November 7, 1995 - Alice In Chains

Two weeks after my last release, almost two years since their last release "Jar Of Flies" and over three years since their last studio album "Dirt", Alice In Chains released their third album "Alice In Chains" on November 7, 1995. Like their last album "Dirt" this would go to #1 on the charts and it continues the dark and grunge-y feel that we've come to know and love from Alice In Chains. Layne Staley already had a heroin problem, but after the suicide of his friend and fellow grunge rocker Kurt Cobain, Staley was a mess during the sessions for this album, which contributed to the long time between releases. Let's see what the new Alice In Chains is all about!

The album kicks off with it's lead single "Grind" which is one of three songs to have guitarist Jerry Cantrell on co-lead vocals with Staley. It's driven by a great heavy bass riff by Mike Inez and Cantrell plays some pretty cool guitar overtop as well. Cantrell's voice has always sounded a bit like Layne-lite so the two of them singing together just makes it sound even grungier than ever. It's pretty catchy for such a heavy riff and Cantrell lays down a pretty epic and cool solo that sounds great. A pretty solid opener for sure! Up next is "Brush Away" and it sounds super grunge-y with some very Layne vocals that only he could do. The guitar is a bit trippy but still solid and Sean Kinney plays some tight drums as well in a cool verse and chorus. Cantrell plays another pretty cool guitar solo that fits the mood perfectly and they tie it up nicely to end this short but solid song. Track 3 is the seven minute "Sludge Factory" and they kick right into a cool heavy riff that drives the song. Layne does some great high vocals before he sings a grunge-y verse to match the dirty mood. Cantrell plays an acoustic guitar solo overtop the dark background of music and it actually sounds really good! He plays another longer acoustic solo later in the song as well, this time with a bunch of different voices talking overtop. The voices are hard to follow, but the guitar is pretty good and it continues right until the end of this long song which eventually fades out. The next song was probably the biggest single off the album and this one has Cantrell on lead vocals, titled "Heaven Beside You". It sounds like it should be on one of their acoustic EPs with Inez playing a nice light bass riff while Cantrell plays some pretty cool acoustic guitar to lead the way. Jerry sings a decent light verse, Layne helps him out in the chorus, but it's all Cantrell in the heavier verse after the chorus as he plays some cool electric guitar and his singing sounds pretty good as well! He plays a guitar solo that perfectly matches the vibe and also sounds pretty cool and for a mostly lighter song they did an excellent job as always and it's easy to see why this one took off. Track 5 is called "Head Creeps" and Kinney plays a pretty cool drum beat while Inez plays some heavy backing bass. Cantrell plays some dirty lead guitar that sounds pretty good and Layne sounds good singing overtop. They don't stray far from this main riffs but it's a pretty solid one that only starts to drag once the song is ending so I think they did a nice job. Up next is the third and final single "Again" and Cantrell kicks right into grunge-y lead guitar riff and Layne sounds just so Layne as he holds some long grunge-y notes. The chorus has several Layne's singing and he sounds great as the lead singer and doing backing vocals. The end sounds a little pop-y with Layne throwing in some "doo-doo"s as they jam it out, but it's yet another pretty solid tune. Track 7 is "Shame In You" and it's a little slower but as we know, Alice In Chains can do some cool slower stuff as well. Kinney plays a nice drum beat and Layne sings nicely overtop the slow and dark riff. Cantrell plays some cool guitar st the end of the chorus and after they jam through a couple times it seems like solo time, but Cantrell just lightly jams out a new guitar riff until the end of the song. A little anticlimactic! The next track is "God Am" and it starts with someone taking a big bong rip and then saying "Sure God's all-powerful, but does he have lips? Whoooooaaaa." in a pretty hilarious way to start off a song. They then kick into a pretty sweet main riff that stops and starts and sounds nice and heavy. Layne sounds great overtop and the chorus is a little lighter, but it's still pretty good. Cantrell's guitar solo is not flashy but it fits the mood perfectly and sounds pretty epic. A pretty cool song overall for sure! Track 9 is "So Close" and it's nice and upbeat with some grunge-y guitar and bass by Cantrell and Inez. They stick to the same verse and chorus, but it's a short song and things sound pretty lively and pretty good the whole way through. Up next is "Nothin' Song" and it has some droning, grunge-y guitars with Layne holding lots of nice long notes overtop. The chorus is a bit more lively with an upbeat new riff and Layne continues to sound great. They continue to alternate slow verses and upbeat choruses and it drags a little towards the end, but it's still a solid song. Track 11 is the longest on the album at almost eight and a half minutes and it's called "Frogs". Kinney and Inez play a light rhythm section and Cantrell plays some slow but epic guitar to lead the way while Layne sings lightly along to the slow, dark mood. This song probably didn't need to be over eight minutes long, as not a whole lot is happening in chunks of it, but Cantrell has a couple nice guitar parts in there. Overall it's one of the lesser songs on the album though. The album wraps up with "Over Now" which is the final song to also have Cantrell on co-lead vocals. It's got a strange opening that lasts almost a minute, but then they kick into a pretty cool main riff that is led by some pretty damn catchy acoustic guitar by Cantrell. Layne and Jerry both sound pretty good and just like their EPs, this is a lighter song, but it's really well done and more radio-friendly. Cantrell mixes in some electric guitar at times as well and he plays come cool acoustic and electric stuff throughout this pretty cool way to finish off an album.

That is the end of "Alice In Chains" and I thought it was another pretty good album by the grungiest of grunge bands. This album had some nice heavy riffs for sure, but it also felt more like one of their EPs as there are several acoustic-based songs mixed in. I don't think there are any real weak points and it's another solid album by Alice In Chains. As good as it is, I don't think it's better than their debut album "Facelift", and it's nowhere near their last album "Dirt". It's pretty close to the debut though, so even though it's 3rd out of 3, it's a strong 3rd. This is also my last album of the year, and so begins the year-end wrap-up! 17 albums came out this year, the most in any year I've done so far, and there was a lot of great music this year!

Favourite song of the year: With an honorable mention to Deftones' "Engine No. 9", I think my favourite song this year was "X.Y.U.", probably the heaviest song The Smashing Pumpkins have ever done. I love everything about it, the yelled vocals, the heavy guitars and bass, and of course the multiple breakdowns. A fitting winner!

Top 10 Albums of the Year

1. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins
2. Adrenaline by Deftones
3. Orchid by Opeth
4. The Edges Of Twilight by The Tea Party
5. A Change Of Seasons by Dream Theater
6. Destroy Erase Improve by Meshuggah
7. Alice In Chains by Alice In Chains
8. The Sky Moves Sideways by Porcupine Tree
9. Roots To Branches by Jethro Tull
10. Foo Fighters by Foo Fighters

All ten of those albums are pretty good, but the top 3 especially were all excellent albums, and two of them were debuts! 1995 was a great year for music, will it continue into next year? I can't wait to find out!