Alice in Chains简介
在80年代中期，Layne Staley在高中组建了该乐队的最初原型，Alice In Chains。Staley于1987年在西雅图的仓库排练场The Music Bank与Jerry Cantrell相遇并开始合作。Cantrell朋友Mike Starr(贝司手)和Sean Hinney(鼓手)也加入其中，乐队更名为 Alice In Chains并始在西雅图俱乐部演出。Columbia唱片公司在1989年与乐队签约，并之迎合重金属乐迷的喜好。1990年，该公司推出了宣传用EP《We Die Young》，颇受重金属电台欢迎。乐队藉此于当年夏天推出了首专辑《Facelift》。该专辑充满了Black Sabbath式的降调(将琴弦调得低于标准音高的手法)音响，它也是乐队定型的第一步。《Facelift》在最初8个未能进入《公告牌》专辑榜，但随着Alice In Chains为Van Halen、Poison 和Iggy Pop的演出 担任开场，它开始受欢迎，《Facelift》在年底成了金唱片。其中单曲《Man In The Box》获得了 格莱美奖提名。1992年10月，发行了第二张专辑《Dirt》。该专辑发行后，Staley因不适应巡演而离队，其空缺于 1993年1月由乐队1年前为Ozzy Osbourne开场时认识的Osbourne的贝司手Mike Inez填补。《dirt》 于1992年底达到白金销量，但其阴郁的歌词，特别是《Junkhead》和《Angry Chair》招致了许多关于Staley染毒的谣言。Alice In Chains当然地否认了这一点,并成功地参加了1993年第3届Lollapalooza 巡演，虽然他们排名于Primus之后，但实际上是最受欢迎的--这也使《dirt》销量 达到300万张。面对成功，Staley更进入了异化、毒品和压抑的世界。在第2张专辑发行前，西雅图由于Nirvana乐队的惊世成功而成了媒体热点，而Alice In Chains也成了一支另类摇滚乐队，而非重金属乐队。乐队推出了一首单曲《Would?》，于1992年夏天收入了《Singles》电影原声带。2002年4月19日，Alice In Chains乐队34岁的主音歌手Layne Staley被发现死在了西雅图他自己的家中。The King County Medical的检查官在经过了近一周的调查后，宣布Layne Staley的死亡时间为4月5日，因服用了过量的毒品致死。
乐队介绍
Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987. Since 2006, the band's lineup has comprised vocalist/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney. Vocalist Layne Staley and bassist Mike Starr are former members of the band, having died in 2002 and 2011, respectively. The band took its name from Staley's previous group, Alice N' Chains.[1][2] Often associated with grunge music, Alice in Chains' sound and style is deeply rooted in heavy metal music. The band is known for its distinctive vocal style,[3] which often included the harmonized vocals between Staley and Cantrell[4] (and later Cantrell and DuVall),[5] making Alice in Chains a two-vocal band.
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. They achieved success during the era with the albums Facelift (1990), Dirt (1992) and Alice in Chains (1995), as well as the EP Jar of Flies (1994). The band was plagued by extended inactivity from 1996 onward, largely due to Staley's substance abuse, which resulted in his death in 2002 and caused the band to go on hiatus. Alice in Chains regrouped in 2005, with DuVall joining in 2006 as rhythm guitarist and later sharing lead vocal duties, and the band has since released three more albums: Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013) and Rainier Fog (2018).
Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released six studio albums, three EPs, three live albums, four compilations, two DVDs, 43 music videos[6][7] and 32 singles. The band has sold more than 30 million records worldwide,[8] and over 20 million records in the US alone.[9] The band has had 18 Top 10 songs on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart[10] and 5 No. 1 hits,[10] and has received eleven Grammy Award nominations. The band was ranked number 34 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and as the 15th greatest live band by Hit Parader.
History
1984–1989: Formation and early years
Before the formation of Alice in Chains, Layne Staley, a drummer at the time,[13][14] landed his first gig as a vocalist when he auditioned to sing for a local glam metal band known as Sleze after receiving some encouragement from his stepbrother Ken Elmer.[13][14] Other members of this group at that time were guitarists Johnny Bacolas and Zoli Semanate, drummer James Bergstrom, and bassist Byron Hansen.[13]
This band went through several lineup changes culminating with Nick Pollock as their sole guitarist and Bacolas switching to bass before discussions arose about changing their name to Alice in Chains.[15] This was prompted by a conversation that Bacolas had with Russ Klatt, the lead singer of Slaughter Haus 5,[16] about backstage passes.[15] One of the passes said "Welcome to Wonderland", and they started talking about that being a reference to Alice in Wonderland, until Klatt said, "What about Alice in Chains? Put her in bondage and stuff like that."[17]
Bacolas thought the name "Alice in Chains" was cool and brought it up to his Sleze bandmates and everyone liked it, so they decided to change the name of the band.[17] Due to concerns over the reference to female bondage, the group ultimately chose to spell it differently as Alice N' Chains to allay any parental concerns,[17] though Staley's mother Nancy McCallum has said she was still not happy with this name at first.[15] According to Bacolas, the decision to use the apostrophe-N combination in their name had nothing to do with the Los Angeles band Guns N' Roses.[18] The name change happened in 1986, a year before Guns N' Roses became a household name with their first album Appetite for Destruction, released in July 1987.
Staley met guitarist Jerry Cantrell at a party in Seattle around August 1987.[19][20] A few months prior, Cantrell had watched a concert of Alice N' Chains in his hometown at the Tacoma Little Theatre, and was impressed by Staley's voice.[21] Cantrell was homeless after being kicked out of his family's house,[22] so Staley invited Cantrell to live with him at the rehearsal studio Music Bank, and the two struggling musicians became roommates.
Alice N' Chains soon disbanded, and Staley joined a funk band.[2] Cantrell's band, Diamond Lie, broke up and he wanted to form a new band, so Staley gave him the phone number of Melinda Starr, the girlfriend of drummer Sean Kinney, so that Cantrell could talk to him.[23] Cantrell called the number and set up a meeting with Kinney.[23] Kinney and his girlfriend went to the Music Bank and listened to Cantrell's demos, who mentioned that they needed a bass player to jam with them, and he had someone in mind: Mike Starr, with whom Cantrell had played in a band in Burien called Gypsy Rose.[23] Kinney then mentioned that his girlfriend was actually Mike Starr's sister, and that he had been playing in bands together with Starr since they were kids.[23] Kinney called Starr and a few days later he started jamming with him and Cantrell at the Music Bank, but they didn't have a singer.
Staley's funk band also required a guitarist at the time, and Staley asked Cantrell to join as a sideman.[2][20] Cantrell agreed on condition that Staley join his band. Because Cantrell, Starr and Kinney wanted Staley to be their lead singer, they started auditioning terrible lead singers in front of Staley to send a hint. The last straw for Staley was when they auditioned a male stripper – he decided to join the band after that.[23] Eventually the funk project broke up, and in 1987 Staley joined Cantrell's band on a full-time basis.[20] Two weeks after the band's formation, they were playing a gig at Washington State University, trying to fill out a 40-minute set with a couple of original songs along with Hanoi Rocks and David Bowie covers.[24]
The band played a couple of gigs in clubs around the Pacific Northwest, calling themselves different monikers, including Diamond Lie,[25] the name of Cantrell's previous band,[26] and "****",[23] before eventually adopting the name that Staley's previous band had initially flirted with, Alice in Chains.[23][27][28] Staley contacted his former bandmates and asked for permission to use the name.[29] Nick Pollock was not particularly thrilled about it at the time, and thought he should come up with a different name; both he and James Bergstrom ultimately gave Staley their blessing to use the name
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.[27] The final demo, completed in 1988, was named The Treehouse Tapes and found its way to music managers Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver, who also managed the Seattle-based band Soundgarden. Curtis and Silver passed the demo on to Columbia Records' A&R representative Nick Terzo, who set up an appointment with label president Don Ienner. Based on The Treehouse Tapes, Terzo signed Alice in Chains to Columbia in 1989.[27] 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.
Alice in Chains soon became a top priority of the label, which released the band's first official recording in July 1990, a promotional EP called 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.[30] Cantrell stated the album was intended to have a "moody aura" that was a "direct result of the brooding atmosphere and feel of Seattle."[31]
The resulting album, Facelift, was released on August 21, 1990, peaking at number 42 in the summer of 1991 on the Billboard 200 chart.[32] 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.[33] The single hit number 18 on the Mainstream rock charts, with the album's follow up single, "Sea of Sorrow", reaching number 27,[10] and in six weeks Facelift sold 400,000 copies in the US.[33] 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 among hard rock and heavy metal listeners."[34] Sammy Hagar claimed he invited the band to tour with Van Halen after he saw the music video for "Man In The Box" on MTV.[35]
Guitarist and founder Jerry Cantrell, along with Staley, is credited with creating the band's sound.
Facelift was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling a half-million copies[2] on September 11, 1991,[37] becoming the first album from Seattle's Grunge movement to be certified gold.[38] The band continued to hone its audience, opening for such artists as Iggy Pop,[39] Van Halen, Poison,[31] and Extreme.[33] Facelift has since been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA, for shipments of three million copies in the United States.[37]
The concert at the Moore Theatre in Seattle on December 22, 1990, was recorded and released on VHS on July 30, 1991, as Live Facelift. It features five live songs and three music videos.[40] The home video has been certified gold by the RIAA for sales exceeding 50,000 copies.[41]
In early 1991, Alice in Chains landed the opening slot for the Clash of the Titans tour with Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer, exposing the band to a wide metal audience but receiving mainly poor reception.[42] 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.[11]
Following the tour, Alice in Chains entered the studio to record demos for its next album, but ended up recording five acoustic songs instead.[33] While in the studio, drummer Sean Kinney had a dream about "making an EP called Sap".[39] The band decided "not to mess with fate", and on February 4, 1992, Alice in Chains released their second EP, Sap.[43] 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 of the term "grunge music".[33] Sap was certified gold within two weeks.[9] The EP features Cantrell on lead vocals on the opening track, "Brother",[44] and guest vocals by Ann Wilson from the band Heart, who joined Staley and Cantrell for the choruses of "Brother" and "Am I Inside".[44] The EP also features Mark Arm of Mudhoney and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, who shared vocals with Staley and Cantrell on the song "Right Turn", credited to "Alice Mudgarden" in the liner notes.[45]
In 1992, Alice in Chains appeared in the Cameron Crowe film Singles, performing as a "bar band".[46] 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 Awardsh>1990–1992: Facelift and Sap
In March 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 thirteen songs dealing with the subject of addiction.[48] "We did a lot of soul searching on this album. There's a lot of intense feelings."[48] 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."[28] On September 29, 1992, Alice in Chains released its second album, Dirt. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200[49] and since its release has been certified 5× platinum by the RIAA,[9] making Dirt the band's highest selling album to date.[27][30] The album was a critical success, with Huey praising the album as a "major artistic statement, and the closest they ever came to recording a flat-out masterpiece."[50] Chris Gill of Guitar World called Dirt "huge and foreboding, yet eerie and intimate", and "sublimely dark and brutally honest."
Dirt spawned five singles that reached the top 30 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart: "Would?", "Rooster", "Them Bones", "Angry Chair", and "Down in a Hole",[10] and remained on the charts for nearly two years.[52] Alice in Chains was added as openers to Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tours tour. Days before the tour began, Layne Staley broke his foot in an ATV accident, forcing him to use crutches on stage.[33]
Starr left the band shortly after the Hollywood Rock concert in Rio de Janeiro on January 22, 1993,[53] stating that he wanted to spend more time with his family.[54] Staley told Rolling Stone in 1994 about Starr leaving the band, "It was just a difference in priorities. We wanted to continue intense touring and press. Mike was ready to go home."[55] Years later, Starr claimed that he was fired due to his drug addiction.[55][56]
Starr was replaced by former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Mike Inez.[57] Inez had met Alice in Chains during Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tours tour and became friends with them.[58] When the band was in Brazil, they called Inez to join them and he accepted.[59] Inez wanted to do the shows in Brazil and even got his immunization shots, but the band called him back telling that Starr wanted to do the last two shows in Brazil, so they would meet Inez in London instead.[59] Inez ended up getting sick with his vaccination shots for a couple of days.[59] Inez played his first concert with Alice in Chains on January 27, 1993, at the Camden Underworld in London.[59]
In April 1993, the band recorded two songs with Inez, "What the Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter",[39] for the Last Action Hero soundtrack.[60] During the summer of 1993, Alice in Chains toured with the alternative music festival Lollapalooza, their last major tour with Staley.
1993–1994: Jar of Flies
Following Alice in Chains' extensive 1993 world tour, Staley said the band "just wanted to go into the studio for a few days with our acoustic guitars and see what happened."[62] "We never really planned on the music we made at that time to be released. But the record label heard it and they really liked it. For us, it was just the experience of four guys getting together in the studio and making some music."[62]
Columbia Records released Alice in Chains' second acoustic-based EP, Jar of Flies, on January 25, 1994. Written and recorded in one week,[63] Jar of Flies debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first EP—and first Alice in Chains release—to top the charts.[39]
Paul Evans of Rolling Stone called the EP "darkly gorgeous",[64] and Steve Huey said, "'Jar of Flies' is a low-key stunner, achingly gorgeous and harrowingly sorrowful all at once."[65] Jar of Flies features Alice in Chains' first number-one single on the Mainstream Rock charts, "No Excuses". The second single, "I Stay Away", reached number ten on the Mainstream rock charts, while the final single "Don't Follow", reached number 25.[10] Jar of Flies has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA,[9] with over 2 million copies sold in the United States during its first year.[66][67] Jar of Flies received two Grammy nominations, Best Hard Rock Performance for "I Stay Away",[11] and Best Recording Package.[12]
After the release of Jar of Flies, Staley entered rehab for heroin addiction.[22] The band was scheduled to tour during the summer of 1994 with Metallica, Suicidal Tendencies, Danzig, and Fight, as well as a slot during Woodstock '94, but while in rehearsal for the tour, Staley began using heroin again.[68] Staley's condition prompted the other band members to cancel all scheduled dates one day before the start of the tour, putting the band on hiatus.[22][68] Alice in Chains was replaced by Candlebox on the tour.[69] Susan Silver's management office sent out a statement saying that the decision to withdraw from the Metallica tour and Woodstock was "due to health problems within the band."[70][71]
The band broke up for six months.[22] Kinney told Rolling Stone in 1996, "Nobody was being honest with each other back then. If we had kept going, there was a good chance we would have self-destructed on the road, and we definitely didn't want that to happen in public."[22]
1995–1996: Alice in Chains
While Alice in Chains was inactive during 1995, Staley joined the "grunge supergroup" Mad Season, which also featured Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, bassist John Baker Saunders from The Walkabouts, and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin. Mad Season released one album, Above, for which Staley provided lead vocals and the album artwork. The album spawned a number-two Mainstream Rock chart single, "River of Deceit", as well as a home video release of Live at the Moore.[52]
In April 1995, Alice in Chains entered Bad Animals Studio in Seattle with producer Toby Wright, who had previously worked with Corrosion of Conformity and Slayer.[72] While in the studio, an inferior version of the song "Grind" was leaked to radio, and received major airplay.[39] On October 6, 1995, the band released the studio version of the song to radio via satellite uplink to stem excessive spread of taped copies of the song.[73]
On November 7, 1995, Columbia Records released the eponymous album, Alice in Chains,[72] which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200[39] and has since been certified triple platinum.[9] Of the album's four singles, "Grind", "Again", "Over Now", and "Heaven Beside You", three feature Cantrell on lead vocals. Jon Wiederhorn of Rolling Stone called the album "liberating and enlightening, the songs achieve a startling, staggering and palpable impact."[74]
On December 12, 1995, the band released the home video The Nona Tapes,[75] a mockumentary featuring interviews with the band members conducted by journalist Nona Weisbaum (played by Jerry Cantrell), and the music video for "Grind".[76]
The song "Got Me Wrong" unexpectedly charted three years after its release on the Sap EP. The song was re-released as a single on the soundtrack for the independent film Clerks in 1994, reaching number seven on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[77] The band opted not to tour in support of Alice in Chains, adding to the rumors of drug abuse.[68][78]
Alice in Chains resurfaced on April 10, 1996, to perform their first concert in two and a half years for MTV Unplugged, a program featuring all-acoustic set lists.[79][80] The performance featured some of the band's highest-charting singles, including "Rooster", "Down in a Hole", "Heaven Beside You", "No Excuses" and "Would?", and introduced a new song, "Killer Is Me", with Cantrell on lead vocals.[79] The show marked Alice in Chains' only appearance as a five-piece band, adding second guitarist Scott Olson.[79] A live album of the performance was released in July 1996, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200,[81] and was accompanied by a home video release, both of which received platinum certification by the RIAA.[9] The band also made an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman on May 10, 1996, performing the songs "Again" and "We Die Young".[82] Alice in Chains performed four shows supporting the reunited original Kiss lineup on their 1996–97 Alive/Worldwide Tour, including the final live appearance of Layne Staley on July 3, 1996, in Kansas City, Missouri.[83] Shortly after the show, Staley was found unresponsive after he overdosed on heroin and was taken to the hospital.[84] Although he recovered, the band was forced to go on hiatus.[85]
1996–2004: Hiatus, side projects and death of Layne Staley
Although Alice in Chains never officially disbanded, Staley became a recluse, rarely leaving his Seattle condominium following the death of his ex-fiancée Demri Parrott due to a drug overdose on October 29, 1996.[86] "Drugs worked for me for years," Staley told Rolling Stone in February 1996, "and now they're turning against me ... now I'm walking through hell and this sucks. I didn't want my fans to think that heroin was cool. But then I've had fans come up to me and give me the thumbs up, telling me they're high. That's exactly what I didn't want to happen."[22]
Unable to continue with new Alice in Chains material, Cantrell released his first solo album, Boggy Depot, in 1998, also featuring Sean Kinney and Mike Inez.[87] Cantrell and Kinney were also featured on Metallica's 1998 album Garage Inc., both were guest musicians in the track "Tuesday's Gone", a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover.[88]
In October 1998, Staley reunited with Alice in Chains to record two new songs, "Get Born Again" and "Died".[39] Originally intended for Cantrell's second solo album,[89] the songs were reworked by Alice in Chains and were released in the fall of 1999 on the box set, Music Bank. The set contains 48 songs, including rarities, demos, and previously released album tracks and singles.[27] The band also released a 15-track compilation titled Nothing Safe: Best of the Box, serving as a sampler for Music Bank, as well as the band's first compilation album; a live album, simply titled Live, released on December 5, 2000; and a second compilation, titled Greatest Hits in 2001.[90]
In November 1998, Layne Staley recorded a cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" with the supergroup Class of '99, formed by guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, bassist Martyn LeNoble, drummer Stephen Perkins, both from Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros, and keyboardist Matt Serletic. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the 1998 horror/sci-fi film, The Faculty.[91]
After they toured as part of Cantrell's solo band in 1998, Sean Kinney and Queensrÿche guitarist Chris DeGarmo formed a new band called Spys4Darwin. Mike Inez and Sponge lead vocalist Vin Dombroski joined the supergroup soon after. The band released their first and only album in 2001, a 6-track EP entitled Microfish.[92] In June 2001, Mike Inez joined Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society for the remaining dates of Ozzfest, following the departure of bassist Steve Gibb for medical reasons.[93] Inez joined the band again for their West Coast and Japanese tour in 2003.[94]
By 2002, Cantrell had finished work on his second solo album, Degradation Trip. Written in 1998, the album's lyrical content focused heavily on what Cantrell regarded as the demise of Alice in Chains, which still remained evident as the album approached its June 2002 release. However, in March that year, Cantrell commented, "We're all still around, so it's possible [Alice in Chains] could all do something someday, and I fully hope someday we will."[95]
Reflecting on the band's hiatus in a 2011 interview, Kinney said that Staley wasn't the only one battling addiction. "He was the focal point, like singers are. So they'd single him out. But the truth was, it was pretty much everybody. I definitely had my hand firmly on the wheel going off the cliff. And the reason we pulled back – you know when you stop when you have two #1 records, it's not really the greatest career move – but we did that because we love each other and we didn't want to die in public. And I know for a fact in my heart that if we were to continue that I wouldn't be on the phone right now talking to you. I wouldn't have made it. I just wouldn't have."[96]
After a decade of battling drug addiction, Layne Staley was found dead in his condominium in Seattle on April 19, 2002. The autopsy and toxicology report on Staley's body revealed that he died from a mixture of heroin and cocaine, known as "speedball". The autopsy concluded that Staley died on April 5, two weeks before his body was found.[97][98] Cantrell dedicated his 2002 solo album, Degradation Trip, released two months after Staley's death, to his memory.[99] Mike Starr later claimed on Celebrity Rehab that he was the last person to see Staley alive, and admitted to feeling guilty about not calling 911 after Staley had warned him against it. "I wish I hadn't been high on benzodiazepine [that night], I wouldn't have just walked out the door," Starr said.[55][100]
Following Staley's death, Mike Inez joined Heart and toured and recorded with the band from 2002 through 2006.[101] Jerry Cantrell collaborated with several artists such as Heart,[102] Ozzy Osbourne,[103] and Damageplan.[102] In 2004, Cantrell formed the band Cardboard Vampyres along with The Cult guitarist Billy Duffy, Mötley Crüe and Ratt vocalist John Corabi, The Cult bassist Chris Wyse and drummer Josh Howser.[104]
On October 22, 2004, Sony BMG terminated their contract with Alice in Chains, 15 years after the band signed with the label, in 1989.[105]
2005–2008: Reunion shows and reformation
Alice in Chains' current lead vocalist, William DuVall, replaced Staley in the reformed band in 2006.
In 2005, Sean Kinney came up with the idea of doing a benefit concert for the victims of the tsunami disaster that struck South Asia in 2004. Kinney made calls to his former bandmates, as well as friends in the music community, such as former Alice in Chains manager Susan Silver. Kinney was surprised by the enthusiastic response to his idea.[106] On February 18, 2005, Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, and Sean Kinney reunited to perform for the first time in nine years at K-Rock Tsunami Continued Care Relief Concert in Seattle.[107] The band featured Damageplan vocalist Pat Lachman, as well as other special guests including Maynard James Keenan of Tool and Ann Wilson of Heart.[107] A few months after that experience, the band called Susan Silver and Cantrell's manager Bill Siddons and said they wanted to tour as Alice in Chains again.[108]
Alice in Chains was approached by the producers of the CBS reality show Rock Star about being featured on its second season, but the band turned the offer down.[109] In the show, aspiring singers competed to become the lead vocalist of a featured group.[109]
On March 10, 2006, the surviving members performed at VH1's Decades Rock Live concert, honoring fellow Seattle musicians Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart.[110] They played "Would?" with vocalist Phil Anselmo of Pantera and Down and bass player Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver,[111] and at the end of the performance Cantrell dedicated the show to Layne Staley and the late Pantera and Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell.[111] They also played "Rooster" with Comes with the Fall vocalist William DuVall and Ann Wilson.[112] The band followed the concert with a short United States club tour named "Finish What We Started",[113] several festival dates in Europe,[110][114] and a brief tour in Japan.[115] Duff McKagan again joined the band for the reunion tour, playing rhythm guitar on selected songs.[116] During the tour, the band played a 5-minute video tribute to Staley during the changeover from the electric to acoustic set.[117]
To coincide with the band's reunion, Sony Music released the long-delayed third Alice in Chains compilation, The Essential Alice in Chains, a double album that includes 28 songs.[118]
Jerry Cantrell met William DuVall in Los Angeles in 2000 through a mutual acquaintance who introduced Cantrell to Comes with the Fall's first album.[119] Cantrell started hanging out with the band and occasionally joined them onstage.[120] Between 2001 and 2002, Comes with the Fall was both the opening act on Cantrell's tour for his second solo album, Degradation Trip, and also his backing band,[119][121] with DuVall singing Staley's parts at the concerts.[122] DuVall joined Alice in Chains as lead singer during the band's reunion concerts in 2006,[123][124] and made his first public performance with the band at VH1's Decades Rock Live concert.[125] According to Cantrell, it only took one audition for DuVall to get the gig.[126] For his first rehearsal with the band, DuVall sang "Love, Hate, Love". After they finished, Sean Kinney looked at his bandmates and said, "I think the search is pretty much over."[127] According to Mike Inez, DuVall didn't try to emulate Staley, and that's what drew them to him.[128]
Cantrell revealed that before he suggested DuVall for the band, Sean Kinney and Mike Inez invited Sponge and Spys4Darwin lead vocalist Vin Dombroski to jam with the band in their rehearsal space. Dombroski jammed with them to a couple of songs but they did not feel he was right for the band.[129] According to Cantrell, Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver lead singer Scott Weiland was also interested in joining the band.[126]
Cantrell explained the reunion saying, "We want to celebrate what we did and the memory of our friend. We have played with some [singers] who can actually bring it and add their own thing to it without being a Layne clone. We're not interested in stepping on [Staley's] rich legacy. It's a tough thing to go through. Do you take the Led Zeppelin approach and never play again, because the guy was that important? That's the approach we've taken for a lot of years. Or, do you give it a shot, try something? We're willing to take a chance on it. It's completely a reunion because the three of us who're left are back together. But it's not about separating and forgetting—it's about remembering and moving on."[109] Before the tour, Kinney mentioned in an interview that he would be interested in writing new material, but not as Alice in Chains.[109]
During the VH1 Rock Honors concert honoring Heart on May 12, 2007, Alice in Chains performed Heart's "Barracuda" fronted by country singer Gretchen Wilson. Heart's guitarist Nancy Wilson also joined them onstage.[130]
Alice in Chains joined Velvet Revolver for a run of U.S. and Canadian gigs from August through October 2007.[131] During that tour, the band also performed four special acoustic-only shows, named as "The Acoustic Hour".[132] The acoustic performance at The Rave/Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 31, 2007, was recorded for an upcoming live album.[133]
Alice in Chains rehearsing with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra in Seattle in 2007
On November 2, 2007, Alice in Chains performed a four-song set at Benaroya Hall in Seattle for Matt Messina and the Symphony Guild's 10th anniversary benefit concert for the Seattle Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center. In addition to the band's original material, they also played a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" while backed by over 200 musicians, including the Northwest Symphony Orchestra and the Northwest Girlchoir.[134][135]
Sean Kinney said about the band's reunion: "I never called Jerry; he never called me, and said, 'Hey, let's get the band back together,' you know? We had been taking every step extremely cautious and slow, and just doing whatever feels right: If it's genuine and we're doing it for genuine reasons and we're all okay with it then we take a little step. None of us is broke. Nobody needs to be a rock dork, and you know, stroke their ego. I mean, we don't really operate like that. So as long as it felt good and from the right place and it's about making music and carrying on…."[96]
About the pressure being put on DuVall for replacing Staley as lead vocalist, Cantrell said, "To put all that weight on Will's shoulders is unfair. We're just figuring out how we work as a team. Although the band has changed, we've lost Layne, we've added Will, and there was no master plan. Playing again in 2005 felt right, so we did the next thing and toured. We did it step by step. It's more than just making music, and it always has been. We've been friends a long time. We've been more of a family than most, and it had to be okay from here," Cantrell said pointing to his heart.[136]
Former The Doors manager Bill Siddons and his management company, Core Entertainment, co-managed Alice in Chains with original manager Susan Silver from 2005 to 2007.
The band started writing and demoing songs for a new album with DuVall in April 2007.[139] But the band did not show further signs of progress until October 2008, when they announced that they had begun recording with producer Nick Raskulinecz in the studio.[140]
2008–2011: Black Gives Way to Blue and death of Mike Starr
Blabbermouth.net reported on September 5, 2008, that Alice in Chains would enter the studio that October to begin recording a new album for a summer 2009 release.[141] On September 14, 2008, Alice in Chains performed at halftime during the Seattle Seahawks vs San Francisco 49ers game at the Qwest Field (now named Lumen Field ) in Seattle. The 12-minute performance for a crowd of 67,000 people featured a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" accompanied by the Northwest Symphony Orchestra.[142]
In October 2008, Alice in Chains began recording its fourth studio album at the Foo Fighters' Studio 606 in Los Angeles with producer Nick Raskulinecz.[140] The band did not have a record label at the time and the album was funded by Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney.[143][24] At the Revolver Golden God Awards, Cantrell said that the group had finished recording on March 18, 2009, and were mixing the album for a September release.[144] The recording process was completed on Cantrell's 43rd birthday and also the same day that William DuVall's son was born.[144] In April 2009, it was reported that the new Alice in Chains album would be released by Virgin/EMI,[145] making it the band's first label change in its 20-plus year career. Susan Silver, who started managing Alice in Chains in 1988, now co-manages the band with David Benveniste and his Velvet Hammer firm.[145]
On June 11, 2009, Blabbermouth.net reported that the new album would be titled Black Gives Way to Blue and was officially set to be released on September 29, 2009.[146] The title first appeared on Amazon.com without any prior announcement from the band.[147] In addition, it was announced that Elton John plays piano on the title track, a tribute to Layne Staley written and sung by Cantrell.[148] The album features new vocalist and rhythm guitarist William DuVall sharing vocal duties with lead guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, who sings lead vocals on most of the songs.[149][150][151] DuVall sings lead vocals on the song "Last of My Kind".[150][152]
Alice in Chains performing in 2007. From left to right: William DuVall, Sean Kinney and Jerry Cantrell (Mike Inez is out of frame).
On June 30, 2009, the song "A Looking in View" was made available for purchase via iTunes and Amazon,[153] and for a limited time it was available as a free download through the official Alice in Chains website in early July.[154] Although it was not the album's first radio single, Rock stations across the U.S. started playing the song.[155] The music video for "A Looking in View" debuted via the band's official website on July 7, 2009.[156] The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.[11]
"Check My Brain" was released to radio stations as the first official single from the album on August 14, 2009,[157] and was made available for purchase on August 17, 2009.[158] The music video for "Check My Brain" premiered on September 14, 2009.[159] The song was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.[11]
To promote the album, the band released an EPK featuring all four of the members being interviewed while the Kiss makeup is being applied on them.An app for iPhone was released on October 27, 2009, featuring songs, music videos, news, photos and networking.[162]
Sean Kinney said about the new album and the fans' mixed reactions about the band moving on after Staley's death: "Look, it's a big move to ****ing stand up and move on. Some people, the music connected with them so strongly, their opinions, how they feel about it ... It's amazing that they have such a connection but they seem to act like it happened to them. This happened to us and Layne's family, not them. This is actually our lives. If we're okay with it, why can't you be? This happened to us, this didn't happen to you. But this album isn't about that, it's a bigger universal point. We're all going to ****ing die, we're all going to lose somebody, and it ****ing hurts. How do you move on? This record is us moving on, and hurting. That, to me, is a victory. I already feel like I've won."[136] "Sometimes people ask us, 'Wouldn't Layne have been pissed off that we did this?' And I tell them it would have been the opposite: he would have been pissed off that it took us so long to do this. We're not doing this for money; there is no money in the music business anymore. Jerry and I funded the whole album, and we spent lots of our own money, because we believe in this. And one of the reasons I'm doing this is so more light is turned on to something where the light was turned off."[24] And Cantrell added: "We've toured around the world, we've lost some friends, we buried a dear friend, and somebody that you just can't ****ing replace, and then we've chosen by circumstance to get together again. That turned into 'maybe we can ****ing do this.' And that turned into this."[24]
In September 2008, it was announced that Alice in Chains would headline Australia's Soundwave Festival in 2009, alongside Nine Inch Nails and Lamb of God.[163] In February 2009, it was also announced that Alice in Chains would play at the third annual Rock on the Range festival.[164] On August 1, 2009, Alice in Chains performed, along with Mastodon, Avenged Sevenfold, and Glyder, at Marlay Park, Dublin as direct support to Metallica.[165] The band made an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland on November 10, 2009, performing "Lesson Learned", "Black Gives Way to Blue", and "Check My Brain" as the final performance of the episode.[166]
To coincide with the band's European tour, Alice in Chains released its next single, "Your Decision", on November 16, 2009, in the UK and on December 1 in the US.[167][168] The last single from the album was "Lesson Learned", and it was released to rock radio on June 22, 2010.[169]
Black Gives Way to Blue debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.[170] On May 18, 2010, the album was certified gold by the RIAA[9] for selling over 500,000 copies in the U.S.[171] The singles "Check My Brain" and "Your Decision" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks, while "Lesson Learned" reached No. 4.[10] "Check My Brain" was also the band's first #1 song on the Alternative Songs chart,[172] and on the Hot Rock Songs chart,[173] it also reached No. 92 on Billboard's Hot 100, becoming the band's first single to appear on the chart.[174]
Along with Mastodon and Deftones, Alice in Chains toured the United States and Canada in late 2010 on the Blackdiamondskye tour, an amalgam of the three bands' latest album titles (Black Gives Way to Blue, Diamond Eyes, and Crack the Skye).[175]
On March 8, 2011, former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr was found dead at his home in Salt Lake City. Police told Reuters they were called to Starr's home at 1:42 pm and found his body; Starr was 44. Reports later surfaced that Starr's roommate had seen him mixing methadone and anxiety medication hours before he was found dead. Later reports indicated Starr's death may have been linked to two different types of antidepressants prescribed to him by his doctor.[176][177][178] A public memorial was held for Starr at the Seattle Center's International Fountain on March 20, 2011.[179] A private memorial was also held, which Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney attended according to Mike Inez.[180]
2011–2016: The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
On March 21, 2011, Alice in Chains announced that they were working on a fifth studio album,[181][182] and both Cantrell and Inez later made statements that they had begun the recording process. The album was expected to be finished by summer of 2012 and released by the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013. While Alice in Chains were writing for the album in 2011, Cantrell underwent surgery on his right shoulder, which delayed recording the new material. In an interview published in May 2012, Cantrell explained, "The thing that set me back is I had some bone spurs [and] cartilage issues in my shoulders. I had the same issue in the other shoulder about six years ago so I've had them both done now. It's a repetitive motion injury from playing."[183] Cantrell could not play guitar for eight months while he was recovering from surgery.[184] While recuperating at home in a sling, Cantrell heard a riff in his head and sang it into his phone.[185] The riff later became the song "Stone".[186]
Alice in Chains played their first concert in nearly 10 months and their first concert after Cantrell's shoulder surgery at the Winstar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma on August 13, 2011.[187] The band's only concert in 2012 was a five-song acoustic set on May 31 at the eighth annual MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert honoring Jerry Cantrell.[188]
William DuVall and Jerry Cantrell performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2013
On December 4, 2012, Cantrell confirmed that the new album had been completed.[189] The first single, "Hollow", debuted online on December 18, available for digital download in January 2013, along with an official music video.[190][191][192] On February 13, 2013, Alice in Chains posted on Facebook that their new album title would be an anagram of the letters H V L E N T P S U S D A H I E E O E D T I U R R.[193] The next day they announced that the album would be called The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here,[194] which was released on May 28, 2013,[195] and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.[49]
To promote the album, Alice in Chains teamed up with Funny or Die for an 11-minute mockumentary titled AIC 23, in which Film Studies professor Alan Poole McLard (played by W. Earl Brown) attempts to make a documentary on Alice in Chains without any help from the actual band, interviewing other musicians instead. Among them are country singer Donnie 'Skeeter' Dollarhide Jr. (played by Jerry Cantrell), Reggae singer Nesta Cleveland (played by William DuVall), Black Metal musician Unta Gleeben Glabben Globben Globin (played by Mike Inez) and the hipster Stanley Eisen (played by Sean Kinney).[196] The video was released on April 3, 2013, and also features cameos by Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart, Mike McCready from Pearl Jam, Kim Thayil from Soundgarden, Duff McKagan from Guns N' Roses, Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher from Mastodon, and Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo from Metallica.[197]
In June 2013, the band released a pinball game app for iOS as part of Pinball Rocks HD compilation, featuring the single "Hollow", the band's logo and the album artwork, as well as references to the band's previous albums such as Jar of Flies and the self-titled record.[198]
The band released videos for the songs "Hollow", "Stone", "Voices", the title track and "Phantom Limb".[199] "Hollow"[200] and "Stone" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks,[201] while "Voices" reached No. 3,[202] and each one of the three songs stayed on the chart for 20 weeks.[10] The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2014.[203]
Alice in Chains toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, and Europe in 2013 and 2014.[204][205][206] In May 2013, the band co-headlined the annual MMRBQ festival with Soundgarden in Camden, New Jersey.[207] Asked in September 2013 if Alice in Chains would make another album, Cantrell replied, "It'll be a while. It's [been] four years since we put the last one out, but at least it's not the gap that was between the last one, so that's about right - about three to four years."[208]
Alice in Chains opening for Guns N' Roses at Arrowhead Stadium in 2016
On January 18, 2015, Alice in Chains performed in the halftime show of the NFC Championship Game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.[209] Cantrell is a lifelong Seahawks fan and often attends their games.[210] In August 2015, Bassist Mike Inez said that the band had been "throwing around riffs for a new record" and "taking it nice and slow".[211] The band toured in the summer of 2015[212] and the summer of 2016, including select shows opening for Guns N' Roses as part of the Not in This Lifetime... Tour.[213] The band finished their 2016 tour with a concert at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada on October 8, 2016.[214]
In November 2016, Alice in Chains released a cover of the Rush song "Tears",[215] which was included in the 40th anniversary release of the album 2112.[216] The home video Live Facelift was released on vinyl for the first time on November 25, 2016, as part of Record Store Day's Black Friday event.[217] The album features six songs and only 5000 copies were issued.[218]
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of Record Store Day, on April 22, 2017, Legacy Recordings released "Get Born Again"/"What the Hell Have I", a special 45 RPM double 7" single featuring four tracks remastered and available on vinyl for the first time, "What the Hell Have I", "A Little Bitter", "Get Born Again" and "Died".
2022–present: Upcoming seventh studio album
In an April 2022 interview, vocalist William DuVall revealed that he was "sure" Alice in Chains would begin working on their seventh studio album later in the year: "We had a lot of time imposed on us and I think we're going through this period of catching up on things that we had planned for 2020 [and] 2021, and we're all finally getting to do that now. So, it's kind of like a stopgap and we're just dealing with all of these stockpiled projects that we had planned a few years back. So once we get back up to speed with things and we get these dates underway in late summer, I'm sure it will spark a whole bunch of ideas for the next Alice in Chains studio album.
Although Alice in Chains has been labeled grunge by the mainstream media,[87][270] Jerry Cantrell identifies the band as primarily heavy metal. He told Guitar World in 1996, "We're a lot of different things ... I don't quite know what the mixture is, but there's definitely metal, blues, rock and roll, maybe a touch of punk. The metal part will never leave, and I never want it to."[271] The Edmonton Journal has stated, "Living and playing in Seattle might have got them the grunge tag, but they've always pretty much been a classic metal band to the core."[272]
Over the course of their career, the band's sound has also been described as alternative metal,[87][273][274] sludge metal,[275][276][277][278] alternative rock,[282][283][87] doom metal,[284][285] and hard rock.[87][286] Furthermore, the band have also incorporated styles including blues rock,[287] folk rock,[288] funk metal[289] and jangle pop[290] into their music. Regarding the band's constant categorization by the media, Cantrell stated "When we first came out we were metal. Then we started being called alternative metal. Then grunge came out and then we were hard rock. And now, since we've started doing this again I've seen us listed as: hard rock, alternative, alternative metal and just straight metal. I walked into an HMV the other day to check out the placement and see what's on and they've got us relegated back into the metal section. Right back where we started!"[291] Drummer Sean Kinney rejects the grunge label, stating in a 2013 interview "I mean, before we first came out there was no grunge, they hadn't invented that word. Before they invented the word grunge we were alternative rock and alternative metal and metal and rock, and we didn't give a shit whatever, we were a rock and roll band!"[292] According to Mike Inez, they were always the metal stepchildren of the Seattle scene.[293]
The band are influenced to a great extent by English metal music; in 2018, Jerry Cantrell proclaimed Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi as "one of his biggest" inspirations,[294] whilst Layne Staley named his "first influences" as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.[291] The group's work with recording engineer Dave Jerden came about because upon meeting the band, recalling: "'Metallica took Tony Iommi and sped him up. What you've done is you've slowed him down again.' And [Cantrell] looked at me and said, 'You got it.' That's how I got the gig. I totally understood what they were doing."[295] Cantrell adjudged English rock singer Elton John as "the artist that made me want to be a musician."[294] In addition, members of Alice in Chains have cited artists including AC/DC,[294][296] Accept,[297][298] Aerosmith,[299] The Beatles,[296] Black Flag,[300] David Bowie,[296] John Coltrane,[299] Miles Davis,[301] Dio,[302] Funkadelic,[303] Hanoi Rocks,[304] Heart,[305] Jimi Hendrix,[306] Iron Maiden,[299] Jethro Tull,[307] King's X,[308] Kiss,[296] Led Zeppelin,[296] Lynyrd Skynyrd,[307] Metallica,[299] Steve Miller,[309] Eddie Money,[307] Motörhead,[299] Mudhoney,[14] Ted Nugent,[307] Pink Floyd,[296] the Pixies,[309] Queen,[310] Queensrÿche,[311] the Rolling Stones,[296] Rush,[305] Scorpions,[312] Soundgarden,[313] The Stooges,[314] Television,[314] Thin Lizzy,[299] Robin Trower,[310] U2,[301] UFO,[312] Van Halen,[312][299] The Velvet Underground,[314] Hank Williams,[299] and ZZ Top as influential or inspirational.[294]
Jerry Cantrell's guitar style combines "pummeling riffs and expansive guitar textures"[33] to create "slow, brooding minor-key grinds".[315] He is also recognized for his natural ability to blend acoustic and electric guitars. While down-tuned, distorted guitars mixed with Staley's distinctive "snarl-to-a-scream"[33] vocals appealed to heavy metal fans, the band also had "a sense of melody that was undeniable," which introduced Alice in Chains to a much wider audience outside of the heavy metal underground.[34]
According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, Alice in Chains' sound has a "Black Sabbath-style riffing and an unconventional vocal style."[87] The band has been described by Erlewine as "hard enough for metal fans, yet their dark subject matter and punky attack placed them among the front ranks of the Seattle-based grunge bands."[87] Three of the band's releases feature acoustic music, and while the band initially kept these releases separate, Alice in Chains' self-titled album combined the styles to form "a bleak, nihilistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock with subtly textured acoustic numbers."[87]
Alice in Chains is also noted for the unique vocal harmonies of Staley (or DuVall) and Cantrell, which included overlapping passages, dual lead vocals, and trademark harmonies typically separated by a major third.[87] Cantrell said it was Staley who gave him the self-assurance to sing his own songs.[24] Alyssa Burrows said the band's distinctive sound "came from Staley's vocal style and his lyrics dealing with personal struggles and addiction."[316] Staley's songs were often considered "dark",[87] with themes such as drug abuse, depression, and suicide,[52] while Cantrell's lyrics often dealt with personal relationships.
Current members
Jerry Cantrell – lead guitar, lead and backing vocals (1987–2002, 2005–present)
William DuVall – rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals (2005–present)
Mike Inez – bass, backing vocals (1993–2002, 2005–present)
Sean Kinney – drums, percussion (1987–2002, 2005–present); backing vocals (1987–1990)
Former members
Layne Staley – lead vocals, occasional rhythm guitar (1987–2002; died 2002)
Mike Starr – bass (1987–1993; died 2011); backing vocals (1987–1990)
从很多方面来看，Alice In Chains乐队都是90代一个重要的乐队。它汲取了后“Van Halen”式重金属的吉他套路和后朋克的阴郁气质，从中发展了一种荒、虚无之，将硬摇滚和原声音乐结构进行了平衡。该乐队风格对金属乐迷而言已足够有力，而黑暗的主题朋克式攻击又将其推向了西雅图Grunge摇滚乐队的前列。
在80年代中期，Layne Staley在高中组建了该乐队的最初原型，Alice In Chains。Staley于1987年在西雅图的仓库排练场The Music Bank与Jerry Cantrell相遇并开始合作。Cantrell朋友Mike Starr（贝司手）和Sean Hinney（鼓手）也加入其中，乐队更名为 Alice In Chains并始在西雅图俱乐部演出。Columbia唱片公司在1989年与乐队签约，并之迎合重金属乐迷的喜好。1990年，该公司推出了宣传用EP《We Die Young》，颇受重金属电台欢迎。乐队藉此于当年夏天推出了首专辑《Facelift》。该专辑充满了Black Sabbath式的降调（将琴弦调得低于标准音高的手法）音响，它也是乐队定型的第一步。《Facelift》在最初8个未能进入《公告牌》专辑榜，但随着Alice In Chains为Van Halen、Poison 和Iggy Pop的演出 担任开场，它开始受欢迎，《Facelift》在年底成了金唱片。其中单曲《Man In The Box》获得了 格莱美奖提名。
在《Facelift》大卖之后，Alice In Chains开始了他们在美国境内的巡回演唱，而在这段期间之内，主唱Layne利用旅程途中的空档，跟吉他手Jerry抓起吉他哼哼唱唱，打发时间，很随性的写下四首歌.就这样，他们在1992年4月发行了"SAP"这张 EP。这四首曲子，皆由木吉他做为曲子的前导音乐，不难听出他们在旅程中的孤寂。在巡回演唱过後不久，Alice In Chains随即投入了新专辑的录制。1992年10月，发行了第二张专辑《Dirt》。这张专辑中，值得注意的是由吉他手Jerry 所描写由越战带给他老爸心灵创伤的曲子“Rooster”。其它如 "Junkhead"、"Dirt"、"God Smack"、 "Hate To Feel"."Angry Chair" 这几首曲子则是主唱 Layne 对社会、战争、宗教不满情绪的宣泄，探触的角度比 "Facelift"还要深。
该专辑发行后，Staley因不适应巡演而离队，其空缺于 1993年1月由乐队1年前为Ozzy Osbourne开场时认识的Osbourne的贝司手Mike Inez填补。《dirt》 于1992年底达到白金销量，但其阴郁的歌词，特别是《Junkhead》和《Angry Chair》招致了许多关于Staley染毒的谣言。Alice In Chains当然地否认了这一点,并成功地参加了1993年第3届Lollapalooza 巡演，虽然他们排名于Primus之后，但实际上是最受欢迎的——这也使《dirt》销量 达到300万张。
面对成功，Staley更进入了异化、毒品和压抑的世界。在第2张专辑发行前，西雅图由于Nirvana乐队的惊世成功而成了媒体热点，而Alice In Chains也成了一支另类摇滚乐队，而非重金属乐队。乐队推出了一首单曲《Would?》，于1992年夏天收入了《Singles》电影原声带。
在1993年底，Alice In Chains展开了他们在欧洲的旅程。并在伦敦的录音室中录制了 "Jar of Flies" 这张EP。于94年初发行。这张EP,Alice In Chains尝试加入一些新乐器来改变风格，如口琴、曼陀罗琴等乐器，给乐迷一个全新的感受，也凸显出Alice In Chains的成长。它刚一推出便打上 榜首，创造了EP占领榜首的纪录。该EP证明了乐队对安静之声的喜好，而Cantrell也成了西雅图的吉他英雄。Alice In Chairs除了专辑之外，他们另外在电影 "Singles" 中献唱主题曲还有阿诺的大烂片 "Last Action Hero" Soundtrack中贡献了两首曲子 "What The Hell Have I"、和“A Little Bitter"。其实，Alice In Chains能如此吸引人，多半是靠Layne那沙哑的Vocal和无穷的创作力，加上Jerry诡异的吉他风格，Bass手Michael、鼓手Saen适度的配合，词曲融入了喜乐、悲伤、 苦闷、失望….等情绪，使得 Alice In Chains能够在众多的西雅图乐团中独树一格。
1994年晚些时候，Staley 作为Gacy Bunch——一支包括Pearl Jam乐队的Mike Mccready和Screaming Tree 乐队的Barrett Martin和John Baker Saunders的西雅图超级乐队的成员，参加了几场演出。该乐队后来更名Mad Season并于1995年初推出了专辑《Above》，在流行榜上升至第24位。同年，Alice In Chains 推出了一张同名专辑，打上了美国榜首。乐队又一次拒绝巡演，关于毒品与乐队解散的猜测再度弥漫。
1996 年，乐队进行了3年中的首次演出，为 MTV“不插电”节目表演，并在夏天发了该演出的现场专辑《Unplugged》。6月，乐队还为 Kiss乐队的重组巡演头4场演出担任了开场嘉宾。这些举动和 Cantrell 于1997年推出个人专辑一样，并不能消释关于Alice In Chains 之未来的种种猜疑。
2002年4月19日，Alice In Chains乐队34岁的主音歌手Layne Staley被发现死在了西雅图他自己的家中。The King County Medical的检查官在经过了近一周的调查后，宣布Layne Staley的死亡时间为4月5日（4月5日，又是4月5日），因服用了过量的毒品致死。这次事件已被警方定义为意外事故。要了Layne Staley性命的是一种叫“speedball”的药物因子，验尸官在Layne的静脉中发现了大量的此种物质与***的混合物。1982年，喜剧演员John Belushi也是由于注射这种毒品而去世的。 在19日当天，闻讯赶来的大批歌迷和媒体记者聚集在西雅图的中心喷泉广场周围，并开始祭奠活动。（8年前，因为Kurt Cobain的死，这里也曾经聚满了Nirvana的乐迷。）晚上六时左右，广场渐渐被鲜花和烛光覆盖，由于人数众多，当地警方出动了大批警力用来维持秩序。不久，Alice in Chains全体成员，Layne Staley的父母、妹妹及乐队经纪人Susan Silver、Susan的丈夫Chris Cornell和助理Bill Siddons等人陆续出现在广场上。Layne Staley的父亲Phil Staley说：“Layne的一生非常坎坷……他虽然已经离开我们了，但我相信他仍然留在这里，他并不希望任何人为他难过，相信我，Layne任何时候都将与我们同在。”乐队剩下来的成员吉他手Jerry Cantrell，贝司Mike Inez和鼓手Sean Kinney在他们联合发表的声明中这样写到，“我们痛心疾首，因为失去了最好的朋友，他是那么的和蔼，富有幽默感及同情心。同时，他也是令人疯狂的音乐家，总是及时给我们以鼓励，安慰和其他很多很多。Alice In Chains以他为荣。作为Layne Staley的朋友、音乐上的伙伴……，我们爱他。最亲爱的Layne，我们将永远怀念你。” 晚上八时许，人群逐渐散去，但仍然有不少乐迷不肯离去，坚持要等到日出，还有人用带来的吉他演奏Alice In Chains乐队的经典作品〈Man in the Box〉，场面十分感人。
就在消息传出后不久，Layne Staley生前许多好友纷纷表达了对这位天才离去的惋惜之情。Pearl Jam乐队的吉他手Mike McCready 更是悲伤不已，他曾经在1994年同Layne Staley一道组建超级grunge-rock乐队Mad Season。当年Mad Season乐队的鼓手、Screaming Trees的Barrett Martin说：“Layne Staley过人的天赋全部都展现在了舞台上。很少有人拥有像他那样的才华和歌声。我仍然记得与他同台表演的情形，Layne的现场爆发力十足……。他是这个虚伪时代真正的艺术家。” Rage Against the Machine乐队的超级吉他手Tom Morello和Smashing Pumpkins乐队的灵魂人物Billy Corgan也表达了他们的哀惜。“我记得最后一次看到Alice in Chains乐队的演出是在Tiger体育馆，他们为Kiss乐队作开场表演，” Billy Corgan回忆道：“Layne那不可思议的嗓音实在太美妙了，忧伤的味道令人难忘。他是与众不同的，因为他的歌声中充满了悲凄。”Tom Morello曾经和Layne一起参加了1993年的Lollapalooza巡演。他形容Layne Staley是“睿智而有趣的天才歌手，他的歌就像是一个愤怒的天使……希望他现在能够平静下来。”
2005年，Jerry Cantrell,Mike Inez,Sean Kinney重新聚集在一起举办了一场为印尼海啸募捐的演出，乐队请了许多知名主唱来代替Layne的位置，2006年乐队的几名成员又参加了VH1的十周年
演出.他们在演出中同原Pantera主唱Phil Anselmo和枪花的贝司手Duff McKagan一起演奏了他们的经典作品Would?.又同Comes with the Fall主唱William DuVall演奏了Rooster.乐队又与Duvall举行了一系列美国的巡演，并参加了一些欧洲的小型音乐节.接着乐队在Sony Music发行了The Essential Alice in Chains专辑.Duvall很快正式加入了Alice in Chains作为新的主唱并担任了节奏吉他的职务.
2008年，乐队同制作人Nick Raskulinecz一起开始录制乐队的第四张录音棚专辑 2009年，Alice in Chains在失去Layne Staley7年之久终于发行了新专辑Black Gives Way to Blue.这不仅是乐队14年来首次有新专辑面世，也是乐队在前任主唱雷恩-斯坦利（Layne Staley）于2002年因吸毒过量去世后，乐队发行的首张CD。爱丽丝囚徒乐队的吉他手杰里-康特雷尔（Jerry Cantrell）表示：“乐队失去雷恩是一个无法挽回的损失。不过我们现在并不愿意去弥补他走后留下的空缺，乐队仍将那个位置留在那里，因为那是属于雷恩的位置。我们将会为新主唱创造一个新的位置，就是这样。”新专辑的在封面设计上颇具争议，全黑的背景上画着一颗人类的心脏。乐队称这一封面表现出乐队的成员所经历的情感方面的痛苦。鼓手金尼在接受采访时表示：“我们希望以这种方式直接的表达出我们的情感。”而他的说法得到了康特雷尔的赞同：“我们决定用一个心脏作为新专辑的封面，此前乐队从未用如此直接的方式表达我们的感情。”新专辑还得到了英国流行乐“火箭人（Rocket Man）”艾尔顿-约翰（John Elton）爵士的鼎力帮助，艾尔顿-约翰将在专辑的同名曲中献声，为这张专辑注入一份流行乐色彩。乐队之所以能够得到艾尔顿-约翰的帮助，缘于一段有趣的故事。乐队首任主唱雷恩-斯坦利在七岁时所看的第一场摇滚演出便是艾尔顿-约翰的巡演，而这位主唱在乐队成功之后也多次公开表示自己是艾尔顿-约翰的忠实乐迷。为此，艾尔顿-约翰在爱丽丝囚徒发行新专辑时，决定为这支乐队的新专辑献唱并演奏其中单曲的钢琴部分，向这位已故的乐队主唱表达一份自己的敬意与怀念。
目前爱丽丝囚徒的新作品取得了不错的反响：新专辑的首支单曲《Check My Brain》在排行榜的单曲榜上位列榜首。《Playboy》杂志也对于新专辑给出了四星（五星为满分）的评价。另一知名摇滚杂志《Revolver》则称赞新专辑中充满了“密集的吉他Riff以及美妙的旋律”。
乐队风格
爱丽丝囚徒虽然与Nirvana Soundgarden Pearl Jam 并称为4大经典Grunge乐队，但是他们的风格并不是很纯的grunge.他们的音乐中混合了另类摇滚，重金属，grunge等多种风格.吉他手Jerry曾经在Guitar World杂志的采访中说到："我们的音乐很不同，我也不知道怎么称呼我们的这种混合音乐，我们的音乐中包含着punk,blues,metal等多种风格，而且乐队不会去除的金属成分.我也不愿意这么做.
Jerry的吉他演奏曾经被Stephen Erlewine称为"pummeling riffs and expansive guitar textures"他降调 扭曲的吉他配合Staley独特的"snarl-to-a-scream"唱腔吸引了很多重金属乐迷.乐队的音乐还包括这一种很悦耳的旋律.这也吸引了一些流行乐的乐迷.乐队也以Staley和Cantrell唱出的一种近乎完美的和声.Alyssa Burrows曾经说AIC独特的音乐来自Staley独特的唱腔和他创作的黑暗歌词.他的歌词中总是会包括毒品诱惑 谋杀 等问题.而Cantrell的歌词总是更多的写自己的个人关系（与朋友 家人等）.
乐队成就
爱丽丝囚徒在美国卖出了超过一千四百万张专辑.他们拥有两张榜首专辑（同名专辑和苍蝇罐）以及21首 前40的冠军单曲.乐队也7次提名格莱美奖.他们在VH1排出的100最伟大的硬摇滚艺术家榜单中排名第三十四.他们的冠军单曲Man in the Box也被收录在VH1的40首伟大的重金属单曲中.他们也被Hit Parader评为第15优秀的现场乐队.Close-Up杂志将乐队的经典专辑Dirt评为近10年第五伟大的摇滚专辑.
乐队对后来乐队的影响也是巨大的比如以他们歌命名的乐队Godsmack.Metallica的2008新专辑Death Magnetic很大方面创作灵感来源于Layne.专辑中的Shine就是向Layne致敬.
