Alice In Chains

When it comes to grunge, some band names mean more than others. One such name is Alice in chains, a great band that embodied all that was great about grunge and as such is one of the most successful Grunge bands that has ever graced the music circuit. The band was founded by guitarist Jerry Cantrell and original Vocalist, Layne Staley. The band’s first full line comprised of drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr.

The band made some of the most mindblowing  grunge songs and albums of the early 90s, songs like Man in the box , would? , plus albums like Dirt, their self-titled album, Alice in chains, and  Jar of flies, that are very hard to forget. Alice in chains may not have been the pioneers of Grunge, but they along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, led the Seattle grunge movement that made grunge the household music genre it was in the early 90s. Of course they may not always be spoken of in the same breaths as Nirvana, mostly because they weren't as popular. Alice in chains are still the only genuine contender when it comes to competing with Nirvana for the title of Grunge's greatest band. If you doubt this, just give their all encompassing Grunge anthem, "The Man in the box" a listen.

Alice in chains as a band had a distinct sound, their brand of grunge included elements of heavy metal, and of course there was the Layne Staley factor. Staley's Singing style was unique and that in itself made the band unique. Staley's vocals had a knack of enthralling your hearing giving you the illusion of pain and struggle laced with a hint of fear. Staley's singing could project power with a touch of tenderness and vulnerability. He is widely considered to be the greatest grunge vocalist ever, which says a lot considering the fact that grunge has had quite a number incredible vocalists like Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and the iconic Kurt Cobain. Like The smashing pumkins' vocalist, Billy Corgan, put it, "Layne had an amazing voice that had such a beautiful, sad, and haunting quality about it." In short he sounded like no one else."
His singing plus the backing vocals of Jerry cantrell, were a vocal match made in grunge heaven, the two had such great singing chemistry, that you could say they'd achieved musical nirvana with their singing 

Staley wasn't just a good vocalist, he was very good, very very good. If it wasn't for substance abuse, he'd have gone on to be one of the greatest vocalist's rock music has ever had.

L-R: Sean Kinney, Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley, Mike Inez

  Staley’s substance abuse not only led to the band’s long inactivity in the late 90s, but also his eventual death in 2002. There's the little known fact that, before his death, Staley had planned to audition for Tom Morello's band, Audioslave. Of course the band eventually hired Chris Cornell, who by the way, did an incredible job. Hitherto, the thought of Audioslave being fronted by Layne Staley sends chills down my spine and gives me perpetual thoughts of what could’ve been but never was.

Alice in chains like all great bands soldiered on despite the death of their inspirational frontman. The band's current frontman, William DuVall is doing some great work with Alice in chains.
With a great song like Hollow, and a decent album like Black gives way to blue under his belt, things are looking up for him and for the band.

Here's a  list of 10 essential Alice in chains songs that every grunge fan ought to know

·         Would?

·         Man in the box

·         Rooster

·         Bleed the freak

·         Nutshell

·         Angry chair

·         Them bones

·         Check my brain

·         No excuses

·         Rain when I die

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You can share your favorite Alice in chains albums and songs in the comments area.