Alice in Chains
The bulk of *Alice in Chains*’ lyrics poetically reference heroin addiction to a degree that even Alice in Chains had not explored before. But the great and saddening irony of their self-titled third album is that while lead vocalist Layne Staley wrote most of its lyrics (with exceptions of singles “Grind,” “Heaven Beside You,” and closer “Over Now”), he performed almost none of them to fruition. Guitarist Jerry Cantrell later recalled that Staley’s addiction was then so severe, he often simply wouldn’t show up to the sessions—and if he did, he struggled to vocalize and would usually fall asleep. It led Cantrell to assume most singing duties, layering his own voice alongside what could be made of Staley’s takes (both sides of this compromise are most starkly audible on the vocally exposed “Shame in You”). As a result, the band’s defining penchant for dreary harmonies almost never recedes to a lead vocal line, as it had on previous albums. It was easy enough; Cantrell had written most of the music with his own solo project in mind, not expecting to reconnect with Staley after the group disbanded for six months in 1994 when their collective habits saw them infamously cancel a tour with Metallica. By the time the band reconvened for *Alice in Chains* in 1995, they were more or less rehabilitated except for Staley, who was in worse condition than before. It formed a creative prism that caught only the darkest light of the five stages of grief as recording went on, going some way to explaining why tracks like “God Am” and, fittingly, “Sludge Factory,” grunged their way into the more hopeless morasses of sludge metal. “Head Creeps”—the only track to solely credit Staley—alternately accepts his current predicament (“No more time/Just one more time”) and rejects its visibility to onlookers: “Tired of infantile claims/Like puppets on a string/So untangle you from me.” That the record opens with Cantrell’s angry denialism of “In your darkest hole, you’d be well-advised/Not to plan my funeral ’fore the body dies” from “Grind”—and came wrapped in haunting neon black artwork of disfigured animals and mutant folkloric figures seemingly awaiting trial—was a subconscious terror. *Alice in Chains* is the story of an addict on the edge told by caring disbelievers below that, tragically, played out its third act in real life. In 1996, Staley’s live-in partner Demri Parrott overdosed on heroin and died—prompting Staley to largely lock himself away from society until his own life was similarly claimed in 2002.
Dispelling rumors of their demise due to Layne Staley's heroin addiction, Alice in Chains is a sonically detailed effort that ranks as their best-produced record, and its best moments are easily some of their most mature music.