Dirt

Absolute perfection! A murky record full of agony, it’s a classic.

Love me some Alice in chains

One of the best albums of all time, flat out.

I listened to this album by the pool under palm trees and a sunny sky and it still made me feel like swallowing a knife. 10/10.

Darkest album that came out of the early 90's Seattle scene. Starts off with a bang.

what if we kissed during the 4th minute of junkhead

A little too grunge for me but rooster is iconic

Grunge classic. Rooster - 5 stars.

I loved this album when I was a teen, I still love it. It's a classic album from a great era.

Not much to say about this one - just listened to it a few days ago. One of my favorite albums. Dam That River, Rain When I Die, Down in a Hole - great 3 song sequence

I've liked almost all Alice in chains songs I've heard but for some reason never explored their music. This album is great. It really is top tier grunge and on the same level as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the others. This could easily become a favorite for me among the grunge bands I listen to.

Fuck yeah!

It was cool

Dirt was so good an album

5/5 King of sludge metal Every song goes hard No favorites, they’re all good

A favorite of mine in high school. Everything but Rooster is a fantastic slice of the 1990s.

I've known this album for a long time, it's definitely one of the greats. But I'll never turn down a good excuse to give it another listen.

good grungy shit, been meaning to listen to it for awhile so good excuse to! funky grunge rock grahhh

Listening to the entire thing, it doesn't surprise me that Alice In Chains started as a glam band. I think it's all in the harmonies, they're a huge shining spot throughout. I also love the sludgy tones, but I've always loved that about this band. It's a little bloated and could use some fat trimming, but it's solid overall. Call it a 4.5. Favorite tracks: "Them Bones", "Rain When I Die", "Dirt", "Would?"

I feel so alone

Sensational

Bonafide start to finish classic, actually the best grunge band.

Amazing album, one of my favourites, always in the rotation at least every 6 months since I was 14. Why do I love depressing music so much?

Them Bones- 8.5/10 Dam that River - 8.5/10 Rain when I die - 8.5/10 Down in a hole - 8/10 Sickman - 8.5/10 Rooster - 9/10 junkhead - 9/10 Dirt - 8.5/10 God Smack - 8.5/10 Untitled - 8/10 Hate to Feel - 9/10 Angry Chair - 9/10 Would? - 8/10 TOTAL - 111/130

so cohesive and good

One of the best albums ever. Love every song. Will also listen to it.

One of my favorites before starting this list

Heavier than I expected, more of a grunge feel too, but both of those are good things! More in common with Nirvana than you might think based on the bigger songs by each band - this is also a compliment!

Just a seriously, unbelievably good album. Incredible singing, incredible songwriting, incredible guitar work. The way they change their feel within tracks is captivating. I was looking forward to getting this album in particular through this exercise, and it delivered in every way. Favorite track: Would?

Very nice

yeeeaaaaahhhh roooockk gruuuuungeeee (очень сильно не хватает дробного значения в оценках)

A masterpiece of grit and grind, Layne Staley vocals, Jerry Cantrell’s guitar and artistic timing create a nearly perfect grunge album in 1992. I am enjoying AIC more as an adult 30 years later than I did when I was a teenager when new. Such a time to be alive when these iconic albums were released.

Another must have album.

I’d heard of Alice in Chains before, but somehow in my brain I thought they were the same as Alice Cooper….. Both a bit before my time. I was really pleasantly surprised by this album, it was great. I listened to it like 3 times in a row. Best tracks: Rain When I Die, Dirt Worst track: Rooster

So many of these songs still get rock radio play. It's great stuff.

Do you like grunge? Good, cus here it is, in all it's glory, guiding future grunge to grungeville

Alice in Chains is called "grunge," but I just don't believe they are grunge. I am probably in the minority on this opinion. I really like this album and I understand it's not widely accepted, as Layne Staley has a voice you need to get used to and the band as a whole takes some time to get in to. Regardless, "Dirt" would be a greatest hits album for so many bands with all these songs on one album: Them Bones Dam the River Rooster Rain When I Die Down in a Hole Dirt Angry Chair Hate to Feel Would "Jar of Flies," which in my opinion is a better album was released just 15 months after "Dirt" even though it is technically an EP. Then in 1995 they released their self-titled album. Fantastic 3-4 year run of good hard rock. This is just a great rocking album.

BEST SONGS: -Them Bones -Dirt

Heavy, grungy, meaty album. Very morbid yet fascinating.

I see Alice in Chains, I get excite. So many of their hits on this album. Junkfuck yeahhhhhh, Junkhead into Dirt is a sneaky good combo of 2 lesser known songs. The opening bass line of Would give me the chills everytime. Fun fact, Angry Chair in midi version was used as one of the songs in Doom 98 for computer back in the 90s. That game rules. The grunginess of this album makes me feel like I need to take a shower after listening to it and I mean that in a great way. The only song I don't like on this album is Sickman, but then Rooster comes after it which fixes everything. RIP Layne Staley

This album rocks

God I love Alice In Chains the more I listen to their music the better they get This album is great not a single skip there

Loved it, one of my all time faves!

Awesomeness

Music i love from one of my favorite bands. Layne Staley's voice is perfect for this dark, angry, aggressive sound.

You can’t really go wrong with any Alice in Chains album, but this one is pretty exceptional. So many great songs with beautiful harmonies, and composition, both instrumental and lyrical.

As a child of the 90's I have a soft spot for grunge. This album is the perfect hybrid of grunge and metal. It just rocks in such a satisfying way.

Oh hell yes!!! I am very familiar with Alice in Chains. They were one of the superstars of grunge that was coming out of Seattle in the 90's. Layne Stanley had such an ache to his voice, especially when he layered it a couple of times in the studio. Their sound is so low and sludgy, with a heavy bass sound, and muddy guitars. Rooster is a fantastic song that was actually written about Jerry Cantrell's dad, who was in the Vietnam War, and had the nickname Rooster. Other topics that were covered on this album included depression, drug abuse, and death. This is a super heavy album, but it is amazing all the same! Overall, loved this album. I've listened to it many times before, and will absolutely listen again!! If you liked this album, listen to their MTV Unplugged album. It hits different in a fully acoustic setting. Favourite songs: Rooster, Them Bones, Would?, Angry Chair, Down in a Hole, Dam That River, Rain When I Die Least favourite songs: Sickman 5/5

aic is the loml

Damn, this Album goes hard! Quite a few bangers, raw music, heavily recommended!

Layne and Jerry at the top of their game. Such a banger album

Great

I wrote out a massive paragraph and accidentally hit the back button and I can't be bothered to rewrite most of it. but I will write about my favourite song on the album; rain when I die. This song ties the closest their later self titled album in its foray into sludge/doom ideas. It uses this to invoke so clearly the feeling of confusion, delirium and fear accompanying Layne's addiction. While these ideas are explored in other ways in other parts of the album, through different lenses, this track for me has stuck in my mind for many years. The return from fadeout at the end invokes so strongly this overwhelmingness that is still unlike anything else I've really heard. There's many other excellent tracks on this album, but Rain When I die really encapsulates the overarching themes. The only real exception to this in my opinion is Rooster, which has always felt like Jerry's song to me. I could honestly go through this album and stop every 10 seconds to talk about why I think every bit is masterful and gorgeous but I've tried to write this review twice now and been shafted by not finishing it and losing it, so I will just close out and say that this album, while less in my rotation now than it was as a teen, still remains one of my favourite albums of all time.

dirt is great. i've listened to it at least once all the way through prior to now, and the singles are phenomenal and powerful grunge tracks. favorite songs: rooster, would?, them bones

First thing first. These guys are not grunge. This is the best kind of metal, borderline progressive, except that sturm and drang are favored over speed and flash. And the feel is real, the experiences written about here are being lived, viscerally, and felt at the deepest level by all four members. This is a historical record of a dying man, and the art does the story justice.

sali subjektiivisuus. PASKA ääni.. vokalisti!! hiljaa.. anna musiikin soida... feel it... feel it move... rooster is coming...... toiselta kuuntelemalta paskempi mutta eka eksperienssi oli sen verran hyvä heh.. yyyyeeeeeeeeeeah heah cum tha rooostaaaaaah rooster

A nostalgic album for me, it's very heavy with great guitar. So many slammers on this album, from Them Bones to Would? Layne lived a hard life and you can feel it in his vocals and lyrics.

I feel set up. I have been primed in about 2 dozen ways to like this album. First it was Def Leppard. Then Megadeth. Then, hearing this album, I realize that one of Dispatch's lead singers, Brad Corrigan– a band that was my North Star when I was younger– must be majorly inspired by the tight, pointy harmonies from Alice In Chains! The resemblance is striking. So I've had Alice In Chains harmonies in my head for years without even knowing. So even though metal/grunge is new to me, part of this album feels like a homecoming, to a harmony land I know very well and that influenced me in a lot of ways. From Alice In Chains! I missed this in high school. I wasn't ready. So I have to go 5 again, dammit! It's catchy, great songs, nothing I know quite sounds like this blend, did I mention I love harmonies, it's clearly MEGA influential, they are giving it their all. If you aren't primed as much as me, I get it. But this was the link for me. I'm trying to think, what's the better version of this album? Not much. Maybe could be 10 minutes shorter. Ah fuck it, 5/5

One of my all time favorite records. Alice in Chains was one of the gateway bands for me into much heavier music, but I learned so much about music in general, song structure, and guitar playing by listening to this album over and over as a teenager. I still love how it sounds to this day. I think this is their best LP, and tied with the Jar of Flies and SAP EPs in my mind for best AIC record.

easy 5

"Dirt" is the second album by American rock band Alice in Chains. The music genres are classified as grunge, heavy metal and alertnative metal. Yeah, this is defintely heavy. The subject matters are dark: drug addiction, war, death and bad relationships. According to guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell the album is semi-conceptual with the two themes: one theme dealing with personal anguish and turmoil by turning to drugs which is not the answer and the other about painful relationships with people. Cantrell wrote most of the songs; Lead singer Layne Staley wrote a few songs as well. Other bands members included bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney. The album is considered their best and very influential in blending the grunge and heavy metal music and crowds. It was also their most successful peaking at #6 on the US album charts. "Them Bones" opens with an aggressive guitar and rhythm. Cantrell's guitar goes heavy. Layered guitars which are common throughout the album. Staley's "Ahhhhh" and howl. Dealing with mortality and life. Everyone is going to die; you need to live. "Down the Hole" is the fifth of five singles released. A heavy metal acoustic guitar and slow beat open eventually to going an electric guitar riff. About his long time girlfriend and, well, it didn't go well. You know the prospects for an optimistic song are not good when the song opens with "They ain't found a way to kill me yet." "The Rooster" was written about Cantrell's father and the damage Vietnam caused him. A slow prodding guitar and bass. Eerie and yet souful backing vocals. The second half of the album tells sort of a drug-fueled story with a string of songs including "Junkhead" and "God Smack." Darkness continues. Layne Staley wrote "Angry Chair." Grungy, echoing guitar. Looming, desperate vocals going into the mind of a heroin addict. The album ends with "Would?" A lot of us remember this from the "Singles" soundtrack and, for me, at a bar I went to, being the unlisted song on the "Dirt" CD in their jukebox. It's a tribute to Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood. It's got a great rhythm groove and guitar. That rattle. Staley's tremendous, shaky and also thunderous vocals. One of my favorite songs of the 90"'s. This album is heavy, haunting and dark. The lead, layers and rhythm quitars are excellent. Staley and Cantrell co-lead and criss-cross vocals at times which really works. Yeah, I always thought of this as grunge but listening to now, the guitar is firmly in the heavy metal area. Whatever. A great album and one of the best in that early 90's grunge/ heavy metal category.

Jerry "riffmaster" Cantrell is one of my all time favorite guitarists. His guitarwork on this album is top tier. "Dam That River" might be my favorite AIC song of all time.. just so "in your face" and heavy. One cool thing is that AIC songs heavily inspired some of the songs on the OG Doom soundtrack: https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/Doom_music

I was in it the minute this album dropped. Fall of '92, my junior year of high school, brought with it wave after wave of delicious grunge. This album was divisive and weeded out the poser yuppies as it straight up drove a fuckton harder than any Pearl Jam or Stone Temple Pilots album. Like a bunch of old world rock vikings, Alice in Chains just fucked it up on track after sick track. If you forced me to, I'd say Down in a Hole, Rooster, and God Smack are the top trax, but it's hard to pick. Tell us how you really feel, Ivey. Yeah. I could listen to this album every day. It was there for some of the best and hardest and tumultuous days of my life. The parties. The cries alone. Dirt will always be remembered as one of the greatest. I saw them at the anthem and there is one original band member left. I went alone and stood in the crowd and loved every single second. Important piece of work here. If you hated it, pour yourself a double rye, put on some headphones, crank that shit up, and try again. Repeat until you get it. PS spell check says God Smack is wrong, but it's obviously right.

Great.I should give it a re-listen.It’s heavy but not too heavy for me.The lyrics are ok I guess.The riffs are good and the singers voice is really nice.The subject could be more varied then drugs though.

Amazing grunge album, not a single bad song. Them Bones is probably one of my favorite opening songs to an album ever.

PEAK

Fantastic album, I love the energy, the riffs and the overall feel and sound of it

Hell Yeah!

I'm pretty sure I can say without exaggeration that I've listened to this damn near once a week for the past couple of years. Alice in Chains wasn't my favourite of the Seattle bands in real-time, but over the subsequent years they've become my most listened-to by far, and the only thing they put out that I've listened to more than this is the Jar of Flies EP. This album is as beautiful as it is harrowing as it is heavy. "Rooster" is an all-timer and "Would?" has always been one of my other favourite Alice in Chains songs (Thanks Singles soundtrack!) but "Junkhead" has been doing its best to catch up to it over the past year or two. I don't believe I could ever get tired of this album.

Incredible album. Alice In Chains, easily one of the greatest rock bands ever, and possibly the greatest grunge band to exist. Great songs, love the dark energy they radiate. Chef’s kiss!

Iconic

Nirvana may have kickstarted the "grunge" movement, but I feel Alice in Chains better embodied the spirit and sound of 'grunge', the epitome being this fantastic album. Layne Stanley's haunting vocals and deeply personal lyrics are the heart and soul of this album, although the band itself more than holds their own, a highlight for me being the absolutely unreal drumming on 'Would?'. A high point for 90's alternative rock and an absolute must listen.

was never a great fan of Alice in Chains but I must accept and acknowledge them as one of the key ingredients of the amazing grunge wave of the early 90s. This album rocks from the first song, and Jerry Cantrell was in credible singer and songwriter. The guitars are cleaner than Nirvana, closer to the heavy metal bands they proceeded to destroy, but the final product is dirty and grungy as we should expect. This is a great album.

Awesome slice of grunge!

Great grungy stuff here

lots of nostalgia hits, but still feels like an incredible album

Soy de una generación que disfruta de esete disco de principio a fin. Todas las canciones son buenas, pero algunas aún más: «Them Bones», «Sickman», «Rooster», «Dirt», «Hate to Feel», «Angry Chair» y «Would?».

alice in chains is an artist whose music i only know from the radio--so only their biggest hits. i enjoyed what i knew, but i wasn't quite prepared for this album. alice in chains go so hard! every song is different yet masterfully crafted. dirt is a great combination of metal and grunge; it's gritty and it's dark. there is a heavy purpose in the songs combined with meaningful lyrics. while a lot of their songs have a focus on drugs, there's a lot of relatability regardless of your drug status. "hate to feel" must be about heroin ("pin cushion medicine") but covers the pain someone can feel at any given time ("hate to see (wish i couldn't see at all)/hate to feel (wish i couldn't feel at all)"). and alice in chains shows somewhat of a softer side--as much as you can with grunge and metal, anyway. "down in a hole" isn't soft per se, but as one of the softer songs on the album, its lyrics hit home and are beautifully written. it's no surprise this song endures to this day. there hasn't been as much metal on this list as there probably should be. dirt is definitely a prime album and its place on this list is well deserved. i will definitely enjoy listening to this album more and more.

I discovered Alice in Chains in my teenage years, during my grunge craze. They were easily one of my favorite discoveries to come out of that phase, and this album is a big reason as to why. This is grunge that maintains a metal edge, and Alice in Chains are masters at making it work. This album starts with a bang with "Them Bones", and in my opinion, does not let up. Every track is a dirty headbanger. Even the slower tracks have capturing, gritty guitar and substantial vocals and harmonies. Rooster has one of the greatest musical build-ups of all time with some of the band's most prime instrumental and vocal oddities. It's irresistible. Overall, the band deploys a lot of other unique vocal and instrumental tricks and styles that I don't have the musical knowledge to describe, but it creates a very specific Alice in Chains signature style, and that signature is in its prime and peak on this album. Suffice to say, I never have to wonder or guess who I'm hearing when Alice in Chains comes on. I wouldn't say this is a perfect 5 for me, but it's such a high 4 that I just may as well round up at this point.

rich

This is my favorite flavor of 90s metal. The music is massive. Super crunchy. And Cantrell's solos are face-meltingly good. Add to that lyrics that are self-aware and intelligent and it's hard to find anything to fault. Yes, I know that the vocals are polarizing. They don't bother me in the slightest, however. Especially given the fantastic harmonies at play here. These ain't your usual 3rd-step harmonies. These vocal lines were clearly written by folks who understood how to construct complex melody lines. And I just can't get past the sheer intelligence of the songwriting. There's not a dumb song in here. Every one of them deals with serious stuff and does so with a poeticism, awareness, and maturity that just adds to the gravitas. I thought it was brilliant. Immediately listened to it twice through.

Never listened to an AIC album all the way through. Impressive sound, harmonies. Songwriting is unique in the grunge mold. And a lot of hits on this one.

With arms swinging right out the gate, Alice in Chains brings us to a hell unfathomable and unceasingly catastrophic with this grunge masterpiece. It is not hard to understand why this is frequently heralded as a classic of its era and beyond, what with very few concessions to the mainstream and a neverending quest to delve deep into the grotesque centers that they've become very accustomed to. A 1990s cornerstone and a essential listen.

One of my all time favorite grunge albums. I have this artwork hanging on the wall of my apartment.

baita som

Hard Heavy prog perfection

Freaking love this album. Hands down.

Wonderful

I love this album, one of my favorites of all time!

90's grunge was jam packed with incredible bands. I used to say that "Alice in Chains are the most underrated grunge band" and then I would say "Stone Temple Pilots are the most underrated grunge band" and then I would say "Nirvana are actually the most underrated grunge band" "No wait it's Pearl Jam- yes, the massively famous band Pearl Jam are underrated". All of those statements are true. I have so many great memories with this band and this album. Track 1- "Them Bones" was the first guitar solo I ever learned. Accomplishing it was a true euphoric moment in my life. Track 4- "Down In A Hole" was the teenage depression anthem in my house for both my brother and I in those early teen years. I think it's one of the best songs ever about depression. Track 13- "Would" is so heavy and catchy and MASSIVE sounding. It's also a song that is serious yet the music video has this one funny moment in it - at 3:20 when Layne turns to the camera and says "WOULD" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nco_kh8xJDs) and my friends and I used to mimic it every time we would say the word "would" There's so much weight in the songs, such a heavy production that compliments the arrangements so damn well. The melodies are genuinely catchy like pop songs, but are in minor keys and covered by distorted guitars and raspy voices. The vocal harmonies are SO impressive and different for grunge/rock music. I have yet to hear a rock/metal band do harmonies like Alice in Chains. Dirt is a 5/5 for me and possibly one of my top 10 albums of all time. Layne was a gift, Jerry Cantrell is a gift, Sean Kinney is a gift, Mike Inez is a gift. AIC is a GIFT!

Still as good as ever. Musically Alice in Chains were head and shoulders above all of the other 'grunge' bands. The song writing is spectacular. It, of course is not going to be everyone's taste. There are arguments that can be made that Layne Stanley was not as an accomplished vocalist as Chris Cornell, and these I could agree with. Nevertheless the finished product is better than that of Soundgarden, Nirvana, Mudhoney or even Temple of the Dog. Yes there is some filler on Dirt (Hate to Feel and God Smack) but very little. For me this is the exemplary album for grunge - a solid 5 stars

Awesome!

Top notch start to finish. Lane's voice is haunting and soothing at the same time. Excellent

Great album

Capolavoro triste e avvolgente. La voce di Staley è una meraviglia ultraterrena.

Slaps. Has some funky rhythms. Conveys the message and the emotions behind it really well.

Incroyable que ce soit le premier album proposé alors que je l'ai écouté des dizaines de fois!!!

Essential listening.

Easy metal

love Alice in chains

Grunge classic

Yeah! Seen these guys 6 times. Always an opener, and weird pairings too. Van Halen, Aerosmith. I saw them open for Poison in '89, a last minute replacement for Warrant in Portland, Or. Someone said find me a replacement Now! and someone else said there's this band in Seattle making waves. AIC got booed off the stage. Poison fans were not ready for this. Pretty sure they thought hair metal was going to be around for ever. But then flannel became en vouge. Anyway. Great album. Facelift was better. Fucking love these guys.

A grunge masterpiece. Every song memorable. “Would?” is the perfect ending!

Love this album so much!

A classic. Bought this on cd when I was in middle school. Not a bad track on this album

I grew up on 90's grunge and it is by far my favorite genre of music. Of the big 4 (AIC, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Sound Garden), I'd rank AIC as my 3rd favorite. I like the dual vocals of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. It's a shame that the same addictions that fuelled such powerful lyrics and themes of their songs ultimately led to the deaths of multiple figures in the grunge scene. This album is packed with hit after hit. I would say that this is their best album.

Super album, een van de gaafste in het grunge album

So many epic songs and no junk filler.

Premium grunge

Sempre preciso. Fundamentalmente foda.

Really great album throughout and hits hard. "Down in a Hole" is the best song on the album, IMO. 9/10.

¿Por qué nunca les puse la atención que merecen? Este disco es una joya, de pies a cabeza. Pesado, movido, buenos riffs, una delicia. Va cayendo un poco al final pero Would hace un cierre enorme del disco. Songs: Would?, Rain When I Die, God Smack

The darkness and pain at the core of this album emanate aggressively outwards. It grabs you in a vicelike grip and doesn’t let go, immersing you in a world of unbearable raw agony, even after the album is over. It lives in the exact point of intersection between metal and grunge. It’s a tragic listen when you’re already very familiar with Layne Staley’s unfortunate story. But it is ultimately cathartic. And it fucking bangs. Would? is my all-time favourite AIC song; the way it builds is fucking flawless. And it closes the album perfectly. Goddamn magnificent album.

I know it’s grunge and that’s it. I’am a bit if a newbie to grunge only knowing nevermind and ten before this but still lets see how it is: The album starts with the song them bones, arguably a strange song to open off an album but still a good song with a killer guitar solo. Dam that river is quite good, really choppy guitars, and another good solo. Does show how good the singing is for what it’s meant to be. Rain when I die has these really strange guitars, not too sure if it works to be fair, the intro is a little long but I know longer ones. The song is alright, it has a nice chorus which really complements the guitars. The short bridge is cool too. Down in a hole slows down the pace of the album significantly which is good as it shows the verity of the band. It’s really good though just not one that will probably stick out in the future. Stickman is another slower one it’s cool there is an angrier bit as well but it dwells in the slower sludgier side honestly what a song! Rooster is good too, really slow and great lyrics another favourite alongside stickman! Junkhead goes back to the heaviness of the earlier tracks. It’s still fairly nice but just overshadowed by the rest of the tracklist. The title track has a really cool guitar riff so sludgy and heavy. I’am not too sure about the slowness of the singing on the verses on here but still passes overall for me. Next is god smack, the only reason why I’ve herd of this song before is because there’s a not very good band with the exact same name. The song itself is alright the singing is a bit odd on the verses but it’s good just like junkhead it isn’t as good as the others. Then is an untitled track it’s alright just some yelling and an alright lead in to… Hate to feel is one if the sludgier songs in the verses then completely breaks into a pre chorus that slowly leads into the simple but effective chorus. Great outro too. Now the penultimate track angry chair another sludgier song, one I really enjoyed! Great lyrics, great singing, great guitars all you need. The album ends in would?, a great closer not necessary a slow song but slow by their standards what a song honestly!,and the lyrics fit for the closer too! Yeah, I liked it has to be a 5/5 even with two weaker songs.

Such deep sorrow and hurt can be felt in this music. Such a good album - one of my all-time favs.

A kick-ass grunge classic with a focus on heavy subject matter lyraclly. Outside of some tracks in the middle, all of the songs here could pass as singles for how heavy and memorable they are. Favourites: "Them Bones", "Rain When I Die", "Down In A Hole", "Rooster", "Angry Chair"

A grunge masterpiece.

A pretty damn perfect album

Another great one from high school, I've listened to this album countless times

Ja, eindelijk weer eens 5 sterren, het is jammer dat ik niet meer sterren kan uitdelen, want dit is echt een geweldig album waar ik veel herinneringen aan heb.

Tja, niet de meest vrolijke of lichtvoetige plaat, maar wat een gewelsige energie en drive! Echt alles is raak. Fantastisch album, waar heel veel herinneringen aan vast zitten.

Fucking love it

how dare they even ask, fucking 5

Damn this has so many good songs on this. Them Bones is sUCH a good opener.

so cool

The best grunge album. Period.

I haven't listened to this in maybe 7 or 8 years and wasn't sure how it would hold up... ooh boy it holds up. Dirt is certainly the right word, everything about this is pure grit and filth The swaggering riffs! The dense, enveloping vocals! The sheer power of the lyrics and songwriting! Is it grunge? Is it metal? Who cares - it absolutely slaps

5/5. 👍 Kinda sad doe

Donker, ietwat bombastisch, zo heb ik mijn muziek wel graag. Topalbum

This album is a HUGE part of my late teens/early 20's. The one-two punch of Them Bones then Dam That River might just be my favourite opening to an album ever. Then it just keeps going. So many incredible tracks here, where both the playing AND songwriting are immaculate. One of the best rock albums ever. Absolutely loved revisiting this behemoth.

Absolutely one of the best

Iconic Grunge record. Layne Staley's voice gives me goosebumps

Det är så bra!! I ren lyssningsvolym måste detta vara på min topp 10 all time-lista. Men Layne Staley är ju så *otroligt* deprimerad, väljer att inte reflektera över vad det betyder för mig. Them Bones, Rooster, Would? Kanonriff på kanonriff! Älskar Jerry Cantrells gitarrspel så mycket. Inte en tråkig stund, varje låt är ägig

Grunge-tastic

One of my favorite albums.

Suuuuuperb

Killer. Several great hits and pretty much every other song holds up well. A lot of them do sound similar, but that's really my only criticism... And what's wrong with that when they rock so hard?

5/5 - love this album

sujão

Il miglior disco dell'era grunge.

Like Bones, Junkhead, Rooster.

The absolute best.

Brilliant

Love this album. Digs deep and the music is masterfully done. The album just bangs through and rocks on. 9.3/10

Een album dat ik al lang heb willen luisteren maar er nooit van is gekomen. eerste twee tracks lekker riff based, mooie gitaar solo's. - rain when I die : is "she" de dood herself? "Did she call my name? I think it's gonna rain Oh, when I die" EPIC vocals wel in de chorus. voor de rest weer lekker gitaarwerk en mooie basintro. - down in a hole: heerlijke harmonies tussen lead guitar en lead vocal, both can sing. Een meer rustig nummer dat de emoties en de boodschap mooi meegeeft. standouttrack so far. - sickman: "I can feel the wheel but I can't steer When my thoughts become my biggest fear" --> relatable. zeer lekkere riffs man. speciaal nummer maar wel echt graaf. -rooster: grave opbouw, zang heeft iets speciaal als hij uithaalt en het rauwe in zijn stem naar boven komt. mooie tribute naar de papa rooster. - junkhead: drug abuse addict to addict. zanger is jammer genoeg zelf overleden aan OD. - dirt net zoals de rest raw vocals en instrumentaal sterk. - god smack: einde van de drugtrilogie ( junkhead, dirt en godsmack) -iron gland : enter SLAYEEEEEEEEEEEEEER -hate to feel: zet de toon verder van de rest van het album: STEIREK. - angry chair: ze zijn duidelijk boos.. sterke vocals met sterke instrumentals. - would? : het enige nummer dat ik al kende van AiC. THIS IS IT. verses gezongen door lead guitar, chorus door lead singer. prachtig nummer. MI MA MASTERPIECE? ik twijfel nog. al denk ik wel dat het nog groeit hoe vaker je luistert. JA het moet in den boek SOWIESO must listen, dus daarom de 5.

Definitely a classic and one of my faves from this era

Really great

Wow this is so emotional

Amazing

Un imprescindible del rock, de principio a fin es un disco perfecto.

Love this album. It was helping me trhough my Bachelor thesks.

Major flashbacks to the minidisc player, much sadder in context of Layne’s death. Great big rock sounds!

Packed with emotions but I won't listen to ts again

Love me some grunge. Side note that album cover is how it feels in the heatwave

hyped to listen to this when it gets colder and I just want to feel like shit. Probably while building stuff.

I actually like it so far??? U know I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard dynamics used in a song like that

I struggle with this one. AIC was one of my favorite bands of the 90’s, and there are a lot of great hits on this album. Many of the less popular songs are hard for me to get through, and it’s not an album I enjoy listening to straight through.

Can't not like an Alice in Chains album, it's great.

Great!

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

This was moody

This is rock!

Listened

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

ganz gut, alice in chains halt

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

I slept on this for too long

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

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.

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.

Surprisingly easy to listen to!

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.

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.

its hard so its making me hard Rating=84

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!

Adictivo hasta el momento.

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.

Didn’t remember this being so good

4.5 Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

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 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

1000 nostalgia points!

Good

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

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?

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.

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

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.

I THINK ITS GONNA RAAAAIINNNNNNNNN WHEN I DDIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE

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

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”

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

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

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

Interesting. Not finished yet.

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

dope

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.

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

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

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

Not my favourite from them but still love it

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

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

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

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 milestone in the Grunge era.

Alright album, heavy 5-6/10

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

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

8/10

ogk

That was cool

Never listened to Alice in Chains before but the whole album was great. Gritty and powerful.

No falla ni una, cada canción es una experiencia y cada canción es diferente a la anterior

the highs are high for sure with this one. Few grunge bands in my opinion make a distinctive name/sound for themselves outside the nirvana elephant in the room. This one is solid. A little more spacey/psychedelic and maybe even more dark than Nirvana in some aspects.

Love his voice. I prefer their lighter songs but still great. Would is a really good song

Hey GTA San Andreas memories. Solid grunge album.

had a few really good songs

In the (massively underrated) movie “This Is 40”, Pete, played by Paul Rudd, is desperately trying to teach his family about artistic merit over commercial accessibility in music. In a rebuttal to some Nicki Minaj song that had his wife and daughters dancing about the room in glee, he plays “Rooster” by Alice in Chains. His argument: “THIS is lyrics, this is poetry. This is what is going to survive in a hundred years.” When his wife Debbie argues that “It just doesn’t make people happy”, he replies that “It makes ME happy. I can dance to it” as he starts to sway slightly from side to side, my trademark move at rock concerts. Debbie breaks it to him: “You’re the only one in the room who’s happy.” Pete stops his music. I’ve been giving TED talks like this for as long as I can remember. I feel represented. “Them Bones” kicks off the album with a jump-scare scream to get your attention, and cause you to spill your coffee all over yourself. Look up Jacob Givens’ hilarious YouTube skit about how it always gets him. It's a fantastic song, and sets the scene for the album you're about to hear. Mixing between the “chugging” sounds of metal guitar and smoother melodies layered with harmonies is the recipe that works so well here. And those vocal harmonies, they're just class. The way that Layne's voice harmonises with Jerry Cantrell’s is smooth as hell. When the more dissonant metal sounds switch to those smooth harmonies, it tunes into some frequency in my brain. My brain tells me: it sounds good. “Sickman” is a great example of that. It’s pretty much three songs stitched together. The first melody is thrash metal, and not my thing at all. The second melody is a much more enjoyable grungier sound, bringing those vocal harmonies into the mix. And then a third song of lighter acoustic-ish melody slows things down. On first listen, I didn’t like it at all, but after a couple of listens, the juxtaposition between the sounds start to make the good parts sound even better. Alice in Chains are framed as grunge, but I wouldn’t call anything here grunge at all. It’s closer to metal or heavy rock than grunge. I think Kurt Cobain said something about them being hair metal wearing flannel to try and ride the grunge popularity. I mean, he was probably just being flippant, but it’s a pretty good description. The metal leanings of this isn’t really my thing, but it’s more than often made up for by the smoother Soundgarden-leaning side of the songs on the album. To put it more concisely: I liked it a hell of a lot more than I expected I would. There are surprises here too. “Down in A Hole” might have all the hallmarks of a hair metal band doing their “get your lighters out” soft anthem, but it’s actually a really enjoyable song. “Hate to Feel” channels Sabbath at times with its descending central riff. Pretty much every other song on the album has moments that catch you off-guard too, and I don't mean in a "spill your coffee" jump-scare way. And of course there’s “Rooster”. This is the real gem in the Dirt. Deep lyrical content about parenthood, PTSD and dealing with the realities of the Vietnam war, with that rising chorus. Again, it’s Layne’s voice (and Cantrell’s harmonies) going into the chorus that absolutely kills it in this song. It causes an involuntary wince when it kicks off, which is always a good sign in a song like this. There’s a reason it was Pete’s song of choice in “This Is 40” to try to win his wife and daughters over. Like the rest of the album, it’s dark, dense and asks a lot of you, so it’s no surprise that Pete found himself as the only one in the room happy to be listening to this, swaying from side to side. I’d be right there with him, making the exact same argument.

Them bones, some track. Badass album

Some classic grunge from one of the OG grunge bands. My fav album of theirs is Jar of Flies.

Høydepunktene er sabla høye. Sterk 4'er.

Så bra på sitt beste, men dessverre litt for mye «fyllstoff». 3,75

Not a huge fan of grunge, but this is as a great album, compelling, brutal and disturbing.

Good

remember when the music league theme was songs about eating ass and someone dropped 'down in a hole' and you died?

Some really good tracks on here. Would? Is probably my favorite on the album and a strong end to the whole thing.

Nothing like a nice grunge album about heroin to wash away the stink of another terrible 70s British album

Classic

90’s Grunge ⭐️Sickman

ÄÄH I really didn't go into this thinking that I would enjoy the album – I was planning to just skim through it and probably give it 3 stars. Instead, I was surprised that I knew and already really liked the first track "Them Bones," mostly from playing ATV Offroad Fury on PlayStation 2 with my best friend in middle school. What really makes this great is the harmony between Staley and Cantrell – their voices blend really well and their harmonies are tight. By the end of the album, I was starting to get a bit sick of Staley's vocal tone, specifically the nasal, vowel-rounding quality that is a bit reminiscent of Cher.

I really wasn't in the right mood for this today but I think it's pretty good. Reminds me of Nirvana.

Alice in Chains is Callie approved. She started stomping her feat and head banging.

Dope, very Accessible grunge music. Great vocals, great lyrics, definitely for times when you've got angst and want to accentuate said angst with some tunes. 8/10

This was gritty and tough and great. Was hooked from the first song.

Dirt immediately starts guns blazing with Them Bones and doesn't let up whatsoever until the end. Great vocals, great hooks, great mixing. Not the first band I reach for on most days, but there's really nothing I can fault here. Favourite track: Would?

some songs are bangers (Them Bones, Would?) some are too long to my taste (Rooster, Sickman, most of the middle of the album)

Pretty decent metal album 4.0

They got the title right.

Interesting grunge sound, but distinct enough from bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana to justify its existence. Fairly dark and depressing lyrics, as the entire album centers around Layne Staley’s drug addiction. Pretty good as far as 90s grunge dad rock goes.

it's not exactly revelatory at this point to say that the term "grunge" is something of a post-hoc rationalization. sure, many of its major movers and shakers had geography in common, particularly the bands we now call its Big Four, who all came from Seattle or elsewhere in the state of Washington. you could also say these bands were bucking the prevailing trends of the time, and bringing guitar music back to some sort of basics as the 90s began. but even still, those four bands don't sound a whole lot like each other, to my ears anyway. Nirvana was equally fascinated by 60s pop and sheer walls of noise; Pearl Jam are a fairly straightforward alt-rock outfit; Soundgarden's best moments place them in a lineage encompassing lumbering stoner and sludge acts; and Alice in Chains started as a glam metal band! you'd think any band associated with the "grunge" label would want nothing to do with the excesses of glam, right? well, not entirely. of course, Nirvana famously covered Bowie on MTV; and on Dirt, the second Alice in Chains album, you can hear a combination of heavy metal riffing with pop song structures which, from a certain vantage point, feels akin to something Dokken might've put together in the 80s. what sets Alice in Chains apart, of course, is the inescapable darkness surrounding their work. I'm not just referring to Layne Staley and his famous struggles with addiction and depression, which of course he mined for vocal and lyrical gold on almost every track here. I'm also referring to the compositions, which demonstrate Jerry Cantrell's knack for balancing consonance and dissonance, melodicism and fierce aggression. the ♭VI and the minor iv really get a workout, two chords that can take any mood and darken it substantially. the lack of any bright spot in Staley's outlook on Dirt is pretty well-known, what with its replete references to death, suicide, heroin and et cetera; but of course, it would mean nothing if it wasn't set with the right soundtrack. strong 8/10.

Good

I've always liked Alice in Chains as a group, they've made some of my favorite metal songs (aka just Man in the Box), but this album didn't really connect with me the way I was hoping. It's not bad or anything, it's actually littered with pretty amazing songs, but I think it just goes a song or few too long. I was really getting tired by the end, and there's not a ton of variety. Still pretty great though. Favorites: Them Bones, Junkhead, Dirt

du grunge !

Cañero de pelotas

I was scared of Alice in Chains going into this album, but was surprised to find that I thought this album was pretty good. You learn something new every day!

I don;t know why I am reluctant to give this a 5. It has 4-5 bangers. I just have owned this album since it came out and have never put it on...must be a reason?

Really phenomenal album and somehow one that I haven't listened to until now. Layne Staley, man. What a voice. This band rules, this album rules, and if I hadn't already listened to Superunknown as a part of this project, I'd probably call this the best grunge album ever. I'm so conflicted as whether to give this a 4 or 5 stars, but know that it's somewhere in the middle. Favorite track: Them Bones

God I wish Layne hadn't had such a rough go, but this band was destined to burn bright and fast. By far the heaviest, grungiest band Seattle produced, this is a real deep dive into the darkness and anger these four dudes dealt with constantly. It suffers from length and sameness but when it hits it hits like a sledgehammer.

Aliisa Kahleissa. Ihan mukiinmenevää. Tulee ihan nuoruusvuodet mieleen kun grunge oli sikakovajuttu.

Oikein hyvä

Kovaa tykittelyä. Meinas levyn loppupuoliskolla loppua jaksaminen vähän same oldista, mutta viiminen biisi pelasti koko paketin ja virkisti takasin taajuuksille.

I overlooked this band for way too long.

Solid grunge album. They definitely had their own sound. Super guitar/bass driven. A very solid album.

i’d give it a 4.5 if i could. a nearly perfect classic rock album of its time. standouts: them bones, down in a hole, rooster, junkhead, dirt honorable mentions: sickman, hate to feel favorite: dirt

People in the reviews keep saying this is a fusion of metal and grunge. Grunge, itself, was the fusion of metal and punk, so that description is a little bit redundant. Alice in Chains, admittedly, was the closest to the metal corner of the grunge spectrum of the big 4 Seattle bands (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and AIC). They've also always been my least favorite of those bands. There's a LOT of literal riffing on this album. It's sludgy and histrionic, but occasionally, a little diamond appears, sparkling in all the grime.

i have heard this album a couple times before. i don’t really have much to say about it. it’s just a good album. hits on hits on hits. the bass work so nasty, it’s really damn good. rain when i die hit a lot harder this time. that fake fade out is so cool every time anyone does it. fuck this thing is so good. i’m on down in a hole. first song i don’t really remember is next, sickman. hope it doesn’t fall off. i’ve heard rooster too much. i remember sickman. it’s kickass. i forgot that the bassline in rooster is incredible. i haven’t heard rooster too much, this song is awesome. WHATS MY DRUG OF CHOIIIIIICE 🗣️🗣️🗣️ junkhead might be the best song on this album and that’s saying A LOT. i love when they bring out the queens of the stone age guitar sound. fuck the end of god smack and untitled. corny asf. godsmack is a great song outside of that dumb voice at the end. hate to feel isn’t hitting. holy fucking ending. angry chair into would. christ. i’m sure this goes hard on heroin.

Ok

4/5

I’ve tried listening to this album so many times but every time I get to rooster I hear it and want to watch apocalypse now or sum. The album is actually really good though especially now that I finished it.

I saw Alice in Chains (this band, not my paternal grandmother bound) on April 16, 1993. Layne sat cross legged on the front of the stage wearing a stocking cap and sunglasses, and didn't move a muscle. Just sat in a heap and sang (quite well, considering). After maybe 5 songs he stood up, dropped the mic, and walked off the stage. House lights came on, and the PA announced "show's over, folks" and we were ushered out. High school me was so disappointed. Despite getting ripped off, I still quite enjoy the album. The despair can be a little overwhelming, but I hadn't listened all the way through in decades (still holding a grudge, I suppose). I'm glad it popped up today and gave me a welcome shot of nostalgia.

I remember Rooster from back in the day... given that this is not my typical type of music -- still a few tracks I enjoyed.

8/10

Favourites: Them Bones and God Smack

ROOOOOSTER

One of my favorite 90s bands. Sucks about what happened. We're probably missing out on some good music.