Alice In Chains was one of the most heavily imitated bands of 1990s rock. It’s not an easy task to rank their albums because of their sheer influence.
By the end of the ’90s, you’d be hard-pressed to find successful rock & metal bands that didn’t integrate aspects of Jerry Cantrell’s monstrous guitar riffs or Layne Staley’s tortured tenor vocals.
Their return in the 2000s was unexpected. Even more surprisingly, the albums released by the band’s second incarnation have only added to Alice In Chains’ legacy.
I’ll try to give due credit to the classic releases but not discount the merits of their newer studio albums. I’ve ranked Alice In Chains’ albums from worst to best in this article.
Alice In Chains Albums Ranked
9. “The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here” (2013)
Few had anticipated the warm reception “Black Gives Way to Blue” would receive. By 2013, however, Alice in Chains was once again an active band.
Moreso, the band’s considerable fanbase demanded new material. “The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here” is a strong release from a confident veteran band.
“Stone” was nearly a hit single. “Pretty Done” and “Hollow” prove Cantrell never lost his songwriting ability. And overall, “The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here” further establishes the band’s impressive legacy.
8. “MTV Unplugged” (1996)
By the 1990s, most famous alt-rockers, including Nirvana and Pearl Jam, had opted to embrace the MTV Unplugged format.
Alice in Chains’ acceptance was one of the most unexpected. The resulting album was one of the best in the entire series.
It’s a live album that’s best appreciated in context. By 1996, the chatter about Staley’s physical condition had convinced many that Alice in Chains was over.
And while Staley appears frail here, his vocal performances are powerful and moving. The events surrounding the taping of the concert give each song a particular poignancy.
Alice in Chains performs as a five-piece, along with guitarist Scott Olson. It was one of their first concerts in a long time and the last they’d ever do with Staley.
“Rooster,” “Down in a Hole,” and, particularly, “Nutshell” take on an almost otherworldly weight. While “MTV Unplugged” is only an acoustic-based concert, it’s also a great document of AiC’s collective ability. I’ve bent the rules ever so slightly to include it here, but it helps listeners understand the band’s story.
7. “Sap” (1992)
“Sap” was expected to merely serve as a stop-gap between the release of full-length albums. But it, inadvertently, helped showcases Alice In Chains’ broad color palette.
Yes, this is technically an EP, not an album. But I include it here because of the quality of the songs and its immediate and surprising commercial impact.
“Brother” positions Alice in Chains as a kind of the vocal equivalent of CSN&Y for Gen X. “Got Me Wrong” is a perfectly bittersweet acoustic pop.
And “Right Turn” sees the band collaborate with fellow Seattle rockers Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) and Mark Arm (Mudhoney), in what the liner notes dubs as Alice Mudgarden.
6. “Rainier Fog” (2018)
Rock band comebacks are not uncommon. Semi-respectable new releases from these bands are not unheard of either.
But few, if any, have managed a string of three excellent albums upon their return. “Rainier Fog” ends up being just that and one of Alice In Chains’ best releases period.
Jerry Cantrell operates within the group’s well known-strengths here. But he also avoids repeating the band’s most famous sonic elements.
“Red Giant,” “Never Fade,” and “So Far Under” are highlights. The songs work within the murky, grimy sound of the Seattle band. But they also sound like the work of an energized group still capable of producing some of its best work.
Most impressively, the hardships (which included the tragic deaths of Staley and Starr) have not stopped Alice In Chains.
5. “Black Gives Way to Blue” (2009)
“Black Gives Way to Blue” was one of rock music’s most warmly received comeback albums.
The goodwill that Jerry Cantrell had built over the years certainly helps. But the tactful way he treats Alice in Chains’ legacy also goes down well with rock audiences.
This would not work had the songs been of a highly inferior quality to the band’s 1990s output. They are not.
“Check My Brain,” “Your Decision,” and the title track are memorable songs and successful singles.
Perhaps most importantly, the band allows singer William DuVall to settle in on his terms. DuVall, to his great merit, does not attempt to imitate Staley’s famous vocal style. Instead, he finds his chemistry with the band, and the songs are better off because of it.
4. “Jar of Flies” (1994)
Grunge and alternative rock bands had managed to make acoustic instruments cool for MTV audiences.
In retrospect, this made sense. Alice in Chains, like Nirvana or Pearl Jam, could depend on tightly written tunes and on bringing genuine emotion to their performances.
By 1994, Cantrell had moved beyond mere experimentation. “Jar of Flies” finds a confident and ambitious band embracing the acoustic-rock format.
“No Excuses” makes for a great single and, again, plays upon the excellent vocal interaction between Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. “Rotten Apple” takes this dynamic into almost psychedelic territory.
However, the darkness of the “Dirt” album lingers menacingly here. The gorgeous “Nutshell” is a defense against the media’s frequent speculations about Staley, as is the Beatlesque “I Stay Away.”
“Jar of Flies” is a concise seven-song release, straddling the format difference between an album and an EP. In fact, it was the first of its kind ranked in the number 1 position on the Billboard 200. It’s also a tremendous release, concise, punchy, and inspired.
3. “Alice in Chains” (1995)
The Seattle musicians were far from veterans of the rock scene. Still, sadly, by 1995, rumors of the group’s collective demise were already ripe.
This gossip was, we would learn in retrospect, not unfounded. The state of disorder surrounding the grunge band finds its way into “Alice in Chains,” also affectionately known as “Tripod” or “The Dog Album.”
Frequent appearances on shows like “Headbangers’ Ball” presented Cantrell and his bandmates as goofy, fun-loving metalheads. By “Alice in Chains,” the dark subject matter of their songs had firmly gripped the personal lives of several of the band’s members.
However, unlike “Dirt,” the results aren’t always as satisfying. There are great or intriguing moments here, but consistency is an issue.
“Grind” and “Again” were relatively straightforward singles. There’s more stoner rock doom on the aptly titled “Sludge Factory.” Mike Inez’s addition on bass guitar is added seamlessly to the mix.
“Heaven Beside You” and “Over Now” find Cantrell effectively taking on lead vocals. Meanwhile, “Head Creeps” and “Frogs” uncomfortably delve into Layne Staley’s psyche.
“Alice in Chains” is the band’s darkest album. It will be a revelation for dedicated fans, but lacked some of the directness of “Dirt.”
2. “Facelift” (1990)
“Facelift” is a great, underrated album. It showcases what singer Layne Staley would playfully describe as AiC’s opera-metal style.
While all of this is impressive, it’s easy to overlook how much time and many transformations the band needed to go through to reach this level of proficiency.
Initially built as a fun heavy-metal group with teased hair, the Jerry Cantrell lead group had spent a long-time soaking the impact of fellow Seattle grunge bands. Soundgarden’s detuned, Black Sabbath-influenced style was a particular influence.
On “Facelift,” Alice In Chains develops many of its trademarks. Chugging riffs propel many of the songs. The lyrical content is brooding and dramatic. Layne Staley’s vocals reach for the very extremes of his vocal range, and his singing blends perfectly with Cantrell’s.
“Man In The Box” and heavy touring put the band on the map. “Love, Hate, Love” and “Bleed The Freak” lay the claim for Staley being one of the best singers of his generation.
“We Die Young” proves that AiC, whose lineup is rounded off by bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney, knew their way around a single.
1. “Dirt” (1992)
“Dirt” is one of the defining albums of rock music in the 1990s and a gigantic leap forward into dark new territory for Alice In Chains.
Only two years had elapsed since their debut, but much had happened. For one thing, Cantrell’s writing was sharper and even more carefully condensed. The other issue was substance abuse, of which Staley and Starr had become victims.
The brooding, almost mournful theme is inescapable throughout the record. It makes many of their grunge peers seem joyful by comparison.
There’s plenty of self-loathing on songs like “Angry Chair,” “Junkhead,” or “God Smack.” Lyrically, Staley doesn’t hide from revealing his demons.
But this is far more than just a diary of a band’s decay. “Dirt” is one of the best collections of rock songs collected on a modern record and Alice in Chains’ best album. And it’s one of the best-selling grunge albums of all time.
It’s a long sprawling journey album as well. The length presumably even had to be reduced by omitting songs such as “A Little Bitter” or “What The Hell Have I?” from the list that made the record. These are, coincidentally, some of the best Alice in Chains songs not on albums.
“Them Bones” is immediate and aggressive. “Would” expertly uses minimalist guitar riffs and the vocal interplay between Cantrell and Staley. And songs like “Rooster” and “Down In a Hole” prove that as songwriters AiC’s ambitions far exceeded those of most of their peers.
“Dirt” is the shining moment in Alice in Chains’ discography.
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