Although widely associated with grunge music, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released five studio albums, three EPs, three live albums, four compilations, two DVDs, 31 music videos and 29 singles. The band is known for its distinctive vocal style, which often included the harmonized vocals between Staley and Cantrell (and later between Cantrell and William DuVall). Cantrell started to sing lead vocals on the 1992 acoustic EP Sap, and his role continued to grow in the following albums, 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. The band was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 20 million records worldwide, and over 14 million records in the US alone, with two No. 1 albums and six Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. The band has had 16 Top 10 songs on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, 5 No. 1 hits, and nine Grammy Award nominations. Their debut album, Facelift, featuring the hit single "Man In The Box", was released in 1990 and has been certified double-platinum by the RIAA, selling over two million copies. In 1992, the band's second album, Dirt, was released to critical acclaim and was certified quadruple platinum. Their second acoustic EP, Jar of Flies, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1994, becoming the first ever EP and first Alice in Chains release to top the charts, and it has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA. The band's third album, Alice in Chains debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1995 and has been certified double platinum.
Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity from 1996 onwards due to Staley's substance abuse, which resulted in his death in 2002. The band reunited in 2005 for a live benefit show, performing with a number of guest vocalists. They toured in 2006, with William DuVall taking over as lead vocalist full-time. The new line-up released the band's fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to Blue, in 2009, which received gold certification by the RIAA and two Grammy nominations. Their fifth studio album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, was released in 2013 and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The band toured extensively and released several videos in support of these albums.
Their sixth studio album, Rainier Fog, would be released in 2018, through BMG records, making it their first big release on the new label. Rainier Fog would end up debuting at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, making it yet another powerful addition to the band's already impressive discography.
Although Alice in Chains has been labeled grunge by the mainstream media, 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". 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."
Over the course of their career, the band's sound has also been described as alternative metal, sludge metal, doom metal,drone rock, hard rock, and alternative rock. 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!". 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!". According to Mike Inez, they were always the metal stepchildren of the Seattle scene.
Jerry Cantrell's guitar style combines "pummeling riffs and expansive guitar textures" to create "slow, brooding minor-key grinds". 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" 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.
According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, Alice in Chains' sound has a "Black Sabbath-style riffing and an unconventional vocal style". 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". 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".
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. Cantrell said it was Staley who gave him the self-assurance to sing his own songs. Alyssa Burrows said the band's distinctive sound "came from Staley's vocal style and his lyrics dealing with personal struggles and addiction". Staley's songs were often considered "dark", with themes such as drug abuse, depression, and suicide, while Cantrell's lyrics often dealt with personal relationships.
Acid Bubble
Alice in Chains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Surprised I remain
A scale tips impossible
Afraid of my own name
And I always paid attention to all the lines you crossed
Forgive this imperfection it shows and know
I am the child that lives and cries in a corner
Alone inside your mind
Intend obsolescence
Built into the system
I tried to shake it off
You can't remove this stain
A scale breaks impossible
Afraid we are the same
And you never paid attention to all the lines I crossed
Forgive this imperfection it shows and know
I am the child that lives and cries in a corner
Dies in a corner
Alone inside your mind
Hides in a corner
Dies in a corner
Alone inside your mind
Intend obsolescence
Built into the system
In "Acid Bubble," Alice in Chains frontman William DuVall addresses someone who tried to destroy him, but miraculously, he has survived. He feels like he is on the brink of falling apart, the balance is impossible to achieve. There's an element of fear in him that has taken over his entire being, and he feels like he might disintegrate just by calling his own name. The second stanza is a direct response to this; the person who tried to destroy him also pushed him to the edge where he is on the brink of breaking down. DuVall knows that he has crossed the line and is imperfect, yet he hopes that forgiveness will prevail so that he can move on.
The chorus of this song is particularly heart-wrenching as it tells the story of a child who lives and cries in a corner and dies in a corner. This image conjures up feelings of isolation and desolation, and it is implied that it is happening inside the mind of the person who attempted to destroy DuVall. The song concludes with the same words that it began with, "built into the system," intimating that the system itself is corrupt and designed to break people.
Line by Line Meaning
You tried to kill me off
The singer faced an attempt on their life
Surprised I remain
They miraculously escaped the attempt on their life
A scale tips impossible
The situation has become very unstable
Afraid of my own name
The artist has something to hide and is scared of being found out
And I always paid attention to all the lines you crossed
The artist was observant of the wrongdoings of someone else in the past
Forgive this imperfection it shows and know
The singer recognizes their own flaws and is asking for forgiveness
I am the child that lives and cries in a corner
The singer feels small, helpless, and victimized
Dies in a corner
The artist feels defeated and powerless
Alone inside your mind
The artist is isolated and trapped in someone else's thoughts
Intend obsolescence
The powers that be want to bring about an end to something
Built into the system
This end is pre-planned and part of a larger design
I tried to shake it off
The artist tried to escape the situation but failed
You can't remove this stain
The damage has been done and is irreversible
A scale breaks impossible
The situation has become even more unstable and unmanageable
Afraid we are the same
The singer realizes they have something in common with the person who wronged them
And you never paid attention to all the lines I crossed
The wrongdoer never took into account the impact of their actions on the artist
Hides in a corner
The artist is constantly in a state of hiding
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY CANTRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LeftHandOver
You tried to kill me off
Surprised I remain
A scale tips impossible
Afraid of my own name
And I always paid attention to all the lines you crossed
Forgive this imperfection it shows and know
I am the child that lives and cries in a corner
Dies in a corner
Alone inside your mind
Intend obsolescence
Built into the system
I tried to shake it off
You can't remove this stain
A scale breaks impossible
Afraid we are the same
And you never paid attention to all the lines I crossed
Forgive this imperfection it shows and know
I am the child that lives and cries in a corner
Dies in a corner
Alone inside your mind
Hides in a corner
Dies in a corner
Alone inside your mind
Intend obsolescence
Built into the system
LeftHandOver
You tried to kill me off
Surprised I remain
A scale tips impossible
Afraid of my own name
And I always paid attention to all the lines you crossed
Forgive this imperfection it shows and know
I am the child that lives and cries in a corner
Dies in a corner
Alone inside your mind
Intend obsolescence
Built into the system
I tried to shake it off
You can't remove this stain
A scale breaks impossible
Afraid we are the same
And you never paid attention to all the lines I crossed
Forgive this imperfection it shows and know
I am the child that lives and cries in a corner
Dies in a corner
Alone inside your mind
Hides in a corner
Dies in a corner
Alone inside your mind
Intend obsolescence
Built into the system
Chad Browning
Ty 4 lyrics. Helps
JacobHero
A God among men. Youtube literally has a caption system and half of its music vids dont have it wtaf
Chilly Lily
This is what nightmares, insomnia, depression, and anxiety all wrapped together sounds like. Extraordinary as always!
MrCorby123
It's like a wave of downward emotions hitting and hitting and hitting you ... again and again and again ... until your own sorrow makes you feel nothing but empty and hollow inside.
Jonathan Barnes
No your graphing emotional attachment.
Erika Robleto Lacayo
X2
Joseph Bastidas
I love how their sound got doomier and sludgier over time
R S
For A Good Laugh🤘😎🤘
R S
For a More Upbeat Experience on Acid.. Try Flight of the Concords