HybridBottle

After the massive success of Jar of Flies, Alice in Chains became dysfunctional due to Layne Staley's continual heroin addiction, and the band was inactive for months. There were even rumors of a permanent disbandment, and that Staley had died from AIDS. But, the band's self titled release not only proved these rumors wrong, but showed the band's capability and perseverance when it came to phenomenal songwriting.

It was 1995. Layne had briefly abandoned AiC to join the Seattle ... read more

After my first listen of the highly awaited Don't Be Dumb, I left feeling satisfied, but wanting more. Rocky keeps each track engaging and fast-paced, but I felt as if he could have taken more risks, leaning more towards songs like the title track and "PUNK ROCKY." Obviously, because of the absurd gap of time since his previous project, my expectations were exceptionally high, and this could have been a mistake of mine. While I want more experimental material from Rocky, I still ... read more

In 1992, Layne Staley was unable to function properly because of his drug-addicted state. So, what did the band decide to do? Make the best grunge album of all time, of course.

Yes, Dirt is better than Nevermind. It's better than Core. It's better than Ten, and of course it's better than Superunknown. When I first listened to this album, I gave little attention to the lyrical content, as the most important thing to me in music is its sonic attribute, like how good it sounds. ... read more

Alice in Chains is unique in the sense that they can write sonically heavy songs seen in albums such as Facelift and Dirt, but their true emotional heaviness lies in their acoustic efforts. Jar of Flies is by all means a masterpiece, taking elements previously seen in Sap, and enhancing them significantly. The song Nutshell will forever give me goosebumps. Especially, when their personal struggles are taken into account. During the recording of this EP, the band dealt with drug addiction and ... read more