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.
Bleed The Freak
Alice in Chains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like blood from a stone
These stand for me
Name your god and bleed the freak
I like to see
How you all would bleed for me
When the pig runs slower (slower)
When the sin lies bolder (bolder)
I'll pluck out thine eye (I'll pluck out thine eye)
These stand for me
Name your god and bleed the freak
I like to see
How you all would bleed for me
If you scorn my lover (lover)
Satan got your thigh (thigh)
If you steal in hunger (hunger)
I will kick you when you try
These stand for me
Name your god and bleed the freak
I'd like to see
How you all would bleed for me
Ah
All these things that you've done for me
Have left me so fucking tired
Oh
I'm not saying that you haven't done a lot of good
But if there's one thing you can do
You can bleed for me, bleed for me
These stand for me
Name your god and bleed the freak
I'd like to see
How you all would bleed for me
These stand for me
Name your god and bleed the freak
I'd like to see
How you all would bleed for me
At first glance, "Bleed the Freak" by Alice in Chains may sound like an aggressive and hostile track, but upon closer inspection, it is a thought-provoking and introspective song about power dynamics in relationships. The lyric "My cup runneth over/Like blood from a stone" suggests that the singer has all they need, but they want to see how far their power extends over others. They challenge others to "name your god and bleed the freak," asking them to submit to their authority and willingness to manipulate those around them.
The metaphor of the "pig runs slower/Let the arrow fly" suggests that when someone is vulnerable or weak, the singer is ready to take advantage of them. The lines "If you scorn my lover/Satan got your thigh/If you steal in hunger/I will kick you when you try" emphasize the singer's willingness to act in a reprehensible, violent way to protect their power and position.
The chorus repeats the same challenge to "name your god and bleed the freak," emphasizing the power play at work. The final lines of the song "All these things that you've done for me/Have left me so fucking tired" suggest that the singer is exhausted by the dynamics that they have created - they do not offer any real sense of satisfaction but instead create an endless cycle of cruelty and victimization. Overall, "Bleed the Freak" is a complex and thought-provoking exploration of power dynamics within a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
My cup runneth over
I have everything that I need and more
Like blood from a stone
It's difficult to get anything from me, just like it's difficult to get blood from a stone
These stand for me
I stand for myself and my own beliefs
Name your god and bleed the freak
Tell me who or what you worship and show me how devoted you are by bleeding for me
I like to see
I enjoy witnessing how far people will go to please me
How you all would bleed for me
I'm curious to see how dedicated you are to me
When the pig runs slower (slower)
When something bad happens to someone else
Let the arrow fly
I will use this opportunity to hurt them even more
When the sin lies bolder (bolder)
When someone does something wrong in a more obvious way
I'll pluck out thine eye (I'll pluck out thine eye)
I will punish them severely for their wrongdoing
If you scorn my lover (lover)
If you disrespect or hurt someone I care about
Satan got your thigh (thigh)
You will face consequences from a higher power
If you steal in hunger (hunger)
If you steal because you're desperate or starving
I will kick you when you try
I won't show any empathy or mercy towards you
All these things that you've done for me
I recognize that you have done good things for me
Have left me so fucking tired
But I'm still not satisfied and it's exhausting
I'm not saying that you haven't done a lot of good
I acknowledge your efforts
But if there's one thing you can do
However, I still expect more from you
You can bleed for me, bleed for me
You can show me your unwavering loyalty by sacrificing yourself for me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Jerry Cantrell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@magusnero7020
My cup runneth over
Like blood from a stone
These stand for me
Name your god and bleed the freak
I'd like to see
How you all would bleed for me
When the pig runs slower (slower)
Let the arrow fly (fly)
When the sin lies bolder (bolder)
I'll pluck out thine eye (I'll pluck out thine eye)
These stand for me
Name your god and bleed the freak
I'd like to see
How you all would bleed for me
If you scorn my lover (lover)
Satan got your thigh (thigh)
If you steal in hunger (hunger)
I will kick you when you try
These stand for me
Name your god and bleed the freak
I'd like to see
How you all would bleed for me
Ah
All these things that you've done for me
Have left me so fucking tired
Ooh
I'm not saying that you haven't done a lot of good
But if there's one thing you can do, you can
bleed for me
bleed for me
These stand for me
Name your god and bleed the freak
I'd like to see
How you all would bleed for me
These stand for me
Name your god and bleed the freak
I'd like to see
How you all would bleed for me
@theoutsiderspost4982
When you are so good, your live version beats your studio version.
@RayvennlY
I always thought this when listening to Layne
@winnie6203
@Theodora Elena me too!!! Insane 🖤
@NeemaFouladi
Insane how much better this song is performed live than the studio version.
@nataskara1975
thinking the same thing lol
@Gobearfoot_
By a mile
@malcolmsmith3590
He was untouchable at this point in his career. Nobody and i mean nobody had his range and power. He hits every note absolutely spot on. All of these sound better than the studio version. Such a shame heroin took him. Easily one of the best vocalists of all time and the best vocalist in the grunge era.
@floridanaturally
Well said
@ryansilver1310
🤪(Christopher Joseph Cornell
@cecilyjsmusicvideos7619
Fully agree. Layne's loss (but also gift) was so huge. I don't think he gets what he deserves. He and Alice are so good!