Dirt

Fine, not super memorable. Rain When I Die my favorite

So many good songs! Ear worms left and right, stoner sludge and doom with a full intensity that rewards the ear

4.25-4.5 - rounded up to 5

Hard rock not grunge. Nothing that makes it distinctive. Songs sound the same Vocalist not very good. Would is a good song. Not very good. Two stars.

Didn't really enjoy this, quite grungy rock and it all blended into one for me

Great!

Amazing grunge experience

i mean it’s great, there’s nothing else to add!

Makes sense to me why it’s so celebrated. Didn’t vibe as much as I would have thought given I’m a huge nirvana fan

I don't think metal is for me, but I appreciate it for what it is. Highlights: Rain When I Die, Down in a Hole

I have to be honest… of the big 4 “grunge” (whatever that means) bands, Nirvana is the only one who can hold my interest for a whole album (maybe I’m basic, but I like them hooks). Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains all have great songs, but getting through a whole album is a bit of a slog (which could have been a better descriptor for the Seattle music scene… Slog Rock!). That being said Dirt is a damn good record and, as far as I’m concerned, AIC’s best (I do like that Sap EP though). However, there’s a few songs that bring it down. If this album was 10 or 11 songs deep, it’d be near perfect. 3.9

4/10 - I don't think I understood the importance and songs begin to blend into each other Listened on plane so not sure how intently this was in fairness

Nicht meins

Standard listening for alt rock fans. Really set the stage for grunge and hard rock. Awesome to listen to in retrospect, but must have been really mind-blowing when released. I think "Down In A Hole" is my favorite, but there's so much to love here. Great album.

Classic AiC album, highlight is Them Bones for me

This was moody

I’m not a huge grunge fan (except Nirvana who I love), but I prefer when they pull from Metal influences like this rather than funky wakka-wakka guitars (looking at you, Pearl Jam)

I have the sinking feeling that I honestly dislike most grunge records. This one is unfortunately no different.

These guys are pissed off. Boring as anything, but that one sound they have definitely rocks.

If you want to know what exactly grunge is this is the album for you, relentless in it's grungeness. 3.5*

This is rock!

Masterpiece.

I like this more than I used to after this listen but still find it a bit stodgy- like listening to porridge

Listened

Amazing album.

90s grunge. To this Seattle kid, it just sounds like home. This weighs on the heavier side of the genre, with more roots in metal and hard rock. Them Bones Rooster Would?

Começa muito bem, com músicas icônicas, mas fica repetitivo com facilidade. Ainda assim, é um bom álbum.

Wish i liked more

BUÉDA BANGER WTF

For this style of music, this is actually very good.

Not a fan, 2 stars

Solid, rocking album!

Haven't listened to AiC in years and it's good to be back. Dirt is a 90s grunge mainstay that has withstood the test of time and still goes hard today. Staley's vocals are iconic. There are too many standout tracks on this one, it's a good front to back listen. "Angry Chair" and "Would?" are great bangers to end out the album. 5/5. Would.

Favorite Track: Down in a Hole Least Favorite Track: Iron Gland

don't really enjoy Layne's voice, but respect what they're doing

I did not enjoy a single song on here, and every song felt miserable. This is only a 2 and not a 1 because I get the impression that that's the point. For what reason? No clue.

Solid hard rock! Does it's thing and I can't complain too much

ganz gut, alice in chains halt

Classic hard rock grunge

O no. this isn't for me

Seeing this come up made me very happy this morning. Fantastic record!

Honestly, this record is a bit fucking boring. I’d never really listened two it in one sitting before but now having done so, it was a bit of a struggle. What does standout in my mind is that the vocals on this record are kind of middling- they don’t carry the record. Similarly, the guitar tone from Jerry on this record which appears on every track is annoying and pitched at a level that irritates. This is likely the fault of Dave Jerden who produced this record and uses an annoying blended amp approach which makes things pitchy. It is also a dark and gloomy record. Really. This adds up to a rather dark, gloomy boring record with an unpleasant guitar tone sung by a half interested Layne. Look, I get that some people are going to say that this is the best AIC record but what does that really mean? They had a definitive sound for sure and Layne can sing, but really, to me, the Hype regarding the record where every single song sounds similar is a little misplaced. Rooster, Down A Hole and Would? are first rate songs but make it an EP. It would have been less boring. 2/5

After a while i wished my ear canals would block

I didn't like it at first but it did grow on me by the end of the first listen. Rooster is a great track.

Depressing and at times a tad monotonous, just like life. Now let’s drown our sorrows in drugs. Peak 90’s.Grunge 3.5⭐️

Feels kinda long at times, but those hits still hold up. And those harmonies.... ::::chefs kiss::::

While I do like the individual tracks, they all have such similar sound that the album becomes a bit of a slog to get through. My favorite track was "Rooster". 3.5 stars.

It all sounds the same to me, and it’s all just so terrible.

Reminds me of when I used to watch Beavis & Butthead in the 1990s. Good memories, angry music, but not necessarily high quality.

Definitely my genre of music growing up in the late 80s/early 90s. A band that should have gotten more respect than they did. Worth a listen even for those who don't find heavy metal grunge their cup of tea.

Oh, mul oli nii hea meel seda albumit järgmisena näha. Mul oli nagunii plaanis see tervikuna läbi kuulata, sest "Down in a hole" ja "Them bones" on mul viimase kuu paari jooksul tihti kordusel olnud. See, et seal albumis on juba kolm laulu, mis mul playlistidesse lähevad näitab, et tegu on tõesti tasemel asjaga. Mulle meeldib nende muusika juures just see teatud pinge, mis enamustes nende lauludes on. Seal on millele toetuda, need on nagu meloodilised käepidemed, mitte et ma oskaks seda selgitada. Kuulan muusikat sama moodi, nagu see kuju nende kaveril.

4.5

4.5

A majority of this album still kicks one major ass! Quite frankly only three of the twelve I wasn't really big on, but when you faced with heavy hitters like "Them Bones", "Rain When I Die" "Down in a Hole", "Rooster" "Dirt", "Angry Chair" and "Would?". There is so much great stuff in this album thar a couple of miss fire won't dip it out of my excellent category. (9.6), ★★★★½

My favourite grunge album so far. 4 stars

I owned this album back in the day, and while I think it starts great and ends great, it's kind of a slog in the middle. The singles are great -- "Would?" and "Them Bones" are the highlights here, but "Rooster" and "Angry Chair" are pretty good too. The rest I'm not that into. 3.5 stars.

Pretty cheesy for grunge although Rooster is fairly fine. Would have preferred another Alice Cooper record. Even Alice Deejay would have been better. (Probably alone on that one.)

I can see why so many people love this album. 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘵 has a huge, oppressive sound, and the vocal interplay between Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell is easily the strongest part of the record. The atmosphere is there from beginning to end. What keeps me from rating it higher is that the album rarely surprises me. It spends so much time locked into the same dark, grinding mood that, after a while, the songs start to blend together. I kept waiting for a moment that would really pull me in or change the album’s direction, but it never quite arrived. By the end, I was left with a lot of respect for 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘵, but not much desire to revisit it.

Muy buen álbum de rock pesado Tiene muchas canciones acá pero no se hace pesado, es un muy buen viaje y letras acordes a su sonido fuerte y desolador por momentos Hate to Feel mi favorita personal, pero hay otras muy emblemáticas que se disfrutan por igual La voz del vocalista muy melódica, e instrumentalmente hablando son muy fuertes La verdad si se merece el 4, fue una grata sorpresa toparme con una banda así de robusta, no los había escuchado objetivamente hablando

Only question is this: why is Facelift not on the list?

Them Bones is one of the best openers I’ve heard. Album could have been shorter though.

liked the metal-punk ish vibe. interesting, but didn't stand out too much for me.

Never listened to them before! Makes me instinctively want to turn it up to 11 in a good way. I’m not overly enamored with Staley’s voice or many of the choruses, though I love it when the guitar absolutely rips into the bridges or interstitials. The lead guitar is amazing. At first I feared each song would feel too samey, but it sometimes surprised me. The sludge is truly deep but when I’m (rarely) in the mood for that this record will be one I turn to now.

What an album. Was looking forward to this, and it absolutely blew me away more than expected. Just pure angst, self hate, loathing, and pain all rolled into one. How I've not listened to this in its entirety before is beyond me. Just an absolute pleasure from start to finish.

Not as bad as I thought it would be judging from the cover

A lot of nostalgia with this one. AIC was maybe the 4th grunge band I heard (behind Nirvana, Screaming Trees, and Pearl Jam). They always had the most interesting sound because of the vocal harmonies between Layne and Jerry. The opening shout of "Them Bones" is in the pantheon of "Most Memorable Opening Album Sounds". There are a couple tracks ("Rain When I Die" and "Hate to Feel") that are a bit too... sludge-y(?) for my liking. I know I tend to skip those when I revisit this album. "Angry Chair" and "Would?" may be the two best songs to end an album of all time.

this dirt's worth it's weight in gold

I don't love the songs but I believe I would enjoy playing this music on guitar. Maybe it could grow on me with a few more listens. 3/5 for now.

81/100. What impressed me most is how committed the album is to its atmosphere. Alice in Chains find a lane early on and stay in it. The record rarely breaks from its dark, oppressive mood, yet it never becomes boring because the songwriting and musicianship are strong enough to sustain that emotional weight. Thematically, the album is brutal. It explores what happens when addiction, depression, self-destruction, and isolation slowly take over a life. There is very little hope here, and that emotional honesty is a huge part of what makes the record so powerful. Musically, the blend of crushing metal riffs, eerie vocal harmonies, and constant feelings of despair creates an atmosphere that is both heavy and hypnotic. The guitar work and drumming deserve special praise as well. They provide the backbone of the album, balancing heaviness with groove. The sound was a lot cleaner the what I thought it would be, I was expecting something more messy before going into this record since grunge can be a bit of a hit or miss for me.

Ngl I thought he was a new singer

Gritty, grungy but not my cup of tea. Feels rather repetitive and a bit miserable. Can appreciate it for what it is but it's not for me. 2.5/5

Daaamn dans la voiture le matin ça met directement l'ambiance. Nan très fort bravo (la voix me rappelle un peu Kurt Cobain mais un peu plus chantant jsp si vous voyez).

Ça commence très fort. J'aime bien Alice In Chains même si de base pas fan de la voix du chanteur, j'avais jamais écouté l'album entier. Et quelle manière de finir l'album c'est vraiment excellent ptn.

Not really my cup of tea, cool and well produced songs though :)

My favourite Seattle Grunge album great band amazing guitar RIP Layne Staley he was the GOAT

I slept on this for too long

Doesn’t have the same impact on me it once had, but some of those tracks still hit hard.

Realizing these guys were my gateway metal band. Nutshell off Jar of Flies is so moody (and i n c r e d i b l e) that I had thought of them as more squarely grunge/whatever Radiohead is. But Dirt (the song) is inarguably metal-ly. The minor key sets them apart for sure.

not a huge Alice In Chains fan but Layne’s voice really is from another world

I am not depressed enough for this. I also shouldn't have listened to this when I was in a good mood

I love everything about this album.

good!

My type of music.

I didn't key in on the lyrics much, and when I did I was unimpressed, but every song had me nodding or discretely banging my head. This album rocks hard. 4/5

Like a lot of harder rock/metal, this thing is a pure vibes album. The lyrics aren't great, they're not terrible, but they're not great and I didn't spend much time doing a deep listen to them. The non-lyrical elements does a good enough job of conveying what needed to be conveyed.

I never quite got on board with the hype surrounding the various "grunge" bands. Don't get me wrong, I like them, but perhaps not as much as others did or do. However, this was not the case with Alice in Chains. Firstly, Alice In Chains are heavy as hell, but in the 1970s sense of hard rock and metal. From the off, you can hear the influence of Black Sabbath, both in the down-tuned, sludgy guitar arrangements and in the vocal melodies of Layne Staley, which are highly reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne. Staley was a magnificent vocalist, and as much as I love Ozzy, Staley was a far better singer - as demonstrated beautifully on 'Rain When I Die'. 'Rooster' is a stunning song; the dynamics are superbly executed, and the vocals are off the chart. The harmony vocals, often doubled by Jerry Cantrell, are also not to be underestimated. Cantrell's writing is superb on this album, as he penned most of the music and lyrics. That is even before mentioning his guitar contributions. He managed to create a style that was incredibly heavy without relying on the flashy, high-speed shredding that dominated the late 1980s. Instead, his uniqueness comes from a brilliant mix of rhythm, texture, and doing the unexpected. The rhythm section of Mike Starr and Sean Kinney is phenomenal on this album too, acting as the anchor for Cantrell’s shifting time signatures. Rather than playing standard, driving rock, Kinney brings a jazz-influenced swing, whilst Starr’s thick, grinding bass tone drives the songs forward. For evidence of this, one only needs to listen to the menacing, lock-step groove of the title track, the hypnotic pulse of 'Angry Chair', or the brilliant, looping bassline that opens 'Would?'. "Dirt" is a dark and intense listening experience, but one that is executed with exceptional musicianship and song-writing discipline. At the time it stood out from the crowd, and it still does. Five stars. 1 "Them Bones" (5/5) 2 "Dam That River" (5/5) 3 "Rain When I Die" (5/5) 4 "Sickman" (4/5) 5 "Rooster" (5/5) 6 "Junkhead" (5/5) 7 "Dirt" (5/5) 8 "God Smack" (4/5) 9 "Intro (Dream Sequence)" (4/5) 10 "Hate to Feel" (4/5) 11 "Angry Chair" (5/5) 12 "Down in a Hole" (5/5) 13 "Would?" (5/5) Total - 61 Average - 4.69 338/1001 183/338 albums reviewed were new to me.

I listened to Alice in Chains a lot in high school, to an almost agonizing degree. I would start my day, every school day, listening to music about wasted potential and drug addiction, suicide and misery. I quickly got diagnosed and wised up that living that way was making getting out of bed each morning more difficult than it needed to be. I do not mention this to bring this album down, or to state that it's themes are one note and only suitable for teenage sad-sackery. (Not unwarrented sad-sackery, for the record. It wasn't about girls or cars, I was struggling, but it was still no doubt draining and partially self-inflicted.) I want to highlight the opposite, actually: in getting out of high school, listening to more varied types of music, and giving myself room to breathe, I found coming back to this album emotionally cathartic and deeply rewarding. I believe almost everybody comes back to some of the music they consumed in their younger and more vulnerable years with a bit of embarrassment. I mention that to say that there is nothing embarrasing about this album: it is a testament to fantastic songwriting, to pain, to a good drummer and a good bass tone. It's a concept album about not getting any better, it starts with death and ends with forgiveness, forgiveness it may or may not have even earned. It is usually weak criticism to link the dead musicians to the sad songs they wrote, something that should be saved for middling Cobain biographies and high school essays about Nick Drake. But Staley (a bluesman by reason of pain and timing) and Cantrell (a de facto pick for grunge rock god, a genre that didn't accommodate well to writing sweet songs about your dad or playing metal guitar solos) May just be the 90s Lennon / McCartney. Junk-age pop geniuses, helping all the lonely people figure out where they belong. (That may not be the best example, considering Lennon and McCartney famously argued about who wrote that song for years, but the line is still good, right? Right? Bite me, I thought it was good.) I think the reason it's so easy to link the artists to their various vices as portrayed on this record is because of how lived in these themes feel: the 90s had no shortage of albums about hating yourself (most likely ushered in by this band... god knows they ushered in the yelpy "YEAH" that all of the post-grunge slop artists borrowed) but depth is the name of the game here. It's not just music to overdose to (or a major label equivalent) it has nuance and bite. "I've eaten the sun / so my tongue has been burned of the taste" existing in the same song as "I'd like to fly / but my wings have been so denied" is pure fugging genius, especially when the song itself is mixed and mastered like Icarus just now feeling the heat on his wings. But they aren't one trick ponies... it isn't all heroin and yelling (not that that would be a bad thing, or something to take lightly.) The band go a lot of different places, and they go through all of them naturally. Hard rockers exist alongside slower cuts, thoughtful and downright experimental song structures in between the best singles 1992 had to offer. The drumming tosses you around, and lays a nauseating and dense sort of rhythm that keeps the band in line. The bassist acts similarly, knowing when to hold 'em and when to let Layne and Jerry do their (respective and also collaborative) thing. I am not in high school anymore, and I am thankful for that fact everyday. But I am also thankful that I once was, that it weathered me a bit and helped me come to love music as I do now. I am also deeply thankful that this album doesn't suck, and that revisiting it may have actually made it better than I originally thought. Smarter, at the very least.

Probably the best album to come out of that short-lived Seattle scene. 9 out of 10 ex-boyfriends recommended. Seriously, Dirt was to high school boys what Little Earthquakes was to us high school girls.

"Dirt" is Alice In Chains' best album, which isn't saying much. God, are they depressing. That may be the point, but you can sound cool while having depressing lyrics; just look at Guns N' Roses. AIC can't quite pull it off though. Playing downtempo hair metal riffs does not a good band make. Perhaps the only impressive link in the chain that is the band's members is Layne Staley, whose limited vocal range but high power set him apart from a lot of the 90s grunge bands.

Iisisti top-5 -levyjä maailmassa. Ei taas asteikko riitä arvostelemaan, eli 7/5.

3.80

Ah, a timeless classic from the grungiest of grunge. The mood AiC provides is unmatched, and nothing beats Layne’s vocal. I do kinda like Facelift more for some of the songs, but I will say this one is the most Alice-in-chainy album overall.

Before this I don't know if I could have told you any songs off the top of my head by Alice in Chains but I knew at least 5 songs from this album. As a 90s kid this was the kind of music my babysitter's and they're boyfriends would play, so it's very reminiscent of my childhood. My husband says that some of the guitar stuff they were doing on here was pretty cutting edge for the time, so that's cool also. I love that 90s braaaaang.

Originally I heard this before and told my friends I thought it wasn't good. They proceeded to make fun of me. I can see why, the instrumentals are great and the songs as a whole are oozing angst, which is better than it being boring.

One of the better recent heavy metal groups.

somehow I always an thrown off by how different alice in chains sounds in comparison to their reputation. simultaneously Softer than I always expect in terms of rock but also harder than what sounds good for their whole Thing. anyways the guitar was good

Surprisingly easy to listen to!

Them bones - 3/5 Dam that river - 3/5 Rain when I die - 4/5 Down in a hole - 3/5 Sickman - 4/5 Rooster - 4/5 Junkhead - 2/5 Dirt - 3/5 God smack - 2/5 Hate to feel - 3/5 Angry chair - 3/5 Would? - 4/5

Sludgy grunge. I wouldn't call myself an Alice In Chains connoisseur, but they get points for what they did. It's popular and commercial enough to get onto the radio, but not so commercial that they feel formulaic. The big hits are here: "Would?", "Rooster", "Them Bones", and "Down In A Hole", but the rest of the album is good as well. Solid album. My Rating: 4/5

Almost painful

Back in the day this was an instant favorite of mine. The lyrics are deep, instrumentals solid, it fit the mood of the day. Now-a-days my taste is a bit less "heavy" and this album is more heavy (by far actually) than I remembered. It still has the grunge root feel but it takes it into heavy metal pretty often, enough in fact to change the expectation from grunge sound to wall of sound. It almost crosses that line a few times but manages to stay within bounds. I won't make a dumb mistake and underrate it because I am not so into how hard it is, because it was, and still is an amazing album by an amazing band. For you old school types out there that hadn't heard it in a while, you might be surprised by how hard it is.

It's up there with Nevermind for best grunge album. It's certainly "grungier" than Nirvana and it's done well.

(5/5) I vividly remember discovering this as a young teen. A kid brought it to an overnight Scout event at the sponsor church. It was love at first sight (and listen) for me. It best epitomized the word 'grunge' than basically any other band from that era. It's music designed to make you uncomfortable and I **loved** playing this one loud. It has a 'dirty' sound that just floods your ears. Staley's vocals and the guitar work are incredible and the subject matter touched my dark, little heart. A re-listen just confirmed it. This was an important piece from its era and a classic record. A 'must listen' if I've **ever** heard one.

"I want you to scrape me / from the walls / and go crazy / like you've made me" One of my absolute favorite albums of all time, by one of my absolute favorite bands of all time. Jerry Cantrell's muddy, sludgy guitar riffs blended so effectively with Layne Staley's hauntingly iconic vocals, painting a unique portrait of the pain, rage and angst that defined the grunge movement of the early 90s. Lyrically, Staley's unflinching portrayal of heroin addiction, blended almost seamlessly with Cantrell's outside-looking-in observations of his friend's heartbreaking anguish, created an atmosphere that few artists have ever achieved, and the knowledge of Staley's passing and the circumstances around it only heighten the effect. If you don't connect to the material or this just isn't for you, it's forgivable, but it doesn't diminish this albums standing within rock history. It's a 10/5 for me that I guess I'll round down to 5 because I have to.

Variety: 4 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 5 = 4.8 rounded up to a 5 "Oh, you don't understand who they thought I was supposed to be/ Look at me now, a man who won't let himself be" By the time this was on my radar I was all in on Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Alice in Chains I was mainly familiar with through teh "Man in the Box" video, which at that point maybe creeped me out a bit too much. The hits from this got regular play though, and I would hear them all the time. Really liked them, but never investigated a full album from the band til much later in the 90s, well after grunge had started to die down. Same for Soundgarden. When I did finally get around to it though I was pretty danged impressed, and the love for the band made a lot more sense. They have only risen in my estimation over the years and they're toe to toe with Nirvana in my opinion as far as the depth of great songs in their catalog. Still love Pearl Jam, but seemed a slow downhill ride after Ten, and Soundgarden I've still never really connected to outside their hits. Have been looking forward to revisiting this one. THE TRACKS "Them Bones" - Holy shit. That's up there with the best opening statements on any album. Dark as you can get, but also as hummable. Many a time I've had this ear worm stuck in my head. Luckily there'll be plenty more opportunities to replace it on this thing. Also of note is that guitar tone. Cantrell is up there with Brian May in that dept for me. This track ( and a few more before we're done) belong on any respectable list of the best songs of the decade. "Dam That River" - This was one I'm not sure I ever heard until I gave this album a full listen. Not sure it ever got any radio play, at least not around me. A damn fine deep cut ( to me anyway) that loses none of the energy of the first track, but doesn't quite reach the top tier. "Rain When I Die" - I did somehow hear this one though. I think so anyway. It just sounds like it's always been there. Maybe there was a music video? People always talk about how Chris Cornell's voice was used like an instrument in Soundgarden. The same could be said about Staley, and this is as good an example as any. Some of the heaviest riffing on an album of heavy riffs. This is kind of a lowkey showcase track for the band, and I could easily imagine this is a LOT of people's favorite track on the album, even with the competition it has. "Down in a Hole" - Another all time classic. And the first inkling we get that the band is just as good ( if not better) at more downtempo more thoughtful material. Another one for that best of the 90s list. The iconic Staley vocal performance for me. And don't forget the harmonies. Cantrell and Staley together were magic. "Sickman" - Another very solid deep cut. If I were forced to drop a track from the album though, gun to my head... this might be it. It's very plodding and Sabbathy in parts than a lot of their material, and it's worth noting Rob Zombie must have LOVED this song. Just sayin. There's a lot going on here. A lot. So much that it often feels like a few songs stitched together. "Rooster" - My favorite song on the album, and a contender for my favorite Alice in Chains song. And that best of the 90s list? This one makes the top ten of that easy. Haunting, full of hooks, and hard as fuck when the tension is released towards the end. "Junkhead" - Another fine example of how good these guys still are with their "B" material. I think some people tend to overlook the band's metallic tendencies, and this is a good example if you really want to see how they dovetail up against sludge metal. "Dirt" - The repeating riff at the beginning of this one is as memorable as anything they ever did, but I never heard this one on the radio, and only very occasionally hear it in the age of satellite radio. That riff and Staley's vocal modelody almost seem to circle each other for the length of the track, joining up in the whirlpool of the chorus. "God Smack" - Other than being lifted for the name of a far inferior band, this one seems almost like a template for the sort of weirdo vocal gymnastics that System of a Down would run with a few years later. Decent stuff, but doesn't grab me like most of the other stuff on this one. "Untitled"/ "Hate to Feel" - A direct shout out to Sabbath opens this little interlude up, and is really the only thing worth noting about it. It does lead directly into "Hate to Feel" which has a distinctly Iommi-ish riffing embedded within, which was maybe the point. "Angry Chair" - This largely succeeds in ways that "Sickman" didn't despite also having a lot of disparate elements, all of which are woven together into a much more cohesive sound here. "Would?" - Ending on an all-timer. Best harmonies on the album, hands down. "Rooster" just barely edges this one out as the favorite for me. And let's give the rhythm section their due here. This is the band firing on all cylinders as a unit. Perfect. HIGHLIGHTS - "Them Bones" - "Dam That River" - "Rain When I Die" - "Down in a Hole" - "Rooster" - "Junkhead" - "Dirt" - "Angry Chair" - "Would?" MIDLIGHTS - "Sickman" - "God Smack" - "Hate to Feel" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS So this is as good a place as any to talk about the place this band, and other big 3 grunge acts hold in my mind. I love comparing things, and these bands give me a great opportunity to do so in regards to what place they hold in the popular culture. My baseline here - and it's a completely subjective and unoriginal one - is that every decade is a lt more interesting when you play the game of filling the archetypal spots originally occupied by the big four British invasion bands. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Kinks are a template that can be expounded upon and argued about and I absolutely will waste some time doing so now. Skipping over the 70s ( we'll get there when some Floyd and Zeppelin start showing up) and the 80s ( this one gets difficult) and heading straight to the 90s, I like to break it down as follows: The Beatles = Nirvana: Endless wells of melody-first pop forward construction The Rolling Stones = Pearl Jam: More straight forward arena friendly, and hooks aplenty anchored by charismatic singers The Who = Alice in Chains: The principal bandleader, primary songwriter, lead guitarist and driving force of the band took a backseat to a charismatic unique vocalist in their performances, full of anger and darkness, more so than most anyway The Kinks: Soundgarden I guess? Lead vocalist who played rhythm guitar, and was primary songwriter. Put out offbeat, sometimes uncategorizable stuff that separated them from the other big three. Listen, this is not an exact science. Just a bit of fun. The point being that Alice in Chains was important. One of the prime shapers of a movement that changed music, if just for a little while. And these guys were up there with the best songwriters of their time. I think Cobain just barely beats them i that he was more or less a one man Lennon/ McCartney and was solidly more radio friendly and courted mass appeal, despite what he may have claimed. Alice in Chains was a bit more of a two-headed monster in that respect, and never developed as cultish of a fanbase I think. I can imagine plenty of people were sad when Layne Staley died, but he was never the icon. Dirt, some of their self-titled, Jar of Flies, and their MTV Unplugged session was maybe the finest run of any of those bands, and the band remain radio staples to this day because of that output. Their sludgy, doomy brand of downer rock belies their deeply melodic and layered craftsmanship, and there's no lack of beautiful songs. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that they overtake Nirvana for me eventually. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Nah FURTHER LISTENING - Temple of the Dog by Temple of the Dog - Core by Stone Temple Pilots - Around the Fur by Deftones - Above by Mad Season

“Into the flood again, Same old trip it was back then.” Grunge is the soundtrack for when I became a teenager. It will forever be a sound that takes me back to those early 90s years. I have over the years had my phases with the big four of grunge. During its height and immediately after it was Soundgarden the most, then in college my preference was a mix of Nirvana & Pearl Jam, but down the stretch of my life I've found I return to Alice in Chains the most. In his "60 Songs that Explain the 90s" podcast, host Rob Harvilla broke it down like this, "Alice In Chains are not the biggest or most culturally significant band to emerge from Seattle in the late 80s, early 90s That's Nirvana, silly. They are not turn of the decade Seattle's fanciest band in the musical sense, or the city's most Uber masculine band in the classic Led Zeppelin 70s hotel room defiling sense. That's Soundgarden. They are certainly not turn of the decade, Seattle's most enduring band in any commercial or emotional sense. That's Pearl Jam. But Alice and Chains, to my mind, are the heaviest, the darkest, the crunchiest of the Seattle gods." This is the why, I think. The mix of Jerry Cantrell's deep bluesy drawn out guitar riffs along with Layne Staley's immortally brooding vocals. Has ever a pair been this creatively suited for each other. Paul & John? Dre & Snoop? Jack Black & Kyle Gass? Sorry, that may be the most frivolous this review gets. The material doesn't leave a lot of room for frivolity. This album means a lot to me. This album says a lot to me, and I was never a drug user. Still, "Down in a Hole" can haunt me anytime it is played. "Them Bones" is as heavy as a Black Sabbath riff and is quite the opening thesis. "Would?" is the final culmination of an album full of drug fueled disconsolate gloom. It is a a no skips album and I could've done this review by memory. "Rooster" for sure could've been done by memory as my only complaint about this album may be the number of time my local rock station played "Rooster." That may be the only Alice in Chains track that I ever had enough of. Thanks ZRock 103! So why do I find myself gravitating toward Alice in Chains more in middle-age? Being Gen-X grunge is in my collective psyche. Also, I think it is the definition of timelessness to be able to connect with the youth of a generation but to also create something that remains relevant throughout the mad seasons of their life. Again, I think it is the crushing gravity of Layne Staley's voice in the delivery of the lyrics. I find Alice in Chains mean more to me in my forties than they did in my teens. It is a phenomena that makes me sad this will be their only entry on the list. Jar of Flies may be a greater album than this, but at an EP it didn't meet the criteria. Still, highly recommend it. Things that do not interest me, however, are comparing grunge era acts on who were actually grunge or not. Alice In Chains were a pillar of the Seattle sound no matter their hair metal origins. Dirt has an argument as a quintessential album of its time. Yeah, Alice In Chains were heavy and this album is dark. It is brooding over crunchy guitar riffs that will draw you down into the depths with them. Jerry Cantrell is good at what he does. Sean Kinney is good at what he does. Layne Staley was good at what he did. Mike Star was good at what he did. I count myself luck that the early 1990s were my formative musical years. 5/5.

I enjoyed this more than I expected though to be fair, I thought I was playing Alice Cooper for the first half of the album...

Alice in Chains is one of the first bands I ever got into, thanks in part to "Them Bones" appearing on the Guitar Hero II soundtrack. They're one of the more notable bands to be associated with the Seattle grunge scene, even though their sound is more rooted in heavy metal. That much is apparent from listening to their 1992 magnum opus, Dirt. Right from the get-go with the aforementioned "Them Bones", the sound is established with down-tuned, pummelling guitar riffs from Jerry Cantrell, equally heavy basslines from Mike Starr, pulse-pounding drums from Sean Kinney, and Layne Staley's soaring vocals. Layne even harmonized well with Jerry as they shared vocal duties across the record. It's a menacing sound while still maintaining a sense of melody, harkening back to the doom metal sound that Black Sabbath established decades prior, to the point where they even parody the opening of "Iron Man" on the "Untitled" track alongside Slayer vocalist Tom Araya. That said, they do dial back the energy occasionally to build an atmosphere, such as with the power ballad "Down in a Hole" or the slow-burning "Rooster". It certainly helps that the band also touched upon a variety of subjects in the lyrics. While the Black Sabbath comparisons continue with songs that tackle drug addiction in a forewarning light on cuts like "God Smack" and "Junkhead", there's also facing the inevitability of death on "Them Bones", band infighting with "Dam That River", relationship turmoils on "Rain When I Die", the dedication from Jerry Cantrell to his then-girlfriend Courtney Clarke on "Down in a Hole", the equally heartfelt tribute to Jerry's father who served in the Vietnam War on "Rooster", finishing with the ultimate confrontation on "Would?" that also served as a tribute to the late Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone. Jerry Cantrell's songwriting shone brilliantly on this album. Though not to be outdone, Layne Staley also did an excellent job with the harrowing anguish on "Hate to Feel" and the spiteful disgust at stagnation on "Angry Chair". Dirt is an amazing record from front to back, where I found myself singing and jamming along to these tracks. It's a fun record despite the harrowing lyrics, proving Alice in Chains to be a household name.

No soy de escuchar rock metalico.pero no esta tan mal

Good and rocky to start with but I soon got bored with lack of variation

Excellent but not quite Jar of Flies

Drugs out here singing about how junkies are annoying the shit out of them and making their lives miserable... deep... I feel so sorry for the drugs... Down in a Hole is a masterpiece. But for the most part, this is a background album. It's not bad, but I can't say it's very good either. Kinda boring. Everyone has already heard the best songs from this album anyway: Rooster, Would?, Down in a Hole. The rest got exactly as much attention as they deserve. But still, it's not a bad album, especially if you just put it on in the background. 5.5/10

I wanted to say that I didn’t dislike it I just thought it belonged back in the 90’s. However half way through I just thought it turned to shit. Nope, not for me

Chain Me Up in Rehab! --Vibes-- Keeping it a buck, this album rage-baited me. All of the tracks are so in-your-face with their darkness and primitivity that they wear you down. The way the first song kicked in was energizing, but then the second one also packed their own consistent jabs, and after a while, you are like a sickly Victorian child praying for the waves to stop. I went like liking what I was hearing for the first 15 minutes, then halfway through, I started wanting a trusted adult and a warm blanket. --Melodies/Instrumentals-- I enjoy the fact that each record has its own coherent melody line and progression. Though, as stated above, they are so relentless in their pace and timbre that I was drowning after a while. Some of the chorus lines also were resolved weirdly phrasing-wise, which lowkey edged me and pissed me off. --Vocals-- I could tell that the vocalist is good in his crafts, cause dude had some lungs on him. It requires a lot to consistently sing at the volume and timbre that he did. But some of his dragged out and slurred pronunciations were choices that genuinely baffled me, and I KNOW they were choices because genuinely who say some of these words the way he did. --Final Rating-- 3/5. My early college self would probably rate this closer to a 4, but for better or worse, my mental health got better so I have a lower tolerance for angsty morbid hooting and hollering now. The further I progressed along with my listen, the more I felt like the woman in the album cover. I can objectively see that most of the songs are well-produced with thoughtful lyricism and gut-wrenching vocals, but emotionally it made me feel ill. --Stand-out Tracks-- Rooster, Dirt, Angry Chair

5 goat goat goat goat. Not their best album but one of the best.

Pre Listen: I've listened to the odd Alice in Chains song now and then, mostly in playlists others have made where it's been included. I've never really gone out of my way to listen to them, but I've been assured by trusted sources that they're a goated band. Notable Tracks: Sickman - Least favorite song on the album, opinion solidified after about 1 minute. Annoying refrain, pacing is all over the place, the instrumentals range in quality wildly. Almost skipped this one. Rooster - Oh shit I actually know this one. I didn't know they made this song. Easy favorite track on the album. The slow start, the catchy refrain, the overall sound. Very enjoyable, absolute banger, may add to my playlist. Dirt - Surprisingly solid track that really stood out to me, for similar reasons as Rooster. If Rooster wasn't on this album, this would be my favorite song. Untitled - I like this one. No further notes. Post Listen: Listening to this album really makes me *feel* like I'm off the Dizzle. Good album overall, the lead guitarist deserves a gold medal for some of his solos, and overall consistency. I'm not a huge fan of the vocalist. I don't think the lyrics really resonated with me at any point, and his vocal range sort of boils down to "soft singing" into "LOUD SINGING" and then back again. That being said, when it works, it works, and there were some real bangers on this track I've listened back to several times at this point. The issue I really felt about the album was the banger songs were the only good parts. Every other song was either kind of mid to downright bad, and all sounded a bit too similar. The bulk of the songs don't all sound the same, just similar. Very HIGH highs, but rather mediocre lows. I'd give this album a 3.4/5, but out of respect to my trusted sources, I'll round that up to a 4.

what is there not to say about this album. its a very personal album for me. as someone who has struggled with addiction and have had someone in my family struggle with addiction as well this album hits very close to home. songs like down in a hole and junkman and dirt paint a depressing picture of somebody who no longer feels like they belong and that their wings have been clipped. i do have my favorites on this album but i generally love every song on this album its easily a no skip. angry chair is another really great song of pure hatred and regret. with those disgusting drums in the background and laynes vocals belting out about his little angry chair and walls that distill the air. oh my god its perfect if you have not listened to this album please do.

https://youtu.be/AzF3j0wQ6EU&t=6s Obligatory “Them Bones” + “Rooster library add”. “Would?” was like really good too :) I usually don’t feel “I’m gonna listen to this again” on my 3/5 ratings but every song was at least good. No low points here really.

Gosh this listens a lot darker than it did when it came out.

Now we’re talkin’. This is a top 3 Seattle album for me. Early side of the grunge releases and between Layne & Jerry you have two of the most talented members of the scene. Track by track, this 💿 does not miss.

If you're gonna be grunge, be grunge. I could feel the flannel rubbing my nipples on this one.

This is the one grunge album I actually like.

1/10… grunge / *1992

its hard so its making me hard Rating=84

I would always reach for the radio dial whenever this band came on. Time has not improved my opinion. If anything I have less patience. Sitting through this was a chore. How was this even in the running let alone made the final cut for this list?

Such a great album! Classic of the genre! I will always be a nirvana guy, but as I grow older alice in chains had grown a lot on me! Definitely a piece of history that was taken too soon!

This album is Dirt.

I love Lane Staley as a vocalist. My favourite Alice In Chains is the Unplugged and the Jar Of Flies EP. This album has good tracks but I can’t bring myself listening to it on the regular.

If I were in a slightly better mood, I might bump it up, but I'm just not totally feeling this today.

hadn't listened to this before, but have loved other Alice in Chains projects. this is really an incredible work of grunge music. acutely feeling the vacuum left behind by Layne Staley now. those guitars sound unbelievable.

It's hard to give a good review to a band you don't really like. I really don't care for Alice In Chains but as a teenager, was surrounded by those who loved them. I never got it. Today I can say that I get it but it's still not for me. I am giving it a 3 because I recognize it's good. It's just someone else's good.

Amazing

I really do like Alice in Chains. This is a punishing record though.

3.5/10 Not my genre at all. 'Down In A Hole' was a highlight, but I think that's because it was the least grungy song on the record. Most of the tracks were very similar. The vocals were strong and the music was fine but there's nothing extraordinary here and this should be a list of extraordinary records. Best track: Down In A Hole Will I revisit?: No

that came at a bad point in my life and made it worse

Adictivo hasta el momento.

punk no mi onda, capaz va p entrenar

Never really listened to any of their stuff before, but really liked this. I might listen to some of their other stuff when I get some free time.

My mom just doesn’t understand me man

Never really got into these guys in the '90s. It feels nostalgic now, even though I don't recognize any of the songs. Lollapaloozish. Honestly I don't much care for this album: too dirge-y for me. Some of their later stuff I like better. Love the Angry Chair though. So angry!

Among the three metal-adjacent albums we've listened to recently, I probably dislike this one the least. The vocalist is actually pretty skilled and there were a few satisfying vocal harmonies throughout. the Rooster is probably the best track partially for this reason. I also noticed a trait of his singing is that he likes to hold notes out for pretty long, which I thought was interesting. So the few moments that had long held out vocal harmonies were nice, and I enjoyed one or two of the guitar solos. Still not good enough for me to give it to three.

Ugh, do I have to? I guess I am kind of surprised that so many of these albums are . . . not that good? And/or unpleasant to listen to? But, I suppose, a reminder that taste is subjective, beauty is the eye of the beholder, etc., etc. But, still . . . this sucks (lol). The only thing I need to decide is between 1 and 2 stars, which gets back to the old (and -- as it applies to music like this - not very interesting) question of how much weight do I give to how much do I like it (i.e., not at all), vs. trying to be more ... objective (?), in terms of their skill, or originality, or whatever. Eh, f**k it, that's too hard; 1 star.

good example of why I think the 90s were weak for music

Didn’t remember this being so good

wow honestly um this if me in the forest by myself drinking and being scary

Didn’t fully listen, but didn’t mind what I did listen to

The song I always skip when I hear that AAHH turns out to be just as shit as I expected.

It’s Alice and chains

Wasn't a fan. Too long. Not a fan of the vocals.

4.5 Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Not for me.

I didn't totally hate this album, but it's definitely not my cup of tea. A lot of noise, a lot of heavy metal instruments, nothing that stood out to me.

Fair enough, generator. I asked yesterday, with Hybrid Theory, what changed with sad boys between the early and late 90s and, surely, there is no grunge band closer to Linkin Park in feel than Alice in Chains. No fun. No lightness. Torturous guldering from a fucked-up front man. Solid blocks of heaviness. Even your criticism of Hybrid Theory's commercial sheen applies. Dirt was recorded in April 1992, in the wake of Nevermind's success. And, while one must acknowledge that Nevermind was produced with the mainstream in mind, its punk-pop sensibilities are well-suited to the task and survive the double-tracking. However, Dirt, like Hybrid Theory, offers up only slabs of expurgated emotion and the major label polish does little to make it more palatable. But that is what is being attempted. There were six singles released from Dirt - an album that patently has no singles on it. While elements of AIC's glam metal past are still evident, it's not the hookiness nor the libidinous swagger that survive. But, if Dirt's emotional content is, as ill-placed as that of Hybird Theory, to make a pop song, why does Linkin Park sound like slop, while Alice in Chains sounds like morass? Pre-Pro Tools. Nothing on the grid. The 11/8 time riff of Them Bones is both awkward and brutal. Pre-loudness wars, the record is allowed to explore sonic dynamics, even while the emotional dynamics have one setting. They don't do quiet-loud like their contemporaries, but there are swells and surges - more morass and undertow, Dirt hardly an appropriate name for something so densely fluidic. Most satisfying of all, are the janky harmonies, the source of that fluidity. Not exactly pleasant to listen to, they are undoubtedly impressive and effecting in a way much subtler than the Bennington's yowling, an interplay much more musically satisfying than that between Bennington and his rapper. Perhaps Jerden's production cleans up what is an unpleasant album, but the formula for containing abreaction on the radio had not yet been established. This sounds much more like contamination than Hybrid Theory's sterile vaccine-level of exposure. 3.5 Dirt is a good album, but that’s hardly the important issue here. As we know, when a grunge band is invoked, the question of whether they are, in fact, a grunge band is all. Well m’lord, Alice in Chains are undoubtedly too groovy by far. Their clever, absorbing riffs across mixed time signatures anticipate Tool; their sound likewise more California/Arizona than Washington state. This is what would be called ‘Alternative Metal’ by whoever it was that named things. Clever they are, surely, and not clever in a stupid way like Nirvana or Hole - clever in the narrow sense. Their metal pedigree is also hardly questionable. The solo of Them Bones plainly recalls Metallica, as does the intro to Down in a Hole, and Rooster must surely bring One to mind for most listeners. AIC recalls Led Zepp often - but more often the decadent bloat of late Zepp as the nimble blues riffs. As a further mark against their claims to grungedom one could point to the (awesome) intro of Sickman as redolent of Guns N’Roses. Lame. But the main reason that Layne Staley can’t be Kurt Cobain, notwithstanding his nailing of other aspects of the man, is simply that, in song anyway, he’s an outdoorsman. ‘I broke you in the Canyon’ he begins on Dam that River. This is the Pacific Northwest sir, what are you doing in the canyon ffs? Abseiling through waterfalls for sport? That’s hardly the attitude. On Angry Chair Staley declares that ‘a field of pain is where I graze’. How did he find out about cows? We should note that, as recounted on Something in the Way, even when Kurt Cobain is outside, he’s inside. That’s how you grunge. Anyway Dirt is a good album. The lyrics in particular really pop a day after Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory. *This* is how to do inner turmoil. Even if there is doubtful poetry here there is dramatic conviction - as in the title track. Specific and striking images; confession that rings true. Good songs, whether they are grunge or not. The guitars sound absolutely terrific. 3.5/5

Alice in Chains isn't a band I'd typically listen to. I like their occasional song. And the way they do their vocal harmonies is always a cool touch. The music is well played and it goes pretty hard. Listening to the full album was enjoyable. I think I'm looking forward to hearing more of their stuff now.

solid 4. Acho que nem todas as músicas são tão boas, mas os destaques sã simplesmente surreais.

Dirt is a great album by a good band. one of Grunge's founding bands. "Them Bones", "Dam that River", "Rooster", and "Angry Chair", "Down in a Hole", and "Would?" are the highlights for me.

I was never much of an AIC fan. Their music never did it for me. I think it was because the singing and the music never yelled to me. It always sounded like two songs being overlapped. However, some stuff on this album wasn't too bad. Dam that River worked, sounded cohesive. The music is GREAT, probably top 5 favorite pre-2000s guitar sound. Drumming repetitive but serviceable. I realize now just how influential this band was! Gave Creed, Nickelback, and then everyone who copied them a blueprint.

Did not find enjoyable. It seemed very dark. Maybe that was the point, I dont know.

Surprisingly, not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was actually surprised by some songs.

I really want to like this band more than I do. The instrumentation is excellent, but I cannot get into the vocals for some reason. Still a classic for a reason.

Ideally listened to in a crackhouse.

In an era that saw an over abundance of high quality music, the album stands out. Alice In Chains was more Guns n Roses than Seattle Grunge band. And that hard edge showed.

just realized that alice in chains sounds like illusion-era guns n roses but significantly slower

2 stars I was familiar with a lot of it, but I’ve never listened to it because I wanted to. It’s pretty consistent but it’s the side of grunge I was never interested in. This listen just confirmed what I could have assumed it would sound like to listen to an Alice In Chains album.

Grunge was largely a geographical movement rather than a musical one. Yes, the Seattle bands were part of a scene, one that drove a stake through the heart of the increasingly ridiculous hair metal bands, but there were as many differences in sound as there were similarities - Nirvana were a punk band, Pearl Jam a rock band, Soundgarden and, especially, Alice In Chains, pretty much metal bands, and Dirt is a metal album, a great one. It's a dark, scary record full of Sabbath-y riffs, Doomy, Sludgey grooves. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell harmonise so closely that their voices meld, delivering a unique vocal sound. 'Them Bones', 'Sickman', 'Rooster', 'Down In a Hole', 'Angry Chair' and 'Would' stand out but there isn't a below-par (shouldn't that be over-par, golfers?) track here. Stunning album. Unfortunately, Staley lived the life these songs described and the life took him 10 years later...

Not really my cup of tea so in comparison to other reviews, given this a low 2 star

One of my favorites coming into this. AIC rules.

Notable Textzeile: Sitting on an angry chair Angry walls that steal the air Stomach hurts and I don't care Ich habe das schon vor ein paar Tagen gehört und es wirklich nicht viel hängen geblieben. Ich erinnere mich daran, dass ich das gleichzeitig schwer auszuhalten und schwer egal fand. Irgendwie ist das so produziert, das alle Riffs extrem ähnlich klingen, auch die Rhythmussektion hat keine große Abwechslung. Habs echt versucht, aber konnte mich nicht drauf konzentrieren. Textlich auch nix für mich, hab kurz nachgelesen was Cantrell darüber gesagt hat und finde die Aussage, "es sind ja nur 6 von 13 Songs" über Drogen schon drollig.

Können Alice in Chains etwas dafür, dass ihr Sound so oft kopiert wurde? Nein. Trotzdem klingt es rückwirkend etwas Klischee-behaftet. Die Songs selbst sind gut, gut laut, teilweise berührend rau. Man möchte aber auch manchmal einfach sagen: wenn das so scheiße ist was du gerade nimmst und du das merkst, mach doch Reha und nicht noch eine Grunge Metal Song.

Langweilt mich so sehr, dass ich es nicht zu Ende gehört habe.

J'aime plus Pearl Jam que je pensais. Écoute fastidieuse. C't'un peu quétaine, j'trippe pas sur la chèvre qui chante.

1000 nostalgia points!

Started kinda strong but very quickly I realised first impressions are misleading. Punchy start but entire album was uninteresting and samey. Topped off with shit vocals akin to guy from my office singing to the radio (sorry to my colleague btw) and I was skipping through songs towards the end.

5.5/10

Awesome album, I've actually never listed to Alice in Chains but I'm excited to listen to more of them!

5/5

Not every song on the album is amazing. However the entirety of this album was just mesmerizing to listen to when it came out. The depth of emotion in Laynes voice. The fuzzy riffs that transitioned between story telling, weeping and outright lunacy. The drums banging out a rhythm we had no right to hear. This album changed my life.

hard, grungy, work

Good

simplemente alice in chains, muy bueno, estás tranquilamente y de repente pum pan pum pum pum

Absolutely one of the best records in heavy music of the 90’s. Cantrell and co are doing their best work here creating some crushingly heavy riffs and passages of music. Staley’s vocals bring everything together to create something truly special. I’m not even the biggest Grunge aficionado and I adore this album. 5/5. Many would imitate this sound in the coming decade, but few would reach the bar set by Alice In Chains.

I've listened to a lot of albums so far, and some aren't for me but I understand why people like it. I cannot comprehend how people like this album, it's just soul-sucking.

Never got into the band, though liked others from the Seattle scene. Perhaps because it leans more into that, or actually just is early 90s straight US heavy (metal); guitars and riffs and that gloom and doom thing just dressed in flannel. Listening that view isn’t changing today. Just doesn’t interest me, sure if it's your thing this is great but it ain't mine so was a laboured chore - 2 Star

I really like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but man, I was never able to get into Alice in Chains. I even saw them live at Lollapalooza when I was in college and I fell asleep during their set. There may have been some intoxicants involved to help with that but still. I also never cared for Layne Staley's voice much.

this album was horrible and I hated it but somehow I left the experience impressed and respecting the bit

A hard 5

While Nirvana and Perl Jam got most of the mainstream attention during the 90s Grunge era, those who knew, and who still know, place Alice in Chains in the same tier, and this album provides ample of reasons why. From alt-radio staple tracks to the 'hidden gems', Dirt is messy with peak musical output, making this album a staple for any lover of rock, grunge or otherwise.

This album...it's overrated. Other 90s grunge has aged well (Pearl Jam), but Alice in Chains just feels dated now. It's not as strong musically or lyrically as the timeless albums on the list. I think it's okay to forget this album.

Metal no de mi gusto por la falta de “fríos”

Dirt is the second album from Seattle based Alice in Chains. The band makes a grunge influenced version of metal; they add howling, brooding lyrics to make a sound that's dark and raw. The album is regarded as the band's best work, and appears on many "best metal albums of all time" lists. Dirt is a concept album about heroin addiction, and the songs are dark, morbid, and brutally self-aware. Lead singer Layne Staley struggled with heroin addiction that eventually cost him his life.

Brilliant, depressing and amazing Grunge. How did we survive the 90s?

Favorite track : Rooster Learned about this band watching Mike Starr struggle on Celebrity Rehab in 2010. First time listening to the album, liked it. RIP Mike

no

There's a lot of buttrock elements with this collection of songs, but also some melody and hard rock riffs that stand up with anyone from the era.

Бодрящий, заряжающий, разгоняющий

This goes so fucking hard man. So many classics.

Not my thing at all

Grunge was generally a bit heavy and bleak for my tastes, but I did listen to the punkier stuff like Nirvana and Mudhoney a bit. The more metal-influenced stuff like this and Soundgarden never interested me, and having listened to this, it still doesn't. I'm sure it's fine, but not being interested in the genre, all the songs sounded very similar to me.

Favorite Tracks: Down in a Hole / Rooster / Rating: 3.2 I listened to the 2022 Remaster for this. I know all the singles from this one, but haven't listened to the full album. Some great guitar work throughout, interesting tone and a kind of wall of sound reverb/flange effect really stacked up at times with a few genuine shredding solos. Staley's voice doesn't do much for me. Runs together a bit, but good energy. Sounding a bit dated to my ears; more of a certain time than an all-timer, for me at least.

Deep grunge dark

now I understand the hype and why all of my friends and their mothers urged me to listen at least a few songs of this band

some g sounds

I've heard really good things about this album, but in my personal opinion, it isn't my style. I found nothing wrong per se with anything in particular; nothing really stood out at all, that's really all it was. A couple of tracks caught my attention slightly, but other than that, it was quite hard to stay invested. This may be one of those albums for me that I would have to listen to maybe another one or two times to really catch any interest, but for now, this is all I have to say about this album. Tracks that stood out slightly more than others: Rain When I Die Rooster Them Bones

Aah, tuttuakin tutumpi, suorastaan puhkikuunneltu albumi. Alice in chainsin kohdalla kävi valitettavasti niin, että en bändin hienoutta jotenkin tajunnut ysärillä teinivuosina, ehkä siksi, että se ei ollut meidän kylillä mitenkään kova sana toisin kuin Nirvana sun muut. Eli fanitukseni, joka bändiä kohtaan on ollut mittavaa, alkoi vasta Lane Staleyn kuoleman jälkeen. Aivan älyttömän hieno bändi. Eikä ”uusi” tuotanto ole mitenkään pliisua vaikka usein niin voi laulajavaihdoksen myötä käydä. Itse albumi; ei yhtään huonoa biisiä, vaikka kestoa tunnin verran. Tosin pitkiä biisejä ja ehkä levy voisi biisin tai parin verran olla lyhyempikin, silloin se tulisi kuunneltua useammin läpi. Olen ilman muuta sitä sukupolvea, että albumi kuunnellaan alusta loppuun :) Jerry Cantrell on armoitettu rockbiisien tekijä ja kova kitaristi. Vahva 4/5. Erityisesti levyn alku, ekat kolme biisiä ottavat kuulijan tiukkaan syleilyyn ja pitävätkin siinä sitten loppuun asti. Metallinen grungealbumi, Seattlen Metallica? Huippuhetket Dam that river, Dirt ja Would? 4/5

Amazing album. But now I'm old and my ears just can't, so have to play at low volume.

7.0/10 Great album... not sure I'd listen to it much anymore though.

Alice in chains, heard of em never listened. Why are we screaming. Ok man. Let’s do this. Sure. Dirt. Big ol pile of them bones indeed. Sure. “The album's lyrics explore depression, pain, anger, anti-social behavior, relationships, drug addiction (primarily heroin), war, death, and other emotionally charged topics” like yeah man what are we doing here. If you say so. I just don’t have anything to say it’s just metal. Like yeah. Me when my chairs mad at me. Favourite: Rooster Least favourite: God Smack

I THINK ITS GONNA RAAAAIINNNNNNNNN WHEN I DDIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE

I think this is meant to be a really good album – it’s on Martin Popoffs 500 best Heavy Metal albums of all-time list. At first, it felt very generic, kinda faith no moreish. Then I got into it but then I kinda lost track. Ambivalent is the word.

The cocktail of panache and regret after eating a cigarette whole. 3.5/5

at times it leans closer to metal than grunge for my usual tastes, but there is no denying layne's greatness.

One of the greatest hard rock albums and bands of all time. Nothing beats The Rooster and Dirt is worth a listen to at any time.

Always loved Alice in Chains. Maybe I should listen to more Grunge

for years I tell Becky “I don’t like Alice In Chains” and Becky goes “no—you don’t like Alice cooper” and then I go “oh you’re right”

I FUCKING LOVE GRUNGEEEE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Intro to this album alone is enough to make me gamble away all my savings 5/5

great individual tracks adding up to something not quite as great album. when bunched together jt just comes off pretty rote, the formula becomes apparent and it starts to meld together. if you play any single song off this (besides sickman that one kinda stinks) ill have a pretty great time. most albums just dont need to creep up to an hour in length though

good

Fin å høre på når det regner ute. Mye sterkt, men er par utskudd som er vanskelig å like også..

Alice In Chains fuck yeah!!

I can see why I sort of liked them in high school. Not the case right now.

The album cuts add the variety that their singles lack. Pleasantly surprised

One or two were fab, the rest of the album was rather boring

Pretty much nothing I liked. 1.5

Interesting. Not finished yet.

I get why they were popular, I recognized half the tracks from the local rock radio station. Their sound is unique and varied, which gives the impression they’re talented. That being said the lyrics are bad and the vocals edge toward comical.

Har aldrigt varit ett fan, men de va fetare än vad jag förväntade mig

Såhär brukar det låta när man i en film ska ha med ett fiktivt rockband och musiken mest är rock med stort R. NPC-grunge.

Easily one of my favourite records of all time. Vocal harmonies, Layne’s lyrics, the sludgy/doomy nature of the whole thing. It’s an absolute masterpiece.

Its trashy music

I mean, it's not the kind of genre I usually listen to, but for now (4 song) it has been good. I loved the second song. I ended it, good.

Top

Not my cup of tea

Not really a fan of the grunge genre, but most of the songs were alright, even if the instrumentation was repetitive to my stupid ears. Also a little too much distortion which i'm pretty meh about. Pretty cheesy. I like the harmonisation, but the vocals make me want to die. There was a good balance of hard rock and softer moments, but otherwise not for me.

Not a great album personally, a bit too heavy for my liking and no songs that stuck out as being particularly memorable

dirt and very beautifully and cool produced album of melodic metal full of heartfelt lyrics about relationships and drugs and overdose and death with heartfelt lyrics and unique solos at least in sound

Tengo que admitir que es un álbum del que tengo mejor recuerdo que presente. Es muy bueno, pero nunca me pegó como la primera vez que lo escuché. Would sigue siendo una de las mejores canciones grunge de la historia. Ese final. Me pone como loquita. 7/10

Please stop asaulting my ears Some songs are really okay thoo

ooooo feels good to be a winner

dope

Is this grunge? Is this goth? Is this metal? I'm not sure. Is this somewhere between 2 and 3 stars? Yes

Already heard it!!! 10/10 masterpiece of an album 😁😁😁

Record company PR guys tricked a whole generation into buying more shitty Metallica-esque metal music by calling it grunge but I ain’t falling for it. This is just heavy metal. Giving it a new name and dressing the band in flannel rather than leather pants and hairspray doesn’t change that fact. This sucks.

Alice in chains- Dirt. Wow ! Un excellent album digne de son temps : les années 90. Je me sentais replonger directement à la sortit de cet album, même si j'étais trop jeune à cet époque la. J'avais jamais écouter ce groupe la, mais c'est sûr que je vais essayer de creuser dans leur discographie suite à cette écoute.

oh yea

Poor dog, I was grooving to this album with noise cancelling albums and almost missed that he was asking me to go outside. Good album, really enjoyed it.

Okay in short bursts.

A very classic grunge record. (Surprising that it’s about to hit its 35th birthday soon, as well!)

This is the quintessential early 90’s rock album to me. Yeah some might have bigger hits on them but this is the complete product. A guide to the rock music at the time neatly packed in one apbum. 5/5

GONNA END UP A BIG OL' PILE OF THEM BONESSS

Grunge'i üks tähtsamaid albumeid. Päris mitu hitti plaadil ja ja Layne Staley vokaalid on suht ajatud. Küll aga tunnen, et albumil on mitu filler-lugu, mis lihtsalt ununevad ära. Nad on tihti ka üpris sarnase meloodia/riffidega ja ma ei saa aru, kas see on lihtsalt albumi "motiivile" viitamine või siis laisk laulukirjutamine. 3.9/5

When you listen to Dirt after knowing what happened to Layne, it's a tough listen. But art isn't always pretty. It's like life that it's sometimes painful, rough, tragic. And that's this album. It's not easy to listen to the songs that directly discuss his addiction, but it paints an unmistakable picture of the pain involved. Having said that, I love every time Layne and Jerry harmonize. It's different than most rock groups in that regards. For all the harsh sludge-style rock they put out, their harmonies give it a smoothness over the guitars. They are part of the early 90s Seattle scene, but they had their own lane (no pun intended), and excelled in it. Just a great band.

great album, but the singles almost stand out too much? the singles are just really good

9/10 Some great songs on here, in particular: Them Bones, Would? and Rooster. Some of the other songs are a bit abrasive, but do reward repeat listens

Gran Álbum, me ha reportado a mi adolescencia, increíble sonido

Not my favourite from them but still love it

Did not enjoy this at all.

Leuk album met goede muziek maar zou het zelf niet heel snel weer op zetten omdat ik het toch net te zeurderig over vond komen

One of my all time favourite artists. Minor issue with the album is consistency of energy. Some of the songs are just ever present in my playlist and are pure fuel. But the album just doesn’t make a perfect no skip, so four stars.

Grande album grunge, gli AiC sono i più metal tra tutte le band del genere e si sente, gasano

Sophie - Another band I only really know by name. Never actually listened to anything by them. I enjoyed this, although I can’t say I found any song particularly distinct. But somehow I found it fun to listen to. Classic 90s grunge style. 3/5

To screamo. Not really a fan.

Too grungy for me. Let in the sunshine.

I'm not a great fan of grunge, but I didn't mind most of the album. It's very dark and it does become a bit much after listening to the whole album. Nevertheless, I did like some of the tracks.

acutally kinda liked this one

Good, but more for winter instead of spring and a bit repetitive

One of the classic grunge metal albums. Crunchy riffs, vocal harmonies galore, groovy odd times. SICKMAN goes hard 🤘🏽 "What's my drug of choice? Well whaddya got?" Is a killer lyric. Overall a great listen

It started strong but I felt like it got too repetitive too fast.

Only knew the first one from tony hawk and thought the band is just a Metallica ripoff. Buut its actually not that bad. Sometimes bit too much tough-guys-with-a-heart-riffs

Nice riffs everywhere. Actually liked it best when the Grunge was turned down and the Doom turned up, like in "Sickman" or "Junkhead". "Rooster" also had a cool vibe. That said, it runs too long (CD age sickness 😮‍💨). Also, whole album about suicide, addiction, mental breakdown? You ok guys? 😅 Negative vibes dragging me down and would prevent me from listening to this often. 3,5/5

Rocky

I think singers voice is unique and a welcome change. Lots of great alice In chains hits on this album, but listening to it all back to back, didn't realize how long their songs seem and I didn't enjoy it that long. Songs for me are better as pallet cleanser in a playlist than back to back

AIC was never my first choice when it came to alternative bands that were big in the 90s. And this was 100% my era. They're heavier than the other Seattle bands of the time (excluding The Melvins), but also... sludgier. And I could never really get into slower tempo heavy music. It's a failing. That said, Dirt is by no means a slog. There are parts that bog down for me, but it starts phenomenally and ends strong with a couple classics in between. 3.5 rounded up.

A bit too unmelodic for me. I get bored with some of that grunge.

A staple of my youth, absolutely amazing from start to finish.

just not my thing

Not for me

It's probably blasphemy, but these songs all kinda ran together. God Smack surprised me, and Would? is a good finisher.

Feels very 90s in a way that isn't appealing to me.

I know this is good but I just dont enjoy it that much. A little goes a long long way

A milestone in the Grunge era.

guter grunge, konnt man sich auf jeden fall abhören

Alright album, heavy 5-6/10

This just ain't for me

me gustó, nunca había escuchado uno entero de Alice. Pesadito igual jaja, quedé con el bocho gigante. Pero tengo algo de metalero muy en el fondo de mi alma, así que me la banqué. Me gustaría escuchar otros discos a ver que onda

This is a good album. I feel it’s overrated but still a good album

Out of all the grunge albums I've listened to so far, "Dirt" resembles more heavy metal from the decade before it. Where "Superunknown" was hard rock and "Nevermind/In Utero" were (noise)-punk, Alice in Chains went down a different path. Probably not in the right headspace to listen to this right now. Even if I were having a bad day this wouldn't be the first thing I'd put on.

The album theme of heavy metal/grunge/alt is not something I'm really interested in.

I enjoyed this album from Alice In Chains! This is an incredibly dark grunge/metal album but it has some great and catchy songs. Music like this used to scare me when I was younger but I feel like my music taste and interests have expanded for the better as I’ve gotten older. Overall, I thought this was a great album and I would listen to it again in the future!

me gusto mucho pero al haver medio largo termina saturando un poco laintensidad de la kuscansolompor eso nones cinconestrellas

i eventually got bored with it. if it didnt have such a heavy tone, it would basically be psychadelic rock. objectively good. but i am no metalhead

alice in chains is just irritating

Bog standard 90s rock

What Metallica's self-titled would sound like if they recorded it in Seattle It can feel like a lot of the same, but it's also a welcome same because it's awesome

Iconic 90s sound. They were not my grunge band though. Two or three HOF bangers. And the rest…

Review - never been a big fan of this band, but honestly this album isn't bad. The singer's really good. The guitar's really good. They do some fun stuff with time signatures and rhythms which other grunge bands weren't doing. They're a little metal-y. But I think what I've always disliked about them is that the very bad, later "post grunge" bands were mostly aping their sound, rather than Nirvana or Soundgarden etc, and so I've tarred them with that same brush. But it's not their fault that the guy from Creed wished he was the guy from Alice in Chains. It's like Nietzsche with the Nazis - it's not his fault that everyone who liked him was terrible. Rating - 6/10 Need to hear? YES

Better than I remember, but Jar of Flies is one of the best albums ever. It better be on this list. But you should hear Dirt, if it only to track their progression to their magnum opus jar.

Really good album with memorable songs. Hype asl I'd reccomend it tenfold

Not my flavor

Bij een aantal nummers hoor ik vage shit op de achtergrond, een of andere sample met een gesprek ofzo. Leuk om eens te luisteren maar niet echt bijzonder