surprisingly they only had one guitarist in that era: Jerry Cantrell (although the lead singer Layne Staley played rhythm guitar on Hate to Feel and Angry Chair) but yeah Jerry Cantrell is one of the greatest guitarists of all time imo
@@mollyesanborn Jerry also is darn good singer, he sings backing vocals and even lead vocals on several Alice in Chains songs, plus he's released a few solo albums where he plays guitar and sings.
@@cobaltfalcon9458 That was my exact thought when I made this comment. If you haven't watched this live concert from STP please do: th-cam.com/video/KO5sPkssrmM/w-d-xo.html
Yeah if you look at their Best of album called Nothing's Safe, there are songs pulled equally from both their albums and both their EP's, minus a handful that could've been included. Some of their other stuff might not hit as well all-round as Dirt does, but all their releases have all time classic songs worth hearing.
I love Facelift too but those funk/metal songs on that record are the most skippable tunes for me. They almost never played “Put You Down” live so it makes me wonder that the band wasn’t really into that material either…
Down in a Hole and Rooster perfectly encapsulated what separated Alice in Chains from their contemporaries in terms of tone and style. In an era of breakout bands and new sounds, Alice and Chains was special even then. Dirt has only continued to improve with age.
As you can probably tell most of this album is about Drugs, namely Heroin and it being the drug of choice in Seattle in the early to mid 90's. Rooster is about Jerry's Dad and his time in Vietnam. His war name was Rooster. Alice In Chains story is rife with Drugs in and out of the band.
It wasn't the drug of choice in Seattle in the early and mid 90's anymore so than anywhere else. It really wasn't. Booze, weed, acid, shrooms, mda/mdma...those were the drugs of the scene.
Cantrell and Staley got tons of obvious praise, and for good reason, but Sean Kinney's drumming on Dirt is criminally underrated. Powerhouse rock playing with subtle technicality that never comes across as flashy but absolutely commands attention. His playing on Jar of Flies is another standout.
Sean Kinney's playing is really good on pretty much every AIC album. My favorite drumming is on the self-titled, followed by the drumming on Rainier Fog (Red Giant is his best work imo)
Fun Fact. Tom Araya from Slayer is the voice in the Untitled(Iron Gland) track. Yea this album has a lot of songs about Layne's drug use which unfortunately ended his life in 2002. Hope you check out their other albums(with Layne) and also their newer albums without Layne which are pretty good as well. They had 3 post Layne Albums in 2009, 2013 and 2018. As long as Jerry Cantrell is still in the band they will always rock.
You have to listen to their MTV Unplugged album at some point. One of the best ever live performances, even at a pretty dark time in the band’s history
Molly should watch the performance on video. Fortunately some songs have been remastered in HD. th-cam.com/play/PLclODpQJhNz7vm19Ab3k31tUX7dncoup4.html
Alice in Chains is my favorite band of all time, and coincidentally, you released this video on my birthday. So that's a hell of a birthday present. Amazing reaction. You dissected it really well! Please, you should react to their other albums: Facelift has a more blues and classic rock vibe Jar of Flies has a really melancholic but... "calming"? vibe And my personal favorite is their self-titled, but that one can be a hard listen for some people. It has a heavier, darker, sludgier sound.
Oh happy birthday!! Glad you got an Alice In Chains reaction for a gift haha :) I'm really exited to hear more music from them and will certainly have to check out the rest of their albums now.
one thing i think gets overlooked about this album is the metal aspects and is also generally considered an alt metal/grunge album and imo it’s the best mix of the two genres of all time
Always considered AiC more metal than anything like Nirvana for example, 'grunge' isn't what I'd call it. I mean Facelift still sounds kinda glam metal at times. (They started as a glam band)
@Dragon Ball fans can't read When hardcore punk band Black Flag slowed their sound down few people liked it or got it but people in Seattle where like we really like that slow heavy punk sound and went of formed lots of bands and the grunge sound was born. Grunge is just punk bands wanting to mix punk and doom metal hence all the slow heavy guitar riffs. Most grunge bands in the 90's would say a huge influence on them was black Sabbath.
Please do a reaction of "Above" by Mad Season... One my favorite albums of all time featuring Layne Staley and Mark Lanegan on the vocals plus Mike McCready from Pearl Jam on the guitar is awesome.
Would? is my FAVORITE on the album. I feel so connected to every aspect of the last track. Its my go-to for karaoke night Angry Chair is my second fave- & was an energy that deeply resonated my teenage years. Especially when he talks about the weight of his heart.
I love how you describe the difference in songwriting between Laynes songs & Jerrys songs without knowing up front.. There’s a huge difference- IMO, Jerry’s songs are more expansive, more melodic, ethereal. Laynes are almost toxic, at times borderline psychotic but still deliver. Both are equally seductive.
grew up on this. my dad played the hell out of this album and i used to have mixed feelings for AIC, but they’ve crept up on me and have become one of my favorite bands. rip layne
When you mentioned your dad I nearly lost my shit. My dad loved this album so much. It’s rare when parents dig music from your gen. He would let the whole thing play on our long trips. Layne and jerry had such an impact on me. One of the few things we both loved a lot. Now, he’s crossed to a new plain. I’ll always remember how funny it was that we both loved AIC.
I love this album. If it weren't for this album, I may not have gotten off heroin. I love Alice so much. They make the sounds that I feel inside the most
Layne and Jerry were so good at harmonies. The ones in Down in a Hole and Junkhead give me that warm crawl up the spine and the hair standing up. I'm going to Alice in Chains in Sept. I cannot wait. This will be my second time seeing them.
One of my favorite grunge-era 90's albums. This album had quite a few radio singles - Down In A Hole, Rooster, Angry Chair and Would are still played on classic rock radio pretty often. Great band. Rooster is about Jerry Cantrell's (Alice In Chains guitarist) father's time as a soldier during the Vietnam War. His nickname was Rooster. If I had to pick 2 favorites on this album, I'd probably go with Would (absolutely love everything about that song, especially that bass, the drums, and particularly the guitar during the verses) or Rain When I Die, mainly because of Layne's vocals in the chorus.
Even though jar of flies is technically only an EP, it's one of the best albums of all time. Might want to combine a review with another EP of theirs, Sap
Legendary album, a top 5 grunge album of all time, for sure. Would? is literally a perfect song. The way Layne and Jerry’s vocals blend during the verses gives me chills. And the chorus is so powerful and so catchy. It’s an absolute classic.
Layne Stayley was a vocalist with a lot of potential, for me, this album shows well all the dark and depressing themes of the grunge scene, the guitar sounding, the drums, everything is so good. Each song gives you goosebumps in a different way, whether it's the vocals or the guitars. Since you liked "Down in a Hole", check out the EP they released after this album called "Jar of Flies", it has some beautiful acoustic guitar songs in that style.
I'm in my 40s and I've been a huge fan of this band since I was in Middle School. To me out of all the early 90s grunge bands, these guys were in a different class of musicianship. Unfortunately the lead singer Layne Staley, overdosed on drugs and passed away. But the band is still going strong with the lead guitarist, filling in the gap and taking over lead vocals.
When you asked how many guitarists are in this band I couldn't help but smirk, Jerry Cantrell is a musical genius, his guitar playing complimented by Mike's bass is melodic
One of the greatest grunge albums ever made. My personal favorite song is would. It's about Andrew Wood who use to be the lead vocalist of Mother love Bone.🙏😪
At the inception of the Seattle sound, there was a “Big 4” of grunge albums: Nevermind, Ten, Badmotorfinger, and Dirt. The first two are probably the most commercially important. The latter two are easily my favorite. Both are close to perfect albums.
Great video and reaction Molly. Alice in Chains is one of my favorite bands and Dirt is one of my favorite albums so I'm glad you like it. Also love the Brandon Sanderson book on the shelf.
Oh HELL yeah. This album is awesome. Lotta great tracks here. My favorite out of all of them on this album is "Angry Chair," if I had to pick one. The dynamic of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell's harmonic vocals is something that we may never witness recaptured ever again. HUGE musical influence for me. Your interpretation of the lyrics was also very interesting; how you picked up on all the references to death and that sort of stuff. Definitely not a....happy record, to say the least.
Not sure if anyone has answered this already, didn't scroll all the way down. But the high-pitched plucking sounds you were wondering about in the intro of Rain When I Die - those are created by picking/plucking the strings on a guitar at the headstock, behind what's called the "nut" which serves to hold the strings in place/order. There is a difference in both tension and string length on either side of the nut, such that plucking the short, tighter part of the strings on the headstock side creates those really high-pitched, kinda eerie sounds. On another note, Rain When I Die is one of my favorite tracks on the album and inspired my first tat. Based on the estimated time of Layne's death from the examination of his body, it's believed that it actually did rain the day he overdosed and died. Although, he was living in Seattle, so the likelihood of that happening was pretty high. The circumstances of his death were so tragic, and this album certainly to me is made even darker and more impactful as a result. They estimated that by the time his body was discovered in his apartment, he had been lying dead on the couch for 2 weeks or so. RIP Layne, I hope wherever he is now has brought him the peace, fulfilment, and freedom he couldn't have in life. A final thought: Part of what made Layne so unique, even among the other heavy hitting grunge vocalists of the time (Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell, etc.), was he had a trifecta of vocalist skills. 1) he could muster insane power, volume, and grit behind his voice, but was just as skilled at knowing when and how to be reserved, quiet, controlled, and when to flip the switch back to overdrive. And he could sound vulnerable doing either. 2) He wasn't afraid to convey emotions through vocals without words, and he was damn good at it. In this respect, he was similar to Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam, who has often (I think unfairly) been made fun of and critiqued for not enunciating words and making all sorts of noises and "meaningless" vocalizations (ex. lots of repeated, drawn out "yeahs"). But I think Eddie, as well as Layne, demonstrate an important vocal technique where words themselves aren't that important - it's the masterful ability to convey meaning and emotion with just the sound of the voice. 3) Related to 2, what set Layne's vocals apart from Eddie and Kurt was that Layne somehow conveyed the emotion so you didn't really need the words, but he also consistently somehow enunciated the words so clearly anyway, so much that you can understand practically every single one on first listen. It's insane, using all that power, grit, volume control, tremelo (the shakiness), and other odd modifications, and still being able to pronounce the words so clearly. Forever one of the greats.
I can’t even think about this album for too long. Ten out of fucking ten. And yet as facelift, sap, tripod and especially jar of flies are so incomprehensibly good I still say that dirt was the Layne-era AIC masterpiece. It’s so good it scares me.
I was in college when this came out, and it got me through most of it. What an excellent album. This short era of "grunge" was chock full of countless great albums.
Actually, "Rooster" is about Jerry Cantrell Sr., who was an Army sniper in Vietnam. That was his handle. I didn't pick up on it myself until reading the liner notes of the dedications where he's listed as "the original Rooster."
She loves herself some JC! Always commenting on the guitar and she feels and hears the dirty darkness of AIC. Totally love this! You should check out Big Wreck In Loving Memory Of and post a video of your reaction to it. You won't be disappointed.
Man is this really classic rock now? I mean I'm only 28 but I feel like a geezer coming to grips with that. That being said it's crazy how you have a great taste in music but haven't listened to some of these seminal legendary bands. It does make for great content tho, watching you become a fan of all these bands. Great stuff as always!
First time watching your videos. I think you broke this album in a most excellent way and nailed it! You're very intelligent and I love how you didn't just BS your explanations. I agree with everything you said and I too get chills listening to Alice In Chains. RIP Layne! Keep making videos! Love this!
Such a legendary album. So sludgy yet so clean, the eerie harmonies, the odd time signatures, the powerful choruses, and numerous hits... This was probably Laynes most brutally honest album about his heroin addiction
Loved this reaction, especially for their not as popular songs like Sickman and God Smack! I’d recommend giving their other albums that featured Layne Staley a listen too such as Facelift, Jar of Flies and Self-Titled (aka Tripod), their discography is definitely quite interesting
i remember the day i got this cd. i played it on repeat and still love this album 30 plus years later. laynes haunting voice spoke so much to me. rip layne! youre still loved to this day.
Alice In Chains with Layne Staley were the most "metal" sounding of the '90s Seattle grunge bands. But I really like how Layne Staley's vocals can be very melodic and seem to offset the hard rock edge of the band. Great album. Great band.
The first album I purchased, on cassette, on my own. Would was originally a single for the Singles soundtrack, written before most of the album, and is probably their most well known song. Alice in Chains was the first band in my life that had those darker and heavier themes. I was drawn to it as a kid with no outlets for my inner emotions. Kinda hate to look back and think of how much an album about drug use, madness and death meant to me at the time. And yet I still have nothing but love for this band.
I always enjoyed the weirdness that came along with the vocals on the verses of “Sickman” although I can see why someone wouldn’t be in to it as it is pretty fucking weird for a metal/grunge song. Layne Staley likely achieved this “horse voice” effect in the studio by physically shaking his voice ox with his hand. Awesome level of creativity in my opinion.
I grew up hearing a lot of grunge music and, while I like it, don’t really think THAT highly about the genre anymore. However, Alice In Chains is one i listen to now and I can honestly say they’re one of my favorite bands of all time. Truly something special in a sea of other bands.
My roommate and I in college listened to this all the time when it came out. The opening of the record kicking you in the teeth from the start is great. Goosebumps during Down in a Hole, still get them myself today. The song DIrt is amazing, that riff still kills me. The lyrics on this record are pretty much Layne talking out his demons about his addiction. Jerry Cantrell is one of the best guitarists and song writers of that whole era. Also agree that the production on this record is amazing, fits the songs perfectly.
You have a great vocial tone and speak with awesome pronunciations that I can hear you even though i have a hearing impairment. I love Alice and was happy to see your video.
That makes me real happy to hear! Glad you're enjoying the videos. And yeah, Alice In Chains is such an amazing band. I can't wait to hear more of their stuff.
I have been studying music over 40 years, Molly. There are so many great rock singers, but Layne Staley takes the cake, for me. I am trained vocalist, and he is my favorite rock singer of all time. This album has a haunting foreshadowing feel knowing what happens to Layne eventually. Rest in peace, Layne. 😔😔🤘🤘 Keep on rocking, my friend!
At 2:00 , I LOVE how you can't help but let out a little snarl while listening. Which is exactly the reaction AIC gets out of EVERY SINGLE PERSON on this song. I am an AIC fanatic and Jerry Cantrell is my primary inspiration for guitar. I know 90% of dirt and facelift including all the solos. Anyways enough rambling, stumbled upon your video cuz the youtube algorithm reccomends anything AIC to me and I love seeing someone react to Dirt
Great reaction like always. "Would?" is also one of my favorites, at times my favorite rock song bar none. I love that bass riff that opens the track. The vocals are just loaded with frustration and emotion. Some historical context to this song follows, as it's heavily tied to several Seattle bands. Clearly it's about drugs, yes, but specifically Andrew Wood, lead singer of the band Mother Love Bone. Mother Love Bone was positioned to breakout in 1990, a year before Nevermind hit. "Apple" was set to release in mere weeks when Wood died of a heroin overdose. I'd recommend you check "Apple" out, it has more of a glam sound than other bands from the Seattle scene. Two of the members from Mother Love Bone, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament went on to make a tribute album with Matt Cameron and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden (Cornell was Wood's roommate) called Temple of the Dog. Those sessions involved guest vocals by Californian transplant, Eddie Vedder, who would form Pearl Jam with Gossard, Ament, Mike McCready, and a decade later, Cameron. "Would?" was first released as a lead single from the "Singles" movie soundtrack, an album that collected a lot of Seattle bands on the verge. Within the film, the characters attend an Alice in Chains show where they perform "Would?" ( th-cam.com/video/iUeHyaAMOxA/w-d-xo.html ). Mother Love Bone's "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" also features prominently in the film. If you're looking for a movie to review, "Singles" would make an interesting trip to the lives of twenty-somethings circa 1990.
This is the band that grabs my attention the most when you look at the genre of "grunge". Always felt that AIC's style, lyrics, and lifestyle of the band really matched what the word grunge means and sounds like. A raw, real, heavy, and full of angst sound on this album. Just a fantastic group effort, always in sync, and you hear each one of their contributions. Layne was really starting to slide downhill during this time. There's a TH-cam documentary someone out together that was just heartbreaking and really hard to watch the more it went on. I have to put Dirt at the top of the best albums of the 90s. Down in a Hole really hits hard for me the most. "Down in a hole and I don't know if I can be saved. See my heart I decorate it like a grave." Beautiful and dark at the same time.
@@Elis_Nordgall Yeah, Grunge is weird...none of the bands considered the big Grunge bands sound a like, but post-Grunge bands all pretty much sound the same. Your singer either decides to rip off Eddie Vedder, Layne Staley, or Chris Cornell...or you do like Scott Weiland and do all 3.
@@johncarolina4950 Grunge was both a description of the sound and the dressed down, shaggy appearance of those Seattle based bands of the 90s. The hair metal bands and power ballads died overnight. I didn't like the implication of the 'grunge' description of the genre, or how it became a blanket term for so many groups, but it does bring us to the generally correct time period and musical strain without the need for explanation. The debate over who was actually grunge or not will never end. The labels meddled with the recipe too much and made a mess of things. Grunge, like Punk, is an identifiable musical genre, and a cultural ambiguity that smashed into history leaving a mark. I'm glad I was there for it. I long for those days, especially now as the world has gone crazy.
Excellent review Molly, one of my favorite albums of all time. One of the darkest, yet commercially successful album ever created. Would love to see you review Facelift next.
AIC is grunge / sludge metal , my favorite band and the dirt album is my favorite album period of any genre ! I was 20 when this Dirt album came out and I loved the Facelift album just awesome so is the Sap EP and the jar of flies EP as well their tripod LP was maybe their heaviest album but Dirt is the album that defined AIC !
this is one of my all time fav records. its a pretty dark record but beautiful at the same time. i was so lucky to be a teenager in the 90s! i was witness to some epic amazing stuff and things!
Layne truly had a unique and one of a kind voice.. you must check out MTV Unplugged Alice in Chains, it's a legendary live show, you don't even have to react to it, just watch it on TH-cam in your free time, it's an incredible must see performance..
First vid I’ve seen of this channel and as someone who grew up listening to this album it’s really entertaining to hear you describe your reaction of your first listen. Wonderful and accurate descriptions.
I would absolutely love to watch your review of their album Jar Of Flies. This is one of the best AiC reaction videos I've ever seen. Nutshell is my all time favorite song. It's on Jar of Flies. Please, do that album?
I always remember how LOUD this album sounded compared to any Rock/Metal/Grunge back in '92.An all-time favourite and one of the most complete albums I've ever heard.Doom-laden for sure,because of Layne's addictions,but man...what a tremendous voice.So much pain,heart and delivery.Heavy songs,then the choruses are so soulful,tuneful and have a lightness.Genius band,every album good. Loving your reactions Molly,please check out Mad Season and Stone Temple Pilots from that era. Another solid band with a charismatic,brilliant frontman.Sadly, like Layne,left us too soon.🎵🤘
This review was fantastic, love seeing your real time reactions and facial expressions while listening. Welcome to Alice in Chains they are the best "grunge" band from that era imo. There's a very underrated album from the early 90s by the band Floater called Sink which I would put right up there with the best, maybe give that one a shot someday😁
You do awesome videos. And love the ones you do on NIN and Deftones. My two all time favourite bands. Have you gotten requests to do videos on Type O Negative? Got into them for the first time 2 years ago and now I love them. Would recommend checking out their album World Coming Down. Have a great week ahead. 🙂👍
Thanks for highlighting the age of some of us by throwing the category "classic rock" tag at this, okay admittedly classic, album! 🥲😆 One of the very best of the grunge Era.
Fairly new to this channel, found it a few months back but it’s quick becoming one of my favourites! So happy when I seen this album being reviewed 😁 Alice are my absolute best band and this is an immense album!! Keep up the great work 👌🤘
Thank you, this shortened version truly showed me how much i loved this album, and how much it transcended “grunge” at the time. They all on a whole different level
I loved seeing you go through all the emotions with this album. Awesome video. I wish i could go back and listen to this album for the first time again.
I find it very interesting that dirt and sickman were listed as standout tracks as I feel that a lot of fans don't seem to feel the same. They are definitely favorites of mine along with them bones and angry chair. Down in a hole and would are classic favorites
I only recently discovered your channel so you may have mentioned this in a previous video, (I'm still working my way through them) but I think you would really enjoy Nine Inch Nails. You've already picked some of my favorite bands ever. Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) basically creates all the music and plays all the instruments on the albums then gets a band together when they go on tour. They were one of the artists who made industrial metal popular. And he's created a ton of stuff. There are over a dozen studio albums with Nine Inch Nails and he's also done soundtracks for movies, TV shows, and video games, and has produced or collaborated with countless other artists. You won't be disappointed.
Really enjoyed watching you go from the stoic look and ‘will I like it?’ to where you started grooving on the album by songs 3 and 4. The three LP’s and two EP’s with Layne are musical and lyrical GOLD! You’re gonna be an AIC fan,once you hear the early catalogue.
Great reaction 🔥 To me, out of the Big 4 Bands of the "Grunge" Era of the early-1990s, Alice in Chains is my go-to listen. The iconic pairing of the haunting, power vocals of the incomparable Layne Staley (R.I.P.) and the Riff Lord/singer-songwriter Jerry Cantrell produced, in a relatively short amount of time, some of the rawest, emotional, and legendary pieces of music ever recorded regardless of genre. Definitely check out AIC's debut album "Facelift" (1990). This album infused heavy/alternative, and groove metal with funky elements. It also brought spotlight to the Seattle scene, the genesis of the oncoming "Grunge" Era. Ozzy Osbourne stated that this was one of his 10 favorite metal albums
Thanks, I appreciate that! AIC is such a fantastic band, they are able to emote so much feeling into their music that it's very palpable, even on a first listen.
This must be the resequenced version where Down in a Hole was moved from the 11th track to the 4th, as in the original tracklist, the last 3 songs on the album ended up being singles, which I guess some corporate people weren't happy with..
Most explosive start of an album with the scream at them bones, in history! What great harmonies on down in hole. Would is so powerful, great song. Staleys voice can carry any song, by a mile and Cantrells guitar sound blends in so perfectly. They had such a stellar quality of writing melodies and bringing aggression into the tracks to support the dramatic feelings displayed in their lyrics. Rooster is one of my favorite songs of all time, fantasitc harmonies with power and aggresion all hold together with perfect singing . Their best album hands down. We are so blessed that Staley turned his inside out, telling us everything he felt inside. Tragic ending for him, but he definitaly left an unbelievable quality of music behind, that is so relateable and honest.
"..my favorite might be the closing track....." Yes. For you and countless million others who've only ever heard one AIC song. That one is it. For people who say they've never experienced AIC I always recommend the performance of "Love Hate Love" live at the Moore Theatre.
This album is one of the soundtracks of my life. I like the concept you used kind open sound, Jerry doing almost a 3 people's job, Layne at his best, the rhythm section also great and doing that amazing base on Would, which is easily one of the masterpieces from 90's. I also agree that Sickman and Godsmack are weird and maybe different from the record vibe, but the chorus from the last one is amazing and hooked me anyway 🤭 Congrats
YES! one of my all time favorite albums, Layne is one of my all time favorite vocalists & Would? is the highlight of the album for me, one of my all time favorite songs, absolutely check out the rest also, if you haven't heard it, you should check out the debut album from Corey Taylor's other band Stone Sour, it was released in 2002 after the Iowa tour and it still has those incredible vocals on it but with more melody, it's great!
Great album! The vocal range of the late Layne Staley was something very interesting to listen, also the musicianship is on point. A very seminal and influential album with no doubt
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surprisingly they only had one guitarist in that era: Jerry Cantrell (although the lead singer Layne Staley played rhythm guitar on Hate to Feel and Angry Chair) but yeah Jerry Cantrell is one of the greatest guitarists of all time imo
Oh thanks for letting me know! The guitars are crazy good on this album, would've guessed there was more than one guitarist.
Lots and lots of layering in the studio.
@@mollyesanborn Jerry also is darn good singer, he sings backing vocals and even lead vocals on several Alice in Chains songs, plus he's released a few solo albums where he plays guitar and sings.
He also wrote the vast majority of the music and half of the lyrics on the album.
Jerry Cantrell teh GOAT
Layne Staley is hands down, a top 10 vocalist of all time, and top 5 of the 90’s
Whose your top 5?
@@jakobbrady3806 Mike Patton
Maynard
Chris Cornell
Layne Staley
Eddie Vedder
@@cobaltfalcon9458 Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots fits that list IMO.
@@whatdothlife4660 he absolutely does. I’d replace Vedder with him
@@cobaltfalcon9458 That was my exact thought when I made this comment. If you haven't watched this live concert from STP please do: th-cam.com/video/KO5sPkssrmM/w-d-xo.html
FACELIFT is worth checking out as well, Molly. AiC's debut. It's got a bit more of a funky vibe to it, almost like 80s hair metal...only awesome.
I'll certainly have to check it out!
Yeah if you look at their Best of album called Nothing's Safe, there are songs pulled equally from both their albums and both their EP's, minus a handful that could've been included. Some of their other stuff might not hit as well all-round as Dirt does, but all their releases have all time classic songs worth hearing.
I was about to say, she skipped Facelift! It’s probably my favorite AIC album.
@IceCat7 Not IMO
I love Facelift too but those funk/metal songs on that record are the most skippable tunes for me. They almost never played “Put You Down” live so it makes me wonder that the band wasn’t really into that material either…
Down in a Hole and Rooster perfectly encapsulated what separated Alice in Chains from their contemporaries in terms of tone and style. In an era of breakout bands and new sounds, Alice and Chains was special even then. Dirt has only continued to improve with age.
As you can probably tell most of this album is about Drugs, namely Heroin and it being the drug of choice in Seattle in the early to mid 90's. Rooster is about Jerry's Dad and his time in Vietnam. His war name was Rooster. Alice In Chains story is rife with Drugs in and out of the band.
I think it still is the drug of choice is Seattle. At least from what I’ve seen.
@@TH-camWatcher9000 - I live in Seattle. Fentanyl has pretty much taken over Heroin. I would say it's about 75% fentanyl here.
Everybody knows that.
Lol I played this album through at work yesterday... never noticed all the drug stuff. What's my drug of choice? Whatever you got
It wasn't the drug of choice in Seattle in the early and mid 90's anymore so than anywhere else. It really wasn't. Booze, weed, acid, shrooms, mda/mdma...those were the drugs of the scene.
Cantrell and Staley got tons of obvious praise, and for good reason, but Sean Kinney's drumming on Dirt is criminally underrated. Powerhouse rock playing with subtle technicality that never comes across as flashy but absolutely commands attention. His playing on Jar of Flies is another standout.
Mike Starr is also underappreciated. Would? is literally one of the best basslines of all time.
@@markocenic299Jerry wrote that bassline, not Mike
Sean Kinney's playing is really good on pretty much every AIC album. My favorite drumming is on the self-titled, followed by the drumming on Rainier Fog (Red Giant is his best work imo)
Fun Fact. Tom Araya from Slayer is the voice in the Untitled(Iron Gland) track. Yea this album has a lot of songs about Layne's drug use which unfortunately ended his life in 2002. Hope you check out their other albums(with Layne) and also their newer albums without Layne which are pretty good as well. They had 3 post Layne Albums in 2009, 2013 and 2018. As long as Jerry Cantrell is still in the band they will always rock.
Fun observation: they have to be the only band in history to have a member of Slayer and Elton John as guests on their albums.
One of the most beautiful hard rock records ever. As an addict, as a music lover, as a man, it’s everything to me.
Love the concept of this channel. Doing a whole album review.. different than anything else I’ve seen. Brilliant.
Thanks, glad you're enjoying the format! :)
You have to listen to their MTV Unplugged album at some point. One of the best ever live performances, even at a pretty dark time in the band’s history
The best unplugged by a mile
THANK YOU
Molly should watch the performance on video. Fortunately some songs have been remastered in HD. th-cam.com/play/PLclODpQJhNz7vm19Ab3k31tUX7dncoup4.html
Even better to watch IMO
Also, their self titled is probably my favorite but Jar of Flies is close. Hate to even say that with albums like dirt and facelift. They're all great
Alice in Chains is my favorite band of all time, and coincidentally, you released this video on my birthday. So that's a hell of a birthday present.
Amazing reaction. You dissected it really well!
Please, you should react to their other albums:
Facelift has a more blues and classic rock vibe
Jar of Flies has a really melancholic but... "calming"? vibe
And my personal favorite is their self-titled, but that one can be a hard listen for some people. It has a heavier, darker, sludgier sound.
Oh happy birthday!! Glad you got an Alice In Chains reaction for a gift haha :)
I'm really exited to hear more music from them and will certainly have to check out the rest of their albums now.
@@mollyesanborn Please do! Each album with Layne is a totally different sound and experience.
Tripod is as good as Dirt imo, my favorite aswell.
one thing i think gets overlooked about this album is the metal aspects and is also generally considered an alt metal/grunge album and imo it’s the best mix of the two genres of all time
Yeah AIC were definitely the band that bridged the genres of grunge and metal. Soundgarden had their moments too.
Always considered AiC more metal than anything like Nirvana for example, 'grunge' isn't what I'd call it. I mean Facelift still sounds kinda glam metal at times. (They started as a glam band)
Don't you guys know that grunge is in general mix of heavy-metal and punk-rock?
@Dragon Ball fans can't read
When hardcore punk band Black Flag slowed their sound down few people liked it or got it but people in Seattle where like we really like that slow heavy punk sound and went of formed lots of bands and the grunge sound was born. Grunge is just punk bands wanting to mix punk and doom metal hence all the slow heavy guitar riffs. Most grunge bands in the 90's would say a huge influence on them was black Sabbath.
Rooster and Would still get play from me. I'm 48 and love seeing your reactions to the music of my youth. 🤜🤛
Please do a reaction of "Above" by Mad Season... One my favorite albums of all time featuring Layne Staley and Mark Lanegan on the vocals plus Mike McCready from Pearl Jam on the guitar is awesome.
Would? is my FAVORITE on the album. I feel so connected to every aspect of the last track. Its my go-to for karaoke night Angry Chair is my second fave- & was an energy that deeply resonated my teenage years. Especially when he talks about the weight of his heart.
I love how you describe the difference in songwriting between Laynes songs & Jerrys songs without knowing up front..
There’s a huge difference- IMO, Jerry’s songs are more expansive, more melodic, ethereal.
Laynes are almost toxic, at times borderline psychotic but still deliver. Both are equally seductive.
Probably the best way to describe Alice in Chains. Sometimes ethereal, sometimes toxic. I love it all.
One of the greatest albums of all time.
grew up on this. my dad played the hell out of this album and i used to have mixed feelings for AIC, but they’ve crept up on me and have become one of my favorite bands. rip layne
When you mentioned your dad I nearly lost my shit. My dad loved this album so much. It’s rare when parents dig music from your gen. He would let the whole thing play on our long trips. Layne and jerry had such an impact on me. One of the few things we both loved a lot. Now, he’s crossed to a new plain. I’ll always remember how funny it was that we both loved AIC.
I love this album. If it weren't for this album, I may not have gotten off heroin. I love Alice so much. They make the sounds that I feel inside the most
Good for you bro. I love this band.
Layne and Jerry were so good at harmonies. The ones in Down in a Hole and Junkhead give me that warm crawl up the spine and the hair standing up. I'm going to Alice in Chains in Sept. I cannot wait. This will be my second time seeing them.
One of my favorite grunge-era 90's albums. This album had quite a few radio singles - Down In A Hole, Rooster, Angry Chair and Would are still played on classic rock radio pretty often. Great band. Rooster is about Jerry Cantrell's (Alice In Chains guitarist) father's time as a soldier during the Vietnam War. His nickname was Rooster. If I had to pick 2 favorites on this album, I'd probably go with Would (absolutely love everything about that song, especially that bass, the drums, and particularly the guitar during the verses) or Rain When I Die, mainly because of Layne's vocals in the chorus.
Even though jar of flies is technically only an EP, it's one of the best albums of all time. Might want to combine a review with another EP of theirs, Sap
Legendary album, a top 5 grunge album of all time, for sure.
Would? is literally a perfect song. The way Layne and Jerry’s vocals blend during the verses gives me chills. And the chorus is so powerful and so catchy. It’s an absolute classic.
Layne Stayley was a vocalist with a lot of potential, for me, this album shows well all the dark and depressing themes of the grunge scene, the guitar sounding, the drums, everything is so good. Each song gives you goosebumps in a different way, whether it's the vocals or the guitars. Since you liked "Down in a Hole", check out the EP they released after this album called "Jar of Flies", it has some beautiful acoustic guitar songs in that style.
I'm in my 40s and I've been a huge fan of this band since I was in Middle School. To me out of all the early 90s grunge bands, these guys were in a different class of musicianship. Unfortunately the lead singer Layne Staley, overdosed on drugs and passed away. But the band is still going strong with the lead guitarist, filling in the gap and taking over lead vocals.
Those early Pearl Jam records were pretty damn good too.
Super excited to watch this! Hope you will react to more AiC in the future :)
Noted, I'll have to plan on checking out more albums from them. Hope you enjoy the video!
When you asked how many guitarists are in this band I couldn't help but smirk, Jerry Cantrell is a musical genius, his guitar playing complimented by Mike's bass is melodic
Jerry multitracked heavily. He also recorded using les Paul's giving a heavier fatter sound
I wish I could listen to this for the first time again.
Honestly one of my favorite albums of all time. Super stoked to see you react to it!
This album is such a treat to listen to. Amazing reaction Molly!
One of the greatest grunge albums ever made. My personal favorite song is would. It's about Andrew Wood who use to be the lead vocalist of Mother love Bone.🙏😪
At the inception of the Seattle sound, there was a “Big 4” of grunge albums: Nevermind, Ten, Badmotorfinger, and Dirt. The first two are probably the most commercially important. The latter two are easily my favorite. Both are close to perfect albums.
Great video and reaction Molly. Alice in Chains is one of my favorite bands and Dirt is one of my favorite albums so I'm glad you like it. Also love the Brandon Sanderson book on the shelf.
Oh HELL yeah. This album is awesome. Lotta great tracks here. My favorite out of all of them on this album is "Angry Chair," if I had to pick one. The dynamic of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell's harmonic vocals is something that we may never witness recaptured ever again. HUGE musical influence for me. Your interpretation of the lyrics was also very interesting; how you picked up on all the references to death and that sort of stuff. Definitely not a....happy record, to say the least.
Not sure if anyone has answered this already, didn't scroll all the way down. But the high-pitched plucking sounds you were wondering about in the intro of Rain When I Die - those are created by picking/plucking the strings on a guitar at the headstock, behind what's called the "nut" which serves to hold the strings in place/order. There is a difference in both tension and string length on either side of the nut, such that plucking the short, tighter part of the strings on the headstock side creates those really high-pitched, kinda eerie sounds.
On another note, Rain When I Die is one of my favorite tracks on the album and inspired my first tat. Based on the estimated time of Layne's death from the examination of his body, it's believed that it actually did rain the day he overdosed and died. Although, he was living in Seattle, so the likelihood of that happening was pretty high. The circumstances of his death were so tragic, and this album certainly to me is made even darker and more impactful as a result. They estimated that by the time his body was discovered in his apartment, he had been lying dead on the couch for 2 weeks or so. RIP Layne, I hope wherever he is now has brought him the peace, fulfilment, and freedom he couldn't have in life.
A final thought: Part of what made Layne so unique, even among the other heavy hitting grunge vocalists of the time (Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell, etc.), was he had a trifecta of vocalist skills. 1) he could muster insane power, volume, and grit behind his voice, but was just as skilled at knowing when and how to be reserved, quiet, controlled, and when to flip the switch back to overdrive. And he could sound vulnerable doing either. 2) He wasn't afraid to convey emotions through vocals without words, and he was damn good at it. In this respect, he was similar to Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam, who has often (I think unfairly) been made fun of and critiqued for not enunciating words and making all sorts of noises and "meaningless" vocalizations (ex. lots of repeated, drawn out "yeahs"). But I think Eddie, as well as Layne, demonstrate an important vocal technique where words themselves aren't that important - it's the masterful ability to convey meaning and emotion with just the sound of the voice. 3) Related to 2, what set Layne's vocals apart from Eddie and Kurt was that Layne somehow conveyed the emotion so you didn't really need the words, but he also consistently somehow enunciated the words so clearly anyway, so much that you can understand practically every single one on first listen. It's insane, using all that power, grit, volume control, tremelo (the shakiness), and other odd modifications, and still being able to pronounce the words so clearly. Forever one of the greats.
Perfectly said, Layne was a true genius and a legend 💗
I can’t even think about this album for too long.
Ten out of fucking ten.
And yet as facelift, sap, tripod and especially jar of flies are so incomprehensibly good I still say that dirt was the Layne-era AIC masterpiece. It’s so good it scares me.
I was in college when this came out, and it got me through most of it. What an excellent album. This short era of "grunge" was chock full of countless great albums.
Actually, "Rooster" is about Jerry Cantrell Sr., who was an Army sniper in Vietnam. That was his handle. I didn't pick up on it myself until reading the liner notes of the dedications where he's listed as "the original Rooster."
Dirt is one of those albums you just listen start to finish.. And love it all the way
She loves herself some JC! Always commenting on the guitar and she feels and hears the dirty darkness of AIC. Totally love this! You should check out Big Wreck In Loving Memory Of and post a video of your reaction to it. You won't be disappointed.
Man is this really classic rock now? I mean I'm only 28 but I feel like a geezer coming to grips with that. That being said it's crazy how you have a great taste in music but haven't listened to some of these seminal legendary bands. It does make for great content tho, watching you become a fan of all these bands. Great stuff as always!
The way you describe how these songs are composed makes me think you're a musician. Great reaction/personal thoughts on this album.
Wow, thanks! I'm not a musician at all, I just love listening to music a lot. Glad you enjoyed the video :)
First time watching your videos. I think you broke this album in a most excellent way and nailed it! You're very intelligent and I love how you didn't just BS your explanations. I agree with everything you said and I too get chills listening to Alice In Chains. RIP Layne!
Keep making videos! Love this!
I appreciate you, thanks!! And yeah this album is fantastic. Can't wait to hear more from Alice In Chains.
Aaaaaa!
I'm so excited for this!
Yay, hope you enjoy the video :)
Such a legendary album. So sludgy yet so clean, the eerie harmonies, the odd time signatures, the powerful choruses, and numerous hits... This was probably Laynes most brutally honest album about his heroin addiction
superunknown from soundgarden is another good shout from the same era. chris cornells vocals are phenomenal on that record
Loved this reaction, especially for their not as popular songs like Sickman and God Smack! I’d recommend giving their other albums that featured Layne Staley a listen too such as Facelift, Jar of Flies and Self-Titled (aka Tripod), their discography is definitely quite interesting
this album is a classic / masterpiece 👌 glad you liked it and liked your reactions 👍😉
An absolute masterpiece, couldn't agree more. Thanks for watching :)
Nice review Molly. You have a talent for descriptively articulating your feelings and opinions in your reviews. Thanks
Thank you, I appreciate that and am glad you're enjoying the videos :)
i remember the day i got this cd. i played it on repeat and still love this album 30 plus years later. laynes haunting voice spoke so much to me. rip layne! youre still loved to this day.
I'm a huge AIC fan. Kudos to you for Such a well done, thoughtful reaction/review!
Thank you! ❤️
One of my fave AIC albums alongside Facelift and self titled. I'm excited for you to hear more of their music and maybe check out Ten by Pearl Jam.
Alice In Chains with Layne Staley were the most "metal" sounding of the '90s Seattle grunge bands.
But I really like how Layne Staley's vocals can be very melodic and seem to offset the hard rock edge of the band.
Great album. Great band.
The first album I purchased, on cassette, on my own. Would was originally a single for the Singles soundtrack, written before most of the album, and is probably their most well known song. Alice in Chains was the first band in my life that had those darker and heavier themes. I was drawn to it as a kid with no outlets for my inner emotions. Kinda hate to look back and think of how much an album about drug use, madness and death meant to me at the time. And yet I still have nothing but love for this band.
If this was the first you bought on your own, it was all downhill from there. Lol
I always enjoyed the weirdness that came along with the vocals on the verses of “Sickman” although I can see why someone wouldn’t be in to it as it is pretty fucking weird for a metal/grunge song. Layne Staley likely achieved this “horse voice” effect in the studio by physically shaking his voice ox with his hand. Awesome level of creativity in my opinion.
I grew up hearing a lot of grunge music and, while I like it, don’t really think THAT highly about the genre anymore.
However, Alice In Chains is one i listen to now and I can honestly say they’re one of my favorite bands of all time. Truly something special in a sea of other bands.
My roommate and I in college listened to this all the time when it came out. The opening of the record kicking you in the teeth from the start is great. Goosebumps during Down in a Hole, still get them myself today. The song DIrt is amazing, that riff still kills me. The lyrics on this record are pretty much Layne talking out his demons about his addiction. Jerry Cantrell is one of the best guitarists and song writers of that whole era. Also agree that the production on this record is amazing, fits the songs perfectly.
You have a great vocial tone and speak with awesome pronunciations that I can hear you even though i have a hearing impairment. I love Alice and was happy to see your video.
That makes me real happy to hear! Glad you're enjoying the videos. And yeah, Alice In Chains is such an amazing band. I can't wait to hear more of their stuff.
I have been studying music over 40 years, Molly. There are so many great rock singers, but Layne Staley takes the cake, for me. I am trained vocalist, and he is my favorite rock singer of all time. This album has a haunting foreshadowing feel knowing what happens to Layne eventually. Rest in peace, Layne. 😔😔🤘🤘 Keep on rocking, my friend!
At 2:00 , I LOVE how you can't help but let out a little snarl while listening. Which is exactly the reaction AIC gets out of EVERY SINGLE PERSON on this song. I am an AIC fanatic and Jerry Cantrell is my primary inspiration for guitar. I know 90% of dirt and facelift including all the solos. Anyways enough rambling, stumbled upon your video cuz the youtube algorithm reccomends anything AIC to me and I love seeing someone react to Dirt
Great reaction like always. "Would?" is also one of my favorites, at times my favorite rock song bar none. I love that bass riff that opens the track. The vocals are just loaded with frustration and emotion. Some historical context to this song follows, as it's heavily tied to several Seattle bands.
Clearly it's about drugs, yes, but specifically Andrew Wood, lead singer of the band Mother Love Bone. Mother Love Bone was positioned to breakout in 1990, a year before Nevermind hit. "Apple" was set to release in mere weeks when Wood died of a heroin overdose. I'd recommend you check "Apple" out, it has more of a glam sound than other bands from the Seattle scene. Two of the members from Mother Love Bone, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament went on to make a tribute album with Matt Cameron and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden (Cornell was Wood's roommate) called Temple of the Dog. Those sessions involved guest vocals by Californian transplant, Eddie Vedder, who would form Pearl Jam with Gossard, Ament, Mike McCready, and a decade later, Cameron.
"Would?" was first released as a lead single from the "Singles" movie soundtrack, an album that collected a lot of Seattle bands on the verge. Within the film, the characters attend an Alice in Chains show where they perform "Would?" ( th-cam.com/video/iUeHyaAMOxA/w-d-xo.html ). Mother Love Bone's "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns" also features prominently in the film. If you're looking for a movie to review, "Singles" would make an interesting trip to the lives of twenty-somethings circa 1990.
This is the band that grabs my attention the most when you look at the genre of "grunge". Always felt that AIC's style, lyrics, and lifestyle of the band really matched what the word grunge means and sounds like. A raw, real, heavy, and full of angst sound on this album. Just a fantastic group effort, always in sync, and you hear each one of their contributions. Layne was really starting to slide downhill during this time. There's a TH-cam documentary someone out together that was just heartbreaking and really hard to watch the more it went on. I have to put Dirt at the top of the best albums of the 90s. Down in a Hole really hits hard for me the most. "Down in a hole and I don't know if I can be saved. See my heart I decorate it like a grave." Beautiful and dark at the same time.
Wouldn’t really say that grunge is a genre
Grunge was a made up media creation and not an actual genre
@@johncarolina4950 I know it was made up but it fits the style. The music is grungy. It's a subgenre of alt rock.
@@Elis_Nordgall Yeah, Grunge is weird...none of the bands considered the big Grunge bands sound a like, but post-Grunge bands all pretty much sound the same. Your singer either decides to rip off Eddie Vedder, Layne Staley, or Chris Cornell...or you do like Scott Weiland and do all 3.
@@johncarolina4950 Grunge was both a description of the sound and the dressed down, shaggy appearance of those Seattle based bands of the 90s. The hair metal bands and power ballads died overnight.
I didn't like the implication of the 'grunge' description of the genre, or how it became a blanket term for so many groups, but it does bring us to the generally correct time period and musical strain without the need for explanation. The debate over who was actually grunge or not will never end. The labels meddled with the recipe too much and made a mess of things.
Grunge, like Punk, is an identifiable musical genre, and a cultural ambiguity that smashed into history leaving a mark. I'm glad I was there for it. I long for those days, especially now as the world has gone crazy.
Excellent review Molly, one of my favorite albums of all time. One of the darkest, yet commercially successful album ever created. Would love to see you review Facelift next.
AIC is grunge / sludge metal , my favorite band and the dirt album is my favorite album period of any genre ! I was 20 when this Dirt album came out and I loved the Facelift album just awesome so is the Sap EP and the jar of flies EP as well their tripod LP was maybe their heaviest album but Dirt is the album that defined AIC !
Waited so long for this! More AIC
One of my favorite bands of all time. Their first album “Facelift” is even better, in my opinion! It’s probably their most heavy and metal-ish album.
You should react to the rest of their albums! Judging by your reaction I think you would really love them all.
this is one of my all time fav records. its a pretty dark record but beautiful at the same time. i was so lucky to be a teenager in the 90s! i was witness to some epic amazing stuff and things!
Layne truly had a unique and one of a kind voice.. you must check out MTV Unplugged Alice in Chains, it's a legendary live show, you don't even have to react to it, just watch it on TH-cam in your free time, it's an incredible must see performance..
First vid I’ve seen of this channel and as someone who grew up listening to this album it’s really entertaining to hear you describe your reaction of your first listen. Wonderful and accurate descriptions.
Rooster is probably one of my topn10 fave songs of all time... surprised it didn't even get a mention in your final thoughts!
I would absolutely love to watch your review of their album Jar Of Flies. This is one of the best AiC reaction videos I've ever seen.
Nutshell is my all time favorite song. It's on Jar of Flies. Please, do that album?
I always remember how LOUD this album sounded compared to any Rock/Metal/Grunge back in '92.An all-time favourite and one of the most complete albums I've ever heard.Doom-laden for sure,because of Layne's addictions,but man...what a tremendous voice.So much pain,heart and delivery.Heavy songs,then the choruses are so soulful,tuneful and have a lightness.Genius band,every album good.
Loving your reactions Molly,please check out Mad Season and Stone Temple Pilots from that era.
Another solid band with a charismatic,brilliant frontman.Sadly, like Layne,left us too soon.🎵🤘
Jerry Cantrell wrote the song Rooster for his father. Rooster was his nickname and the song is about his time with the US army in Vietnam.
I think this is my favorite album of all time. It’s perfect in my eyes.
Yes yes yes I was super excited when I saw you doing AIC. Thank you. Awesome vid!
This album came out when I was about 16 years old. It was so important to me at the time, and is still one of my favourite albums of all time.
I love the shaky vocals of Godsmack I think it fits perfectly with the topic of a person who is in a deep addiction.
This review was fantastic, love seeing your real time reactions and facial expressions while listening. Welcome to Alice in Chains they are the best "grunge" band from that era imo. There's a very underrated album from the early 90s by the band Floater called Sink which I would put right up there with the best, maybe give that one a shot someday😁
You do awesome videos. And love the ones you do on NIN and Deftones. My two all time favourite bands.
Have you gotten requests to do videos on Type O Negative? Got into them for the first time 2 years ago and now I love them. Would recommend checking out their album World Coming Down.
Have a great week ahead. 🙂👍
Brilliant album from a fantastic era of music. Cheers Molly 🇦🇺🤘👌
Thanks for highlighting the age of some of us by throwing the category "classic rock" tag at this, okay admittedly classic, album! 🥲😆
One of the very best of the grunge Era.
Wait, I did read that correctly and you edited the title, right?
It's in the thumbnail of the video, haha it also puzzles me but it's part of the charm
Fairly new to this channel, found it a few months back but it’s quick becoming one of my favourites! So happy when I seen this album being reviewed 😁 Alice are my absolute best band and this is an immense album!!
Keep up the great work 👌🤘
Thank you, this shortened version truly showed me how much i loved this album, and how much it transcended “grunge” at the time. They all on a whole different level
I loved seeing you go through all the emotions with this album. Awesome video. I wish i could go back and listen to this album for the first time again.
I find it very interesting that dirt and sickman were listed as standout tracks as I feel that a lot of fans don't seem to feel the same. They are definitely favorites of mine along with them bones and angry chair. Down in a hole and would are classic favorites
I only recently discovered your channel so you may have mentioned this in a previous video, (I'm still working my way through them) but I think you would really enjoy Nine Inch Nails. You've already picked some of my favorite bands ever. Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) basically creates all the music and plays all the instruments on the albums then gets a band together when they go on tour. They were one of the artists who made industrial metal popular. And he's created a ton of stuff. There are over a dozen studio albums with Nine Inch Nails and he's also done soundtracks for movies, TV shows, and video games, and has produced or collaborated with countless other artists. You won't be disappointed.
Really enjoyed watching you go from the stoic look and ‘will I like it?’ to where you started grooving on the album by songs 3 and 4. The three LP’s and two EP’s with Layne are musical and lyrical GOLD! You’re gonna be an AIC fan,once you hear the early catalogue.
Great reaction 🔥
To me, out of the Big 4 Bands of the "Grunge" Era of the early-1990s, Alice in Chains is my go-to listen.
The iconic pairing of the haunting, power vocals of the incomparable Layne Staley (R.I.P.) and the Riff Lord/singer-songwriter Jerry Cantrell produced, in a relatively short amount of time, some of the rawest, emotional, and legendary pieces of music ever recorded regardless of genre.
Definitely check out AIC's debut album "Facelift" (1990). This album infused heavy/alternative, and groove metal with funky elements. It also brought spotlight to the Seattle scene, the genesis of the oncoming "Grunge" Era.
Ozzy Osbourne stated that this was one of his 10 favorite metal albums
You got all this from your first listen? You got a great talent. Keep sharing these great videos.
Thanks, I appreciate that! AIC is such a fantastic band, they are able to emote so much feeling into their music that it's very palpable, even on a first listen.
This must be the resequenced version where Down in a Hole was moved from the 11th track to the 4th, as in the original tracklist, the last 3 songs on the album ended up being singles, which I guess some corporate people weren't happy with..
Most explosive start of an album with the scream at them bones, in history! What great harmonies on down in hole. Would is so powerful, great song. Staleys voice can carry any song, by a mile and Cantrells guitar sound blends in so perfectly. They had such a stellar quality of writing melodies and bringing aggression into the tracks to support the dramatic feelings displayed in their lyrics. Rooster is one of my favorite songs of all time, fantasitc harmonies with power and aggresion all hold together with perfect singing . Their best album hands down.
We are so blessed that Staley turned his inside out, telling us everything he felt inside. Tragic ending for him, but he definitaly left an unbelievable quality of music behind, that is so relateable and honest.
"..my favorite might be the closing track....." Yes. For you and countless million others who've only ever heard one AIC song. That one is it.
For people who say they've never experienced AIC I always recommend the performance of "Love Hate Love" live at the Moore Theatre.
Love Hate Love from the Moore and Junkhead live on Headbangers Ball. Possibly Layne’s best in a LONG list of incredible performances.
Great insight! I really enjoyed the video!
Thanks, I appreciate that! :)
This album is one of the soundtracks of my life.
I like the concept you used kind open sound, Jerry doing almost a 3 people's job, Layne at his best, the rhythm section also great and doing that amazing base on Would, which is easily one of the masterpieces from 90's.
I also agree that Sickman and Godsmack are weird and maybe different from the record vibe, but the chorus from the last one is amazing and hooked me anyway 🤭
Congrats
Thought your review was above and beyond ! Great job !
Coheed and Cambria! The entire discography tells one story (with one exception)
Best album of the 90's hands down, a total masterpiece 💗 You should react to their debut album Facelift, that one is awesome too
YES! one of my all time favorite albums, Layne is one of my all time favorite vocalists
& Would? is the highlight of the album for me, one of my all time favorite songs, absolutely check out the rest
also, if you haven't heard it, you should check out the debut album from Corey Taylor's other band Stone Sour, it was released in 2002 after the Iowa tour and it still has those incredible vocals on it but with more melody, it's great!
Great album! The vocal range of the late Layne Staley was something very interesting to listen, also the musicianship is on point. A very seminal and influential album with no doubt