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.
Confusion
Alice in Chains Lyrics
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I cause you grief and blow my hatred
Further in your mind
You reach, I run, you fall
On skinned knees you crawl
I want to set you free, ah
Yeah
Love, sex, pain, confusion, suffering
You're there crying, I feel not a thing
Drilling my way deeper in your head
Sinking, draining, drowning, bleeding, dead
So you sit and think of love
I wait, hate all the more, I fall
On skinned knees I crawl
I want to set you free, ah
Yeah
Recognize my disease, ah
Love, sex, pain, confusion, suffering
You're there crying, I feel not a thing
Drilling my way deeper in your head
Sinking, draining, drowning, bleeding, dead
Now there's time to give it all
I put my fears behind again
On skinned knees we'll crawl
I want to set you free, ah
Yeah
Recognize my disease, ah
Love, sex, pain, confusion, suffering
You're there crying, I feel not a thing
Drilling my way deeper in your head
Sinking, draining, drowning, bleeding, dead
Love, sex, pain, confusion, suffering
The lyrics of Alice in Chains’s Confusion starts off by portraying a character who is unapologetically causing grief and hatred to their partner. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is struggling with their own inner demons, which are preventing them from feeling any love or empathy towards their partner. The lyrics use vivid imagery to describe the pain and suffering that both characters are experiencing as a result of the singer’s self-destructive behavior. The chorus is particularly poignant, as it repeats the words “Love, sex, pain, confusion, suffering” to emphasize the cyclical nature of their relationship.
The second half of the song marks a shift in tone, as the singer recognizes the destructive impact of their behavior and desires to change. The repetition of “I want to set you free, ah” and “Recognize my disease, ah” highlight the singer’s realization that they are the source of the conflict in their relationship. The closing lines offer hope for a brighter future, as both characters are willing to work together to overcome their struggles and move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no time to give at all
I am too consumed with my own problems to care about you.
I cause you grief and blow my hatred
I take out my negative emotions on you, causing you pain.
Further in your mind
I am affecting you mentally and emotionally.
You reach, I run, you fall
You try to connect with me but I distance myself, causing you to feel alone and hurt.
On skinned knees you crawl
You are broken and hurting, and are forced to submit to me.
I want to set you free, ah
I want to make things right with you and set you free from my negativity.
Recognize my disease, ah
I acknowledge that I have a problem that is causing me to hurt you.
Love, sex, pain, confusion, suffering
These are the intense feelings that we both experience in our relationship.
You're there crying, I feel not a thing
You are emotionally affected by our relationship and I am indifferent to your pain.
Drilling my way deeper in your head
I am manipulating your thoughts and emotions to suit my own needs.
Sinking, draining, drowning, bleeding, dead
You are slowly being destroyed by our relationship, and I am contributing to your demise.
Now there's time to give it all
I am finally ready to make amends and change our relationship for the better.
I put my fears behind again
I am overcoming my fears and doubts to make things right with you.
On skinned knees we'll crawl
We will both be broken and hurting as we work to heal our relationship.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Layne Staley, Sean Kinney, Jerry Cantrell, Michael Starr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Josh
on Nutshell
Really would like some prayers guys.