lead vocals.[43] Alyssa Burrows said the band's distinctive sound "came from Staley's vocal style and his lyrics dealing with personal struggles and addiction".[76] Staley's songs were often considered "dark",[43] with themes such as drug abuse, depression, and suicide,[23] while Cantrell's lyrics dealt more with personal relationships.

Legacy

Alice in Chains' current vocalist, William DuVall performing with the band. DuVall replaced Layne Staley as the band's vocalist when Alice in Chains reformed after Staley's death.

Alice in Chains has sold more than 14 million albums in the United States, and around 35 million worldwide, released two number-one albums and 21 top 40 singles, and has received eight Grammy nominations. The band was ranked number 34 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.[77] Alice in Chains was named 15th greatest live band by Hit Parader,[78] with vocalist Layne Staley placing as 27th greatest vocalist of all time.[79] The band's second album, Dirt, was named 5th best album in the last two decades by Close-Up magazine.[80] In August 2009, Alice in Chains won the Kerrang! Icon Award.[81]

Alice in Chains has had a large impact on many bands, such as Godsmack, who, according to Jon Wiederhorn of MTV, "have sonically followed Alice in Chains' lead while adding their own distinctive edge". Godsmack singer and founder Sully Erna has also cited Layne Staley as his primary influence.[82] Staind has covered Alice in Chains' song "Nutshell" live, which appears on the compilation The Singles: 1996-2006, and also wrote a song entitled "Layne", in Staley's dedication, on the album 14 Shades of Grey.[83] Three Days Grace also performs a cover of "Rooster", which can be seen on the DVD Live at the Palace. Other bands that have been inspired by Alice in Chains include Creed,[84] Nickelback,[84] Taproot, Stone Sour, Puddle of Mudd,[84] Godsmack,[84] Smile Empty Soul, Avenged Sevenfold,[85] Cold, Hurt, Days of the New[84] and Tantric.[23] Metallica said they've always wanted to tour with the band, citing Alice in Chains as a major inspiration for their 2008 release, Death Magnetic.[86] Metallica also recorded "Shine" as a tribute to Layne Staley, but the song was left off Death Magnetic due to manufacturing restrictions.

Alice in Chains has also had a significant influence on modern heavy metal. Their songs were covered by various metal bands such as Opeth,[87] Dream Theater,[88] Suicide Silence[89] and Grave.[90] Pantera and Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell had expressed his admiration for Jerry Cantrell's guitar work in an interview for Guitar International saying that "the layering and the honest feel that Jerry Cantrell gets on [Alice in Chains' Dirt] record is worth a lot more than someone who plays five million notes".[91] Anders Fridén of Swedish melodic death metal band In Flames cited Layne Staley as an inspiration for his vocals on the band's later albums.[92] In addition to fellow musicians, the band has also received praise from critics, with Steve Huey of Allmusic calling them "one of the best metal bands of the '90s" upon reviewing the 1999 compilation Nothing Safe.[93]

Band members

Main article: Alice in Chains personnel
  • Jerry Cantrell – lead guitar, backing and lead vocals (1987–2002, 2005–present)
  • Sean Kinney – drums (1987–2002, 2005–present)
  • Mike Inez – bass (1993–2002, 2005–present)
  • William DuVall – vocals, rhythm guitar (2006–present)
Former members

Discography

Main article: Alice in Chains discography

Awards and nominations

Alice in Chains awards and nominations
Awards and nominations
Award Wins Nominations
American Music Awards
 0 1
Grammy Awards
 0 8
MTV Video Music Awards
 1 3
Totals
Awards won 1
Nominations 12

Alice in Chains has received eight Grammy nominations. The band's first Grammy nomination occurred when "Man in the Box" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1992. Alice in Chains has also received Grammy nominations for Best Hard Rock Performance for the band's 1992 album, Dirt, "I Stay Away" from 1994's Jar of Flies, "Grind" and "Again" from the band's 1995 self-titled album, and the 1999 track "Get Born Again". The music video for the song "Would?", Alice in Chains' contribution to the 1992 film, Singles, won the award for Best Video from a Film at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards.

American Music Awards

The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973.[94]

Year Nominated work Award Result
1992 Alice in Chains Favorite New Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist Nominated
Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.[17][95][96][97][98][99][100]

Year Nominated work Award Result
1992 "Man in the Box" Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated
1993 Dirt Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated
1995 "I Stay Away" Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated
1996 "Grind" Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated
1997 "Again" Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated
2000 "Get Born Again" Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated
2010 "Check My Brain" Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated
2011 "A Looking in View" Best Hard Rock Performance Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV.[20][101][102]

Year Nominated work Award Result
1991 "Man in the Box" Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video Nominated
1993 "Would?" from Singles Best Video from a Film Won
1996 "Again" Best Hard Rock Video Nominated

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