Men in the Box: Alice in Chains | FOS Media Students' Blog

As the 1980s slipped away into the new decade, the direction of 1980’s pop music took a few sharp corners. As the riffs started to get heavier, a clear distinction started to form between the era’s rock music and the new forming genre of aggressive, incredibly fast-paced, and technically complex Thrash metal. However, in the sleepy American state of Washington, another movement was starting to wake up; Grunge. Among the first of the torches that led to the wildfire it became, is Alice in Chains.

I Can’t Remember: Facelift (1990)

Opening with an aggressive Drop C# riff by Jerry Cantrell, the feel of the opening song of the 1990 album Dirt, “We Die Young” is brought out to light with the guttural and harsh lines of “Scary’s on the wall” sung by Layne Staley. With Sean Kinney on the drums and Mike Starr on bass, Alice in Chains’ debut studio album opened the gates to a new era of music.

It wasn’t long before the talk-box experimentations of Cantrell, the memorable riff on “Man in the Box” became a staple on the airwaves. The subtle solos over the chorus along with the Wah heavy solo in the middle sets this song apart from its contemporaries. The vocal harmonies between Staley and Cantrell paving the way to a whole new feel in their music, a gloomy and dark shadow.

The feel of driving down an isolated highway towards a steadily approaching storm, brought out by the Bluesy “Sea of Sorrow”, and the style where Kinney leads a seemingly bare stretch of suspense as Staley’s vocals die out, a big highlight both here and in “Love, Hate, Love”. Apart from full-on aggression, another great aspect of Facelift, the interplay between soft and calm mumbles and heavy screaming.

“Knocked down but I have enough hate to breathe –

Down your throat and steal your energy

You took everything but my will to be….”

– I Can’t Remember

A clear example of this is the on-the-edge track, “I Can’t Remember”. Starting off with a buildup with Cantrell on the acoustic guitar and Kinney shuffling with the Hi-hat, the accents left by Starr on the bass erupts in a steady distorted riff. And with the drums giving fair warning, the chorus erupts into Layne’s heavy screams. A song, musically filled with a lot of activity, yet playing in the borders of loud and soft.

Down In A Hole: Dirt (1992)

By 1992, the word “Grunge” had spread like a pandemic throughout music. The dragging through the dirt, sludgy and decaying feel of the word itself, resembling the music surrounding it. Seattle, the quiet town that erupted, became the heart of Grunge. Alice in Chains took the direction of Grunge from a more Metal and Blues infused direction. The vocal harmony between Layne and Jerry took a more pronounced feature with the 1992 sensation, Dirt. Moving from a theological debate to a more angst-fueled portrayal lyrically, the dynamic between Kinney and Starr took a sharper highlight here too.

The calm chorused intro to “Rooster” an iconic point in the genre, the “Ooohs” spine-tingling and heavenly. The strength provided by the bass and drums just amplifying Staley’s already powerful voice. Perfectly balancing the previous interplay, the eruption of “No, he ain’t gonna die!” sending shockwaves bouncing off the walls. A memorable intro is set off by Starr and Kinney on “Rain When I Die” followed by a firm connection between the guitars and vocals to build up a story of heartbreak and frustration.

Overall, the nature of this album is more personal than its predecessor, exploring a sadder side to human life and accepting truths that burn tongues off of taste. Beautifully starting with a heart-touching intro, “Down in a Hole” shows the fragile nature of love in connection to living a life of constant absence. The soft vocal harmony between Staley and Cantrell taking the emotion of this song to another level. Followed by the mysterious and dark interplay between the deeper voice of Cantrell and the more guttural and powerful one of Staley, it’s a shroud of darkness that closes the album, “Would?”. Written focusing on the passing of friend, Andrew Wood, “Into the flood again” signals an oncoming tide, both metaphorically and realistically.

Nutshell: Jar of Flies (1994)

Rougher waves started crashing with Mike Starr’s departure from the band due to his substance abuse. With Mike Inez joining the band as the new bassist, things were seemingly steady, but another rising tide could be seen from Layne Staley’s addiction problems. Alice in Chains, nonetheless persisted in what can be considered as the most beautiful acoustic EP of all time, Jar of Flies.

The bass riff that starts off this album from “Rotten Apple” interspersed with Cantrell’s talk-box fueled intro solo leads into one of the most emotional verse riffs in Grunge. The melancholic weeping lyrics as Staley sets strings on a loom speaks of self-decay and deterioration. The ghostly “Hey ah na naa” preceding each line setting the perfect mood for the gloomy yet excellently crafted breakdown a reminder of a beautiful sunset peeking through the windows of a derelict building. Ending with the talk-box ringing out like a decaying mouth organ as a clean and Wah filled solo rings out adds immense weight to the already heavy song.

A tear-jerker for many who have let this amazing piece of art float into their ears and minds, “Nutshell” is a heartache to listen to. The pure emotion Layne Staley pours into the words, mixed with each and every aspect of the music surrounding the words are enough to move anyone.

Settling into an astounding instrumental with orchestral touches, “Whale and Wasp” is in itself reminiscent of the cries of a lonely whale, swimming endlessly in the dark depths of the ocean. A beautiful guitar harmonization accompanies the length of this track as it showcases a side of Alice in Chains that wrings out drop by drop of emotion.

Shame In You: Alice in Chains (1995)

The creeping shadow of addiction started to fall on the Grunge era slowly step by step. Kurt Cobain’s suicide in 1994 woke up Layne to a sense of mortality. But it slipped steadily over time, and amidst a few strains, the return to a heavier sound was followed by the 1996 album, Alice in Chains.

Meaning is breathed back in to the word “Grunge” as the sludgy distorted riffs and Wah infused lead intro to the album opener, “Grind” rings out. The decay and danger filled vocals of Staley ring out through an interplay of alien-like and crystal clear singing as he tells of how in truth, lies become one and the same.

An important track here is the acoustic and distortion mashed “Heaven Beside You”, a ballad of deteriorating love, with Cantrell on lead vocals. This was a foundation stone to the future of Alice in Chains, where Cantrell would go on to do lead vocals alongside lead guitar.

A rather sad tune brings out a psychological and emotional color to this album, “Shame in You”. Beautifully layered guitars that are slightly overdriven, over a steady beat opens up the emotional plea or rather warning that Staley leaves.

“When I waken – and I’m aching – time for sleeping, yeah

When I’m saying – “time to go” and – “I’ve been hurting”, yeah

When I’m laying – I’m still trying – concentrating, on dying….”

– Shame in You

The slow ooze of a solo between the lines develops into a chorus of apologies ringing out with “You’re right as rain, but you’re all to blame – Agreed my crime’s the same.” Heartbroken hints of “And I must say, I was stupid – selfishly she, consumed,” raises the hairs on the listener’s arms as a haunting chorus of “Show fine – no signs – grow blind,” echoes in the air. The somewhat uplifting outro riff by Cantrell more of an epiphany to the settlement of a lingering burn of being broken by someone you loved beyond comprehension.

I Stay Away

The years that followed saw very painful days as step by step, lead vocalist Layne Staley spiraled into depths of addiction. In one moment, where one of the most breathtaking performances on MTV Unplugged, Layne’s voice reached out and touched everyone’s hearts again.

But soon after, facing the death of his fiance, Demri Parrott, Layne Staley took to leading a life out of society as a recluse. As the band went on hiatus, appearances of Staley were becoming rarer. On the 19th of April, 2002, the whole world was shaken as Layne Staley’s body was found at his apartment. As addiction claimed another soul, it was a coincidence that the ME reports dated his death to the 5th of April, the same day as when Kurt Cobain committed suicide years back.

After the passing of Layne, the hiatus grew until Alice in Chains decided to make music again, with Jerry Cantrell taking over lead vocals and a newly recruited William DuVall on rhythm guitar and backing vocals as Sean Kinney handled the drums and Mike Inez was firm on bass. And to this day, Alice in Chains continues to make music, each day missing their best friend for the spark he was. And although physically, he may not be here, the powerful voice of Layne Staley still rings out through the world.