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albums
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- Dirt
- Released 1992
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- Nothing Safe
- Released 1999
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- Unplugged
- Released 1996
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- Alice In Chains
- Released 1995
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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. 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, All Music Guide
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. 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, All Music Guide
news
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Los Angeles
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- 11/5/2009
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- 12:00 AM
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- Official Alice In Chains Website
- Greetings from London. There was a flurry of activity in Aliceville last week as the band prepared to depart for Europe. Just to make sure America do…
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Alice In Chains on Conan O’Brien Tonight
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- 10/30/2009
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- 12:00 AM
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- Official Alice In Chains Website
- AIC will be performing “Check My Brain” on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien tonight. Check your local listings for times and details.
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Houston
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- 10/29/2009
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- 12:00 AM
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- Official Alice In Chains Website
- A lot of times at festivals or radio shows there’ll be a tent or a room filled up with free stuff for the bands to take. Companies or sponsors figure…
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Online Album Promotion Winner!
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- 10/28/2009
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- 12:00 AM
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- Official Alice In Chains Website
- Congratulations to Eddie from Auburn, WA for winning the online promotion for the Black Gives Way to Blue iTunes link! His qualifying Facebook post w…
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Dallas
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- 10/27/2009
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- 12:00 AM
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- Official Alice In Chains Website
- Tonight’s show in Dallas was a radio event called “The Freakers Ball”. So beyond the typical group of assorted rocker types, there were plenty of fol…
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comments
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I love AIC
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- By Grunger Dude
- 9/6/2009 18:33:58
- the new songs I've heard are pretty good but I want to hear more William so i can see if he's good or not, and to the people saying these songs arent AIC well if you were an AIC fan you would know tha Jerry writes all or/most of the songs so if Layne was still alive the songs would be different only a little bit, yeah I agree no one can replace Layne but it like what AC/DC did they found a guy that sounded exactly like I dont really agree that they got a new singer what they should have done was have Jerry sing and make it a 3 piece, But Layne is proud it sounds like stuff from the self titled just go listen to Grind
R.I.P. Layne
o and its weird that two Grunge gods died the same day 8 years apart (Kurt and Layne) - 6 out of 6 people
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A Looking In View
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- By Gmoneyrocks
- 8/31/2009 03:42:34
- Being an old school fan of AIC, I have to say that "A Looking In View" is a bad ass track. And the one that's been on the radio is pretty good too. I was a little iffy about the whole thing when I heard that AIC was touring with a new singer but, I can't wait to see what Jerry and the band bring with the new CD.
- 1 out of 1 people
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Alice Is Back In Chains
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- By MAN FROM MARS 7
- 8/30/2009 21:00:10
- I've known "Mike Inez" since 1992, he played in Ozzy's band on the "No More Tears" Tour.Ozzy is the one who told Mike to join alice in 1993. In 2007 in Ft.Laud,florida with the new vocalist, Alice N Chains played and I talked to mike backstage. I told him they should make a new album.Now after hearing: Jerry-grungie-dark-sounding-guitar-Master-Cantrell's new riffs I am glad to see he took my advise!!! Go to aliceinchains.com and get one track free. That's what I've heard. My band is "M.K. Ultra" after the CIA's code name for their ACID experiments. I'm on facebook, I'm Mark Schweizer if you want to talk about my friend Mike Inez's new album from Alice In Chains coming soon...listen to the two sample trarks here on ZUNE !!!
- 0 out of 2 people
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can't wait
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- By blkguythatrock
- 7/4/2009 20:44:38
- after listening to their single A Looking in View i was really hoping the release date was pushed up for the album.
sadly we all have to wait till late Sept. to aquire yet another amazing AiC album. - 2 out of 2 people
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Love.
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- By sappynutshell
- 7/3/2009 04:32:08
- I love this band. I didn't get the chance to ever see them live. I started listening to them no more than a year ago. Layne was, IS great. His vocals are haunting and his lyrics are there. Alice in Chains truly was an amazing band.
- 2 out of 2 people
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most played
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tour dates
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19
- Nov
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- Tilburg, NL
- November 19, 2009
- Club 013
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20
- Nov
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- Antwerp, BE
- November 20, 2009
- Trix Zaal
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21
- Nov
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- Wiesbaden, DE
- November 21, 2009
- Alter Schlachthof
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24
- Nov
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- Prague, CZ
- November 24, 2009
- Lucerna Music Bar
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25
- Nov
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- Warsaw, PL
- November 25, 2009
- Stodola
