Alice in Chains is an American
rock band formed in
Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by
Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist
Layne Staley. Although widely associated with
grunge music, the band's sound incorporates
heavy metal and
acoustic elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released four studio albums, three EPs, two live albums, four compilations, and two DVDs. The band is known for its distinct vocal style which often included the
harmonized vocals of Staley and Cantrell.
Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with other Seattle bands such as
Nirvana,
Pearl Jam, and
Soundgarden. The band was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 35 million albums worldwide,
and over 14 million in the US alone.
In 1992 the band released their album
Dirt which was critically acclaimed and has been certified quadruple platinum. The band also achieved two No.1
Billboard 200 albums (
Jar of Flies and
Alice in Chains), 14 top ten songs on the
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and eight
Grammy Award nominations.
Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity due to substance abuse, culminating in the death of Layne Staley in 2002. Alice in Chains reunited in 2005 with new lead vocalist
William DuVall and released
Black Gives Way to Blue, their first studio album in 14 years, on September 29, 2009.
The album was a success, being certified gold by the RIAA in March 2010.
Formation (1986–89)
Following the demise of his band Sleeze in 1986, vocalist
Layne Staley formed
Alice N' Chains, a band which he said "dressed in drag and played
speed metal".
The new band, featuring guitarist
Nick Pollock, bassist
Johnny Bacolas, and drummer
James Bergstrom, performed around the Seattle area playing
Slayer and
Armored Saint covers.
Staley met guitarist
Jerry Cantrell while working at Music Bank rehearsal studios, where the two struggling musicians became roommates, and lived in a rehearsal space they shared. Alice N' Chains soon disbanded and Staley joined a
funk band who at the time also required a guitarist. Staley asked Cantrell to join as a
sideman. Cantrell agreed on condition that Staley join Cantrell's glam band Diamond Lie, which at the time included drummer
Sean Kinney and bassist
Mike Starr. Eventually the funk project broke up and in 1987 Staley joined Cantrell on a full-time basis. Diamond Lie played in clubs around the Pacific Northwest, often stretching 15 minutes of material into a 45-minute set. The band eventually took the name of Alice in Chains.
Local promoter Randy Hauser became aware of the band at a concert, and offered to pay for
demo recordings. However, one day before the band was due to record at the Music Bank studio in Washington, police shut down the studio during the biggest cannabis raid in the history of the state.
The final demo, completed in 1988, was named
The Treehouse Tapes, and found its way to the music managers Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver, who also managed the Seattle-based band
Soundgarden. Curtis and Silver passed on the demo to
Columbia Records'
A&R representative Nick Terzo, who set up an appointment with label president
Don Ienner. Based on
The Treehouse Tapes, Ienner signed Alice in Chains to Columbia in 1989.
The band also recorded another untitled demo over a three-month period in 1989. This recording can be found on the bootleg release
Sweet Alice.
Facelift and Sap (1990–92)
Alice in Chains soon became a top priority of the label, who released the band's first official recording in July 1990, a promotional
EP We Die Young. The EP's lead single, "
We Die Young", became a hit on metal radio. After its success, the label rushed Alice in Chains' debut album into production with producer
Dave Jerden.
[7] Cantrell stated the album was intended to have a "moody aura" that was a "direct result of the brooding atmosphere and feel of Seattle".
The resulting album,
Facelift, was released on August 21, 1990, peaking at number 42 in the summer of 1991 on the
Billboard 200 chart.
Facelift was not an instant success, selling under 40,000 copies in the first six months of release, until
MTV added "
Man in the Box" to regular daytime rotation.
The single hit number 18 on the
Mainstream rock charts, with the album's follow up single, "
Sea of Sorrow", reaching number 27,
and in six weeks
Facelift sold 400,000 copies in the US.
The album was a critical success, with Steve Huey of
Allmusic citing
Facelift as "one of the most important records in establishing an audience for grunge and alternative rock."
Facelift was certified
gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America by the end of 1990, while the band continued to hone its audience, opening for such artists as
Iggy Pop,
Van Halen,
Poison,
and
Extreme.
In early 1991, Alice in Chains landed the opening slot for the
Clash of the Titans with
Anthrax,
Megadeth, and
Slayer, exposing the band to a wide metal audience.
Alice in Chains was nominated for a
Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award in 1992 for "Man in the Box", but lost to Van Halen for their 1991 album
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.
Guitarist Jerry Cantrell is a co-founder of the band. He is credited, along with Staley, with creating the band's notable sound.
Following the tour, Alice in Chains entered the studio to record demos for its next album, but ended up recording five acoustic songs instead.
While in the studio, drummer Sean Kinney had a dream about "making an EP called
Sap".
The band decided "not to mess with fate", and on March 21, 1992, Alice in Chains released their second EP,
Sap. The EP was released while
Nirvana's
Nevermind was at the top of the
Billboard 200 charts, resulting in a rising popularity of Seattle-based bands, and the term
grunge music.
Sap was soon certified gold. The EP features guest vocals by
Ann Wilson from the band
Heart, who joined Staley and Cantrell for the choruses of "Brother", "Am I Inside" and "Love Song". The EP also features
Mark Arm of
Mudhoney and
Chris Cornell of
Soundgarden, who appeared together on the song "Right Turn", credited to "
Alice Mudgarden" in the liner notes.
In 1992, Alice in Chains appeared in the
Cameron Crowe film
Singles, performing as a "bar band".
The band also contributed the song "
Would?" to the film's
soundtrack, whose video received an award for
Best Video from a Film at the
1993 MTV Video Music Awards.
Dirt (1992–93)
In February 1992, the band returned to the studio. With new songs written primarily on the road, the material has an overall darker feel than
Facelift, with six of the album's twelve songs dealing with addiction.
"We did a lot of soul searching on this album. There's a lot of intense feelings."
Cantrell said, "We deal with our daily demons through music. All of the poison that builds up during the day we cleanse when we play".
On September 29, 1992, Alice in Chains released its second album,
Dirt. The album peaked at number six on the
Billboard 200, and since its release has been certified quadruple
platinum by the RIAA, making
Dirt the band's highest selling album to date.
The album was a critical success, with Steve Huey of Allmusic praising the album as a "major artistic statement, and the closest they ever came to recording a flat-out masterpiece".
Chris Gill of
Guitar World called
Dirt "huge and foreboding, yet eerie and intimate", and "sublimely dark and brutally honest".
Dirt spawned five top 30 singles, including "
Rooster", "
Them Bones", and "
Down in a Hole", and remained on the charts for nearly a year.
Alice in Chains was added as openers to
Ozzy Osbourne's
No More Tears tour. Days before the tour began, Layne Staley broke his foot in an
ATV accident, forcing him to use crutches on stage.
While on tour, Starr left the band, and was replaced by former Ozzy Osbourne bassist
Mike Inez.
In 1993, the band recorded two songs with Inez, "
What the Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter", for the
Last Action Hero soundtrack.
During the summer of 1993, Alice in Chains toured with the
alternative music festival
Lollapalooza, their last major tour with Staley.