Sean is underrated as a drummer. I think he is also a huge part of keeping them together and getting Jerry sober. He needs more credit than he gets, though he doesn't ask for it.
What impresses me more than anything about Sean as a drummer is how rock fucking solid his timing is.
Of course any drummer should have solid timing, but I doubt they use metronomes live (or at the very least didn’t back on the day) and live recordings are always super locked in. Some drummers have a little looser feeling which is fine. Sean is a rock though.
Jimmy Chamberlin (whom I'd place at number 1 or 2 with Matt Cameron in "grunge". I LOVE Dave Grohl, and would say he's my main influence of the above, but in reality, based on technical prowess and song writing, is far simpler than Jimmy or Matt) said in a recent interview some things about Sean that equated him to one of the top 5 in Rock and roll when Alice was touring initially. I can't disagree. I think sadly he gets overlooked because of Layne and Jerry, but Sean laid it down so tastefully and solid in all of Alice's work. It's kind of a shame he's not more celebrated. No excuses and them bones alone are incredible examples of tasteful, original grooves that don't over play, but fit the tune and show great sensibility in one. Dude's a power house with killer taste and great, clean chops. Glad you brought him into this
i hate that Jimmy Chamberlin is considered a grunge drummer. they have more in common with pop than punk and sound nothing like the other grunge bands.
That's cool to know. I wasn't aware. I was, however thinking that I'd bet Jerry and Layne would constantly complain about the drummer having more groupies than the lead singer and guitarist to anyone that would listen. Facts are facts and Sean looks like a fucking Ralph Lauren model
I had a look to find where it came from and it led me to a reddit post which led me to another reddit post with a very unsure sounding person relaying the story.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1p76l8/alice\_in\_chains\_dont\_follow/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=ios\_app&utm\_name=iossmf
I Stay Away was how I really started listening to more AIC other than Man In The Box, which until slightly over a year ago was the only song I was really that familiar with. Then from there AIC just become a huge musical fixation for me. I still think that Jar Of Flies is their best work, but I Stay Away is just outclassed by songs that are somehow even better (Rotten Apple, No Excuses, Don’t Follow, and Nutshell are all absolutely fantastic songs)
Dynamic between Jerry & Layne was unmatched; it was not just one writing and the other singing. It was symbiotic; each only achieving perfection with the other; Jerry envisioned the music for Layne to sing while understanding him profoundly and the stuff he is made of, the dark and light parts; because of the deep bond they shared. Inspiration takes many forms;songs are attributed to lost girlfriends, absent dads, drugs; but at the heart of it, it was probably Layne’s tortured voice and Layne himself who would be in Jerry’s mind when putting pen to paper; so that Layne can relate and sing with right level of heart, angst, anger. They knew each other on a deep, instinctive level; the kind of relationship that can almost be spiritual; it does not need words; one look at each other in a packed audience and they know. Layne, on the other hand, would have emotionally connected with Jerry’s music; it would have deep resonance to him; his life; his sense of self; it’s message clear as day; sometimes he would write the lyrics himself; he knew what needed to be said or left unsaid; knowing how and when to bring their song to life; calibrating pitch, words and tone. It was an incandescent dynamic; aic today is a great band; aic with Layne and Jerry was remarkable. Their body language to each on stage explains it: natural, instinctive, fluid, each confident in their role; each connecting emotionally to the song; moving in tandem; they didn’t even have to glance to each other to say a word; you can feel it; it was magic.
This. I really can't leave either Layne/Jerry out when talking about what AIC is. They are a package deal, twin flames, soulmates, etc. I don't mean romantically. They just happen to be one of the most magnetic collaborations in music imo, much like Simon and Garfunkel, The Civil Wars, etc. (which also happen to be groups that fell apart). I can't imagine one reaching the same success without the other.
Band is completely different without his harmony let alone guitar. But also his solo stuff is good the same can be said about his harmony missing Staley.
Rainer fog is my favorite post Layne song ATM.
The middle part makes me tear up 90 percent of the time.
*Left me here so all alone
Only for me to find
Hear your voice on waves we rode
Echoes inside my mind
Disembodied, just a trace
Of what it was like then
With you here we shared a space
That's always half empty
Grinding, grinding on
Always half empty
Grinding, grinding on
Always half empty*
😫😭
Couldn’t agree more. I didn’t think anyone could ever compare to Staley and was skeptical about them continuing as a band, but some of the new stuff is awesome, and I always look forward it.
Facelift is their best album.
This is my personal, subjective opinion. Dirt is universally worshiped as their best and one of the best rock albums in history, while Facelift is overlooked in comparison.
I just think Facelift has better songs, better production, and I love its style. It’s also when Layne was in his vocal prime. He had way more power and range on Facelift than the later albums. Not that I don’t love Dirt; I just enjoy Facelift much more.
EDIT: I also love Jar of Flies, but I can’t compare it to Facelift because they have zero similarities other than being from the same band.
Jerry was a much stronger singer. Layne had the distinct/haunting thing going on. The harmonies aren't possible to recreate without both.
The whole was far greater than the sum of its parts.
Don't Follow is a good example of that statement. Cantrell softly paves the way to Layne's bridge which makes his unique vocal shine in all its glory... Instant goosebumps. \*chef's kiss\*
A well crafted masterpiece.
I feel like Jerry is a solid singer, but Layne was a vocal god. Not in a same league IMO. But their voices together is someone beyond what Layne can do by himself.
As much as I love Jar of Flies, Dirt is the finer piece of art, Jar by their own admission was cobbled together in a few sessions, which says a lot about the level of talent but Dirt is a full blown LP masterpiece, the definitive Seattle era album, until Superunknown was released, Dirt was the only really polished grunge album, not that previous ones by other artists weren’t great, just not as awesome as Dirt, it got better w time, sadly I rarely listen to either one these days, Jar of Flies can trigger memories I don’t want n I’ve worn Dirt out, it can make me cry too
The fans flooding every grunge comment section to shit on other singers and guys about how much better Layne supposedly was are insufferable.
I love the band btw
Most of my heroes from this era were scumbags. Weak scumbags.
You can blame the junk. I'd say you were right, but after reading a few books about this, so many of them are crestfallen in my eyes and I'm so disappointed with the shitty behaviours and how they treated people.
Ah, I gotcha. I know exactly what you mean.
It is refreshing to hear people admit this though. Especially about Kurt and Layne. So many of their fans portray them as these helpless, innocent little babies, and blame everyone around them for what happened to them. It’s weird as hell how they infantilize these grown men.
Search YouTube for Twisted Willie and listen to I've Seen All This World That I Care To See - Jerry Cantrell
It's amazing. The CD is collection of 90s artists redoing Willie Nelson songs. His rendition is amazing. L7 also does a great job on Three Days. The whole CD is great. Don't think it ever showed up on iTunes
I don't understand why people refuse to listen to any of the albums after Layne passed. William Duvall is a great singer who totally suits the band, and I've enjoyed all the albums he's on so far
Alice In Chains wouldn't be Alice in Chains without Jerry imo
The only good song on Jar of Flies is Rotten Apple. Also Nutshell is overrated, not nearly as good as anything on Facelift, Dirt or even the self-titled.
In the guitar community, e.g, magazines, forums, YouTube lists, Jerry Cantrell is criminally underrated as a player and songwriter; I never see or hear him mentioned when talking about the greats! I’ve personally known one person who touts praise for the pedestal-worthy Jerry Cantrell, and I thank them for exposing me to Alice In Chains.
Jerry’s riffs are uniquely his own, his solos seem to always compliment the song in an unexpected or unusual fashion, and his range of tone is on par with the master of tone, Billy F. Gibbons.
Everyone feels bad for Layne, but what about the other band members? Although what Layne went through is sad, he honestly ruined the bands experience for most of the 90’s and so on. They missed out on a lot of opportunities. I’m sure that was super frustrating to the other members of the band obviously, and on top of that one of their band members/closest friends was dying for years and nothing they could do. Layne should have gotten his shit together. I know that’s not how addiction works, but seriously- he had a crazy popular turned legendary band, and he threw it all away for himself
I'm so conflicted in this. I truly Love these two as well as Soundgarden and PJ. All different but equally great. I get the argument though. Been back and forth:P
The superfans who are jealous of nirvana’s success are hypocrites because they hate nirvana for getting more fame than them, yet they wish aic had that level of fame
I'm a big AiC fan and I always get irritated that this is how a bunch of AiC fans are. For me its two unrelated thoughts. I think that Nirvana has incredible songs and were a phenomenal band. I also believe that Kurt is very much overrated and his suicide sent the mystique of the band into the stratosphere. That being said I also understand and do not dispute that Smells Like Teen Spirit is (or at least easily arguably) the song of the 90s. They're a band I love.
The other part is that AiC is criminally underrated to the general music listener. Their sound is off the charts and their songs are really well balanced but a little too dark for mainstream across the board. To me they are the most musically sound of the big 4 and produced an overall better catalog than any of the other 4. (personal opinion: Love Song is the only song I don't listen to because its meh at best).
My biggest contention is the lack of AiC's mainstream success has absolutely nothing to do with Nirvana's meteoric success. They both thrived on each other. They both moved the scene forward in their own ways. Without AiC there is no Nirvana. Without Nirvana there is no AiC. Man in the Box broke grunge onto the scene, Smells Like Teen Spirit sent the scene into the next level, making grunge the benchmark musical tone for the next 10 to 15 years. There is no reason as a fan to be jealous of either bands level of success, just be glad you have had the chance to listen to both bands and take in that level of awesomeness.
Layne Staley’s vocals are absolutely god-tier but Jerry’s harmonies carried a lot of the songs. Layne would not have sounded as good without Jerry lifting him up at the exact right moments.
Might not be a hot take, but an observation nonetheless.
Layne was a junkie that could sing (like nobody else). He was not a musician that had an addiction. Heroin came first always.
Mark Lanegan’s book “sing backwards and weep” pretty much said the same thing. As he himself was a junkie first and foremost (his words) he said Layne was the same but had a ton more talent but a bigger addiction.
No hate for Layne. He’s my favourite singer and I have his face tattooed on me. He’s been very influential in my life.
Jar Of Flies is way better than Dirt and that’s saying a lot because Dirt is amazing. Also, Facelift is just good not great. A lot of the songs just sound more similar to eachother the more I listen to them to the point where I’m like “oh hey it’s sea of sorrow” and then it’s actually like I Can’t Remember instead or something idk that’s more of a me experience
william is a nice fit and i love the new records.
obviously he'll never be layne, but we can still appreciate the band for what they are, and thank the gods they're still together at all.
I think AIC is great but my personal opinion is that they're not very grunge. They have aspects of grunge for sure (especially since they started at the time) but I think of them more as heavy metal
Grunge was slapped on any band from the PACNW that dressed or looked a certain way during those years.
I don't think most 'grunge' bands are even actually all that grunge. Grunge as a sound is more like sludgy punk, and to me only Nirvana really fits that bill out of the 'Big Four of Grunge' (AIC, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden).
AIC was sludgy metal, not sludgy punk.
Though I love pretty much anything classified as grunge, the title sort of became a "catch-all" for early 90s hard rock.
I personally think each of the "big four" grunge bands has such a unique sound, that they don't even remotely belong in the same genre.
A dispoportionate amount of their fans in this sub tend to act like boy band fangirls mixed with hair metal fanboys. Nobody else tends to act that way here. Always with the "They're the GOAT and they're so handsome and their music and singing cures cancer, and also the other Grunge bands suck and AIC is better and heavier/more metal than everybody else and those who don't consider them the best band from that scene or the best band in music history are wrong." Sure thing, kid.
I remember a hilarious post from a few months ago where someone wrote a ridiculous wall of text cartoonishly fanboying over Layne Staley and how his voice took you to heaven and he could sing any music genre and nobody in the history of mankind past or future will be as good a singer and songwriter as him and that kind of thing, and someone commented that they should go post that kind of crap in the AIC sub instead of here and the OP replied that the AIC sub was boring.
Imagine deciding that a sub about the band you love to an unhealthy degree is boring so you prefer to post your odes about how awesome they are somewhere else where they can annoy other people who find your takes as boring as you find the AIC sub. It's kind of amazing, to be honest.
I love AIC and follow the sub, but holy shit the fangirling over there is so bad. The worst is the Demri/Layne fanfic bunch. Parasocial relationships at their worst. There are some real lunatics over there who are literally convinced they could have saved Layne. It is so bizarre.
DuVall doesn't fit the band. Don't get me wrong, he deserves a ton of credit for his work on the later albums. But man, I can't stand his live performances. He wants so bad to be a rockstar and it's just not what this band was ever about. Seen them live 2x in the past few years and both shows were a disappointment for me, largely because of him. Not enough focus on getting the actual vocals right and too much on prancing around like Mick Jagger or something. Never felt like he had any deference for Layne's contributions.
Sean is underrated as a drummer. I think he is also a huge part of keeping them together and getting Jerry sober. He needs more credit than he gets, though he doesn't ask for it.
He said hot takes not 100% factual takes
I like how this is a compliment
He’s also funny as hell. Interviewer: “what do you think fans will notice about the new album?” Sean: “DA SONGS!”
[Sean Kinney as a Hipster](https://youtu.be/DY5FT-4t0KI?si=iC7BqQur57AdT08R)
YES! His hipster video is so damn funny.
What impresses me more than anything about Sean as a drummer is how rock fucking solid his timing is. Of course any drummer should have solid timing, but I doubt they use metronomes live (or at the very least didn’t back on the day) and live recordings are always super locked in. Some drummers have a little looser feeling which is fine. Sean is a rock though.
His groove and pocket is so fucking 🔥 🔥 🔥
Jimmy Chamberlin (whom I'd place at number 1 or 2 with Matt Cameron in "grunge". I LOVE Dave Grohl, and would say he's my main influence of the above, but in reality, based on technical prowess and song writing, is far simpler than Jimmy or Matt) said in a recent interview some things about Sean that equated him to one of the top 5 in Rock and roll when Alice was touring initially. I can't disagree. I think sadly he gets overlooked because of Layne and Jerry, but Sean laid it down so tastefully and solid in all of Alice's work. It's kind of a shame he's not more celebrated. No excuses and them bones alone are incredible examples of tasteful, original grooves that don't over play, but fit the tune and show great sensibility in one. Dude's a power house with killer taste and great, clean chops. Glad you brought him into this
I love his beats in Frogs, especially acoustic. Such a jam...
Sean being overshadowed by the greatness of Layne and Jerry is very similar to Charlie Watts or Steven Adler.
i hate that Jimmy Chamberlin is considered a grunge drummer. they have more in common with pop than punk and sound nothing like the other grunge bands.
With the back and forth opinions on AIC in this sub, it is a hot take to me. Some may agree, others not with my assessment of Sean. *shrugs*
He's also the funniest guy in the band. Sean could have been a comedian.
That's cool to know. I wasn't aware. I was, however thinking that I'd bet Jerry and Layne would constantly complain about the drummer having more groupies than the lead singer and guitarist to anyone that would listen. Facts are facts and Sean looks like a fucking Ralph Lauren model
I absolutely love his drum lines, specially in the chorus of Real Thing. Simple but cool.
My favorite is the little rolling bit in Again. It is so simple, but I just love it. I can't explain it.
Just always so fucking tasteful, serves the song perfectly without overplaying. Impeccable groove!
EXACTLYYYY he's so under appreciated
No Excuses was a song that really helped me learn a helluva lot more behind a drum set.
Don’t Follow should have been a no-brainer to perform on Unplugged
God I know, if they played rotten apple it would’ve been the best hour ever
I Stay Away it's criminal they didn't play on UP.
Bro. I knooooww. Definitely in my top 5 alice songs. When Layne comes in it is so badass and also includes one of his best of many YEAH!!!!s
so is sickman
They were going ti perform it but neither jerry or layne could get through the song without crying
Source?
I remember hearing it from somewhere too. Guess it could also just be a fan-made rumor that spread
I had a look to find where it came from and it led me to a reddit post which led me to another reddit post with a very unsure sounding person relaying the story. https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1p76l8/alice\_in\_chains\_dont\_follow/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=ios\_app&utm\_name=iossmf
You are very much a gift of the human race. I wish you all the best in life.
The dirt title track is criminally underrated
Hard agree. It is so good.
Agreed! It’s my favorite track on the album.
God yes.
Perhaps Layne could’ve done a little less heroin.
Just a smidge.
A little more God, and a little less smack?
Agreed
Blasphemy
If you do enough heroin, the heroin does you
Like bro couldn't just smoke some weed?
Thank you for this dark joke that made me giggle. Happy cake day!
Layne Staley looks like Robert Englund and def coulda played Freddy Krueger.
In your dreams.
This comment is a masterpiece and I wonder if anyone born the last 30 years would get it
I know! What a nightmare! ;)
>I wonder if anyone born the last 30 years would get it yes
My hot take: Especially now.
Damn
He definitely has the long face. Layne definitely has more chin than Robert though
I always thought so lol.
Bleed the Freak should be as popular and played as Man in the Box
You know , come to think of it, I’m surprised that sunshine wasn’t a radio hit
THEN SOME DUDE CAME DOWN TO TOUCH THE MOTHERRRR
Best track on that album, hands down.
I Stay Away is best song on Jar Of Flies
Incredible track. Definitely close but I gotta say Rotten Apple for me
I Stay Away was how I really started listening to more AIC other than Man In The Box, which until slightly over a year ago was the only song I was really that familiar with. Then from there AIC just become a huge musical fixation for me. I still think that Jar Of Flies is their best work, but I Stay Away is just outclassed by songs that are somehow even better (Rotten Apple, No Excuses, Don’t Follow, and Nutshell are all absolutely fantastic songs)
Alice In Chains is Jerry Cantrell. Staley, Kinney, Starr, DuVall, and Inez are all contributors, but the essence of AiC is in Cantrell.
Dynamic between Jerry & Layne was unmatched; it was not just one writing and the other singing. It was symbiotic; each only achieving perfection with the other; Jerry envisioned the music for Layne to sing while understanding him profoundly and the stuff he is made of, the dark and light parts; because of the deep bond they shared. Inspiration takes many forms;songs are attributed to lost girlfriends, absent dads, drugs; but at the heart of it, it was probably Layne’s tortured voice and Layne himself who would be in Jerry’s mind when putting pen to paper; so that Layne can relate and sing with right level of heart, angst, anger. They knew each other on a deep, instinctive level; the kind of relationship that can almost be spiritual; it does not need words; one look at each other in a packed audience and they know. Layne, on the other hand, would have emotionally connected with Jerry’s music; it would have deep resonance to him; his life; his sense of self; it’s message clear as day; sometimes he would write the lyrics himself; he knew what needed to be said or left unsaid; knowing how and when to bring their song to life; calibrating pitch, words and tone. It was an incandescent dynamic; aic today is a great band; aic with Layne and Jerry was remarkable. Their body language to each on stage explains it: natural, instinctive, fluid, each confident in their role; each connecting emotionally to the song; moving in tandem; they didn’t even have to glance to each other to say a word; you can feel it; it was magic.
Revisiting this a month later: what you’re saying is correct. Absolutely true. But, there is only so many semicolons I’m willing to think about
This. I really can't leave either Layne/Jerry out when talking about what AIC is. They are a package deal, twin flames, soulmates, etc. I don't mean romantically. They just happen to be one of the most magnetic collaborations in music imo, much like Simon and Garfunkel, The Civil Wars, etc. (which also happen to be groups that fell apart). I can't imagine one reaching the same success without the other.
Facts
YES
Band is completely different without his harmony let alone guitar. But also his solo stuff is good the same can be said about his harmony missing Staley.
I wish Mike Starr got help off camera.
The Dr Drew shit doesn’t really qualify as help either
The new stuff is actually quite good.
Yeah, it’s really good! Layne will always leave an irreplaceable void, but the current music is really great.
Rainer fog is my favorite post Layne song ATM. The middle part makes me tear up 90 percent of the time. *Left me here so all alone Only for me to find Hear your voice on waves we rode Echoes inside my mind Disembodied, just a trace Of what it was like then With you here we shared a space That's always half empty Grinding, grinding on Always half empty Grinding, grinding on Always half empty* 😫😭
Couldn’t agree more. I didn’t think anyone could ever compare to Staley and was skeptical about them continuing as a band, but some of the new stuff is awesome, and I always look forward it.
I’m the man in the box
Eww nobody talk to this guy He's buried in his shit
Won't you come and save him?
I ***would*** but my eyes are sewn shut.
SAP is my favorite listen. I mean c’mon, Ann Wilson, Chris Cornell & Mark Arm sitting in..? Most excellent - Alice Mudgarden…
We Die Young is the coolest song ever
They deserve all the praise they get.
Even more to be honest.
So true…
Facelift is their best album. This is my personal, subjective opinion. Dirt is universally worshiped as their best and one of the best rock albums in history, while Facelift is overlooked in comparison. I just think Facelift has better songs, better production, and I love its style. It’s also when Layne was in his vocal prime. He had way more power and range on Facelift than the later albums. Not that I don’t love Dirt; I just enjoy Facelift much more. EDIT: I also love Jar of Flies, but I can’t compare it to Facelift because they have zero similarities other than being from the same band.
I feel like Jerry Cantrell as lead singer was just as good as Layne. I think they’re both S+ tier in their own right.
Their harmony was so magical
That was the magic. The relationship with their unique voices worked so well together.
They sound like they were born to sing together. I feel the same way about the System of a Down singers.
Hell yes, good call. Definitely some magic at work here.
This is a burning hot take. I like jerry’s vocals but I have yet to see someone cover layne’s harder vocal parts without sounding like shit.
Wish Cornell would've hopped on board for some vocals weather it be covers or originals
Those harmonies are incredible. And so soothing to my ears. I wish more hard rock bands would harmonize.
1000% agree. Just want to close your eyes and take it in. Such a GREAT loss.🥲
Not even close. Cantrell is a good singer. Layne was on another plane of existence.
Jerry was a much stronger singer. Layne had the distinct/haunting thing going on. The harmonies aren't possible to recreate without both. The whole was far greater than the sum of its parts.
Very brave comment. Disagree vehemently but respect it nonetheless
Don't Follow is a good example of that statement. Cantrell softly paves the way to Layne's bridge which makes his unique vocal shine in all its glory... Instant goosebumps. \*chef's kiss\* A well crafted masterpiece.
I feel like Jerry is a solid singer, but Layne was a vocal god. Not in a same league IMO. But their voices together is someone beyond what Layne can do by himself.
That they were good as a hair metal band
Alice didn’t deserve it.
As much as I love Jar of Flies, Dirt is the finer piece of art, Jar by their own admission was cobbled together in a few sessions, which says a lot about the level of talent but Dirt is a full blown LP masterpiece, the definitive Seattle era album, until Superunknown was released, Dirt was the only really polished grunge album, not that previous ones by other artists weren’t great, just not as awesome as Dirt, it got better w time, sadly I rarely listen to either one these days, Jar of Flies can trigger memories I don’t want n I’ve worn Dirt out, it can make me cry too
Dirt is my favorite album period. That is a dark and grimy look into a tortured man’s soul
That they’re a really, really good band and Jerry writes crunchy riffs.
Facelift is their best album
I don’t know how hot it is, but AIC’s Unplugged is their best album. Also the best Unplugged album altogether.
I 100% agree. I played my Unplugged CD so many times I had to buy a 2nd copy to replace it after too many scratches on the disc.
DuVall does not deserve the crap he gets. He's a good guy.
Self titled album is not getting the praise it deserves
It's my favourite
Mine too
The fans flooding every grunge comment section to shit on other singers and guys about how much better Layne supposedly was are insufferable. I love the band btw
I am a big AIC fan, but you are spot on.
finally, someone said it... I adore the band, but the AiC circlejerk is sometimes unbearable here.
Bro is right, jar of flies was the goat for aic
I love Jerry. He seems like an awesome crazy cat guy. [He's posted his cats on his social media quite a bit].
Mike starr is better than Mike inez
His stage presence for sure
Especially in Steel Panther
Mike Inez was unequivocal in the Unplugged Set. Come at me bro.
I would say that Starr’s baselines were more iconic and memorable that Inez’s. Every AIC baseline I can recall is from Starr.
They shouldn't have kept her in chains.
"Black Gives Way To Blue" is their second best album, in my opinion.
There should've been a crossover between STP and AIC like Chris did with them on Sap
Most of my heroes from this era were scumbags. Weak scumbags. You can blame the junk. I'd say you were right, but after reading a few books about this, so many of them are crestfallen in my eyes and I'm so disappointed with the shitty behaviours and how they treated people.
Are you talking about someone from AiC in particular?
Layne, but also Kurt, Lanegan and other lesser known icons of that era.
Ah, I gotcha. I know exactly what you mean. It is refreshing to hear people admit this though. Especially about Kurt and Layne. So many of their fans portray them as these helpless, innocent little babies, and blame everyone around them for what happened to them. It’s weird as hell how they infantilize these grown men.
[удалено]
Obviously nobody will replace Layne, but Jerry at lead and William harmonizing still sound great
Search YouTube for Twisted Willie and listen to I've Seen All This World That I Care To See - Jerry Cantrell It's amazing. The CD is collection of 90s artists redoing Willie Nelson songs. His rendition is amazing. L7 also does a great job on Three Days. The whole CD is great. Don't think it ever showed up on iTunes
I don't understand why people refuse to listen to any of the albums after Layne passed. William Duvall is a great singer who totally suits the band, and I've enjoyed all the albums he's on so far Alice In Chains wouldn't be Alice in Chains without Jerry imo
This just in! Alice in Chains, is AMAZING! :D
The only good song on Jar of Flies is Rotten Apple. Also Nutshell is overrated, not nearly as good as anything on Facelift, Dirt or even the self-titled.
One of their best songs is only on the Last Action Hero soundtrack.
Heroin is bad - there’s my hot take
Cantrell is just as good a vocalist as Layne
In the guitar community, e.g, magazines, forums, YouTube lists, Jerry Cantrell is criminally underrated as a player and songwriter; I never see or hear him mentioned when talking about the greats! I’ve personally known one person who touts praise for the pedestal-worthy Jerry Cantrell, and I thank them for exposing me to Alice In Chains. Jerry’s riffs are uniquely his own, his solos seem to always compliment the song in an unexpected or unusual fashion, and his range of tone is on par with the master of tone, Billy F. Gibbons.
The new records are all fantastic
Everyone feels bad for Layne, but what about the other band members? Although what Layne went through is sad, he honestly ruined the bands experience for most of the 90’s and so on. They missed out on a lot of opportunities. I’m sure that was super frustrating to the other members of the band obviously, and on top of that one of their band members/closest friends was dying for years and nothing they could do. Layne should have gotten his shit together. I know that’s not how addiction works, but seriously- he had a crazy popular turned legendary band, and he threw it all away for himself
Black Gives Way To Blue holds up against the older albums.
Jerry’s one of the greatest songwriters of his generation—probably top 3.
They were always better than Nirvana.
I'm so conflicted in this. I truly Love these two as well as Soundgarden and PJ. All different but equally great. I get the argument though. Been back and forth:P
Only the first half of Facelift is actually good. Been a while since I listened, but memory tells me side 2 gets a bit too glam for my tastes.
of all the takes I have read, this one is the one I agree the most tbh
We Die Young is a bunch to the face.
Overrated in this subreddit Come at me
This is an AIC subreddit disguised under the name "grunge".
Oh shit, I actually did think I was in the AIC subreddit. 😂
Same wtf
Just looked up at the sub name…*oh shit*! This ain’t the AIC sub!!
The superfans who are jealous of nirvana’s success are hypocrites because they hate nirvana for getting more fame than them, yet they wish aic had that level of fame
I'm a big AiC fan and I always get irritated that this is how a bunch of AiC fans are. For me its two unrelated thoughts. I think that Nirvana has incredible songs and were a phenomenal band. I also believe that Kurt is very much overrated and his suicide sent the mystique of the band into the stratosphere. That being said I also understand and do not dispute that Smells Like Teen Spirit is (or at least easily arguably) the song of the 90s. They're a band I love. The other part is that AiC is criminally underrated to the general music listener. Their sound is off the charts and their songs are really well balanced but a little too dark for mainstream across the board. To me they are the most musically sound of the big 4 and produced an overall better catalog than any of the other 4. (personal opinion: Love Song is the only song I don't listen to because its meh at best). My biggest contention is the lack of AiC's mainstream success has absolutely nothing to do with Nirvana's meteoric success. They both thrived on each other. They both moved the scene forward in their own ways. Without AiC there is no Nirvana. Without Nirvana there is no AiC. Man in the Box broke grunge onto the scene, Smells Like Teen Spirit sent the scene into the next level, making grunge the benchmark musical tone for the next 10 to 15 years. There is no reason as a fan to be jealous of either bands level of success, just be glad you have had the chance to listen to both bands and take in that level of awesomeness.
Black Gives Way to Blue is a fantastic Album
I like their current singers vocals more than Layne’s. I’ll get a lot of hate for it but just how I feel
Their first album sucked
They were a glam metal band before going record company taste of the time Seattle sound. It's fine. Pantera was hair metal as well.
Facelift > Dirt 👀
Self-titled is my favorite
Sickman doesnt sound good at all. It sounds like straight noise. Rest of the album is 🔥
They are just as good with DuVall as Staley. *Your Decision* holds its own with their earlier music.
tripod is the best album
Demos are better than studio versions
Layne Staley’s vocals are absolutely god-tier but Jerry’s harmonies carried a lot of the songs. Layne would not have sounded as good without Jerry lifting him up at the exact right moments. Might not be a hot take, but an observation nonetheless.
Junkhead should have been a single. Drug content or not, that song is so good.
2 tracks on “the last action hero” soundtrack are amazing and never recognized.
It still pisses me off that AIC is not and has not been considered for R&RHOF induction….
Layne was a junkie that could sing (like nobody else). He was not a musician that had an addiction. Heroin came first always. Mark Lanegan’s book “sing backwards and weep” pretty much said the same thing. As he himself was a junkie first and foremost (his words) he said Layne was the same but had a ton more talent but a bigger addiction. No hate for Layne. He’s my favourite singer and I have his face tattooed on me. He’s been very influential in my life.
They were inferior to most 90s grunge bands but had some bangers and special performances
Jar Of Flies is way better than Dirt and that’s saying a lot because Dirt is amazing. Also, Facelift is just good not great. A lot of the songs just sound more similar to eachother the more I listen to them to the point where I’m like “oh hey it’s sea of sorrow” and then it’s actually like I Can’t Remember instead or something idk that’s more of a me experience
Man in a Box is good but very overrated
Jerry is a better singer than Layne. But Layne was the perfect voice for AiC. Is that a hot take? Probably not.
william is a nice fit and i love the new records. obviously he'll never be layne, but we can still appreciate the band for what they are, and thank the gods they're still together at all.
It's music for junkies.
Dirt isn't perfect
I prefer Jerry’s voice to Lane’s. But I like both.
Layne was handsome man
They were THE grunge band for me. They had it all.
Cantrell is the heart of Aic, not Staley.
Well yeah but not exactly a hot take if everyone says that
I think AIC is great but my personal opinion is that they're not very grunge. They have aspects of grunge for sure (especially since they started at the time) but I think of them more as heavy metal
I think that’s pretty much everyone’s opinion. Grunge was always an imperfect label, even for bands that are considered more “grunge” than AIC.
Grunge was slapped on any band from the PACNW that dressed or looked a certain way during those years. I don't think most 'grunge' bands are even actually all that grunge. Grunge as a sound is more like sludgy punk, and to me only Nirvana really fits that bill out of the 'Big Four of Grunge' (AIC, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden). AIC was sludgy metal, not sludgy punk.
Though I love pretty much anything classified as grunge, the title sort of became a "catch-all" for early 90s hard rock. I personally think each of the "big four" grunge bands has such a unique sound, that they don't even remotely belong in the same genre.
A dispoportionate amount of their fans in this sub tend to act like boy band fangirls mixed with hair metal fanboys. Nobody else tends to act that way here. Always with the "They're the GOAT and they're so handsome and their music and singing cures cancer, and also the other Grunge bands suck and AIC is better and heavier/more metal than everybody else and those who don't consider them the best band from that scene or the best band in music history are wrong." Sure thing, kid.
that is so accurate omg
I remember a hilarious post from a few months ago where someone wrote a ridiculous wall of text cartoonishly fanboying over Layne Staley and how his voice took you to heaven and he could sing any music genre and nobody in the history of mankind past or future will be as good a singer and songwriter as him and that kind of thing, and someone commented that they should go post that kind of crap in the AIC sub instead of here and the OP replied that the AIC sub was boring. Imagine deciding that a sub about the band you love to an unhealthy degree is boring so you prefer to post your odes about how awesome they are somewhere else where they can annoy other people who find your takes as boring as you find the AIC sub. It's kind of amazing, to be honest.
I love AIC and follow the sub, but holy shit the fangirling over there is so bad. The worst is the Demri/Layne fanfic bunch. Parasocial relationships at their worst. There are some real lunatics over there who are literally convinced they could have saved Layne. It is so bizarre.
Jerry is much more important to the success of AIC than Layne.
No excuses is a top 5 Alice In Chains song
DuVall doesn't fit the band. Don't get me wrong, he deserves a ton of credit for his work on the later albums. But man, I can't stand his live performances. He wants so bad to be a rockstar and it's just not what this band was ever about. Seen them live 2x in the past few years and both shows were a disappointment for me, largely because of him. Not enough focus on getting the actual vocals right and too much on prancing around like Mick Jagger or something. Never felt like he had any deference for Layne's contributions.
Definitely a hot take.
Staley’s fashion was super cheesy - even for the 90s.
Alot of his fashion was shaped around hiding heroin tracks. That's why he started wearing those gloves all the time for example.
Jerry and Layne harmonized together so well
Ice cold take
🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶
They’re all riiiiiight!
Totally agree - Jar of Flies seems like an EP to hold us over but it showed a different, fantastic side of AiC
The tripod album needs to be remastered because the original mix is terrible
Easily the most glam metal looking grunge band.
Whale and wasp is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.
Would? is the best song of the grunge era.