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.
Ring Them Bells
Alice in Chains Lyrics
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From the city that dreams,
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries
Cross the valleys and streams,
For they're deep and they're wide
And the world's on its side
And time is running backwards
And so is the bride.
Ring them bells, ring them bells!
Ring them bells, ring them bells!
Ring them bells St. Peter
Where the four winds blow,
You gotta ring them bells with an iron hand
So the people will know
That the rush hour is now
On the wheel and the plow
And the sun is going down
Upon the sacred cow.
Ring them bells, ring them bells!
Ring them bells, ring them bells!
Ring them bells Sweet Martha,
For the poor man's son,
You gotta ring them bells so the world will know
That God is one.
For the shepherd is asleep
Where the willows weep
And the mountains are filled
With little lost sheep.
Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf,
Ring them bells for all of us who are left,
Ring them bells for the chosen few
Who will judge the many when the game is through.
Ring them bells, for the time that flies,
For the child that cries
When innocence dies.
Ring them bells St. Catherine
From the top of the room,
Now ring them bells from the fortress
For the lilies in bloom.
For the lines, they are all long
And the fighting is strong
And they're breaking down the distance
Between right and wrong.
Ring them bells, ring them bells!
Ring them bells, ring them bells!
The lyrics of "Ring Them Bells" by Alice in Chains are a call to action for people to make their voices heard in a world that is seemingly falling apart. The song begins with a plea to "heathens" to ring bells from the city that dreams and from the sanctuaries, "for they're deep and they're wide, and the world's on its side, and time is running backwards, and so is the bride." This imagery evokes a sense of chaos and instability, as if everything is upside down and backwards, and the only way to make sense of it all is to ring bells and sound the alarm.
The song then calls on St. Peter to ring bells "with an iron hand" so that people will know that the rush hour is now, and that the sun is going down on the sacred cow. This is a reference to the end of the world as we know it, and the need to take action before it's too late. The next verse calls on Sweet Martha to ring bells for the poor man's son, so that the world will know that God is one. This verse speaks to the idea of social justice and the need to fight against inequality and poverty.
The song continues to call for bells to be rung for various causes, including for the blind and deaf, for all of us who are left behind, for the chosen few who will judge the many when the game is through, and for the time that flies and the child that cries when innocence dies. The final verse calls on St. Catherine to ring bells from the fortress for the lilies in bloom, for the lines that are all long, and for the fighting that is strong. It is a call to arms, a reminder that we must keep fighting for what we believe in and ringing our bells to make our voices heard.
Overall, "Ring Them Bells" is a powerful song that speaks to the idea of activism and the need to fight for change. It is a reminder that we must all do our part to make the world a better place, and that we must use our voices to make ourselves heard.
Line by Line Meaning
Ring them bells, ye heathen
Sound the bells, even if you're not a Christian
From the city that dreams,
From a place where people chase the impossible
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries
Call everyone to prayer
Cross the valleys and streams,
Across all boundaries
For they're deep and they're wide
The problems are vast
And the world's on its side
The world is in chaos
And time is running backwards
Things are going backward instead of forward
And so is the bride.
And so is the society's morality
Ring them bells St. Peter
Church leaders, sound the bells
Where the four winds blow,
In every direction, everywhere
You gotta ring them bells with an iron hand
Be determined in spreading the message
So the people will know
So that everyone will be aware
That the rush hour is now
Time is short
On the wheel and the plow
On common things, every day
And the sun is going down
The end is near
Upon the sacred cow.
Upon the things we cherish most
Ring them bells Sweet Martha,
Again, ring the bells
For the poor man's son,
For the underprivileged
You gotta ring them bells so the world will know
To draw attention to the problem
That God is one.
There is only one God
For the shepherd is asleep
For the leaders who have ignored the people's needs
Where the willows weep
Where there are tears and sorrow
And the mountains are filled
The problems are huge and can't be ignored
With little lost sheep.
With the people who are lost and need guidance
Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf,
Ring the bells for those who can't see or hear
Ring them bells for all of us who are left,
For everyone who remains
Ring them bells for the chosen few
For those who will make a difference
Who will judge the many when the game is through.
Who will be responsible for the outcome
Ring them bells, for the time that flies,
To bring attention to things that are fleeting
For the child that cries
For the innocent who need help
When innocence dies.
In matters of violence or tragedy
Ring them bells St. Catherine
Again, sound the bells
From the top of the room,
From the highest place
Now ring them bells from the fortress
From a place of power, take action
For the lilies in bloom.
For the beauty of life
For the lines, they are all long
For the struggles that people face
And the fighting is strong
And the tension is high
And they're breaking down the distance
And things are moving closer together
Between right and wrong.
Between what is acceptable and what is not
Ring them bells, ring them bells!
Sound the bells, let everyone hear!
Ring them bells, ring them bells!
Again, sound the bells!
Contributed by Sarah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Beau Osborn
Ring them bells yea heathen from the city that dreams
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries cross the valleys and streams
For they're deep and they're wide
And the world's on it's side
And time is running backwards and so is the bride
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells!
Ring them bells Saint Peter where the four winds blow
Ring them bells with an iron hand so the people will know
That the rush hour is now on the wheel and the plow and the sun is going down upon the sacred cow
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells Saint Martha for the poor man's son
Ring them bells so the world will know that God is one
For the shepherd is asleep where the willows weep
And the mountains are filled with little lost sheep
Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf
Ring them bells for all of us who are left
Ring them bells for the chosen few who would judge the many when the game is through
Ring them bells for the time that flies, for the child that cries when innocence dies
Ring them bells Saint Catherine from the top of the room
Ring them bells from the fortress from the lilies that bloom
For the lines they are long and the fighting is strong
And they're breaking down the distance between right and wrong
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells
Ring them bells!
María José Vallejos
Such a beautiful song! It always warms my heart to know that this two amazing sisters always showed support to Alice In Chains and Layne 🖤
Lindsay Heywood
It’s on this track on a Heart album that I first heard Layne Staley’s voice. I’m a huge Ann Wilson fan, but when Layne sings that third verse, I knew I was hearing something really special. I didn’t even know who he was, but after listening to all of Alice In Chains and Mad Season albums, I sure do now! What a phenomenal singer!
ElMateDeAliceInChains
Alice in chains love hate love live at the moore 🔥
Lindsay Heywood
@ElMateDeAliceInChains absolutely! I've listen to that dozens of times. It's phenomenal!
Arthur Weissenfels
"I could climb until I reach where angels reside"... I hope meet Layne in heaven and watch him singing with angels. Hope never dies! I was a junkie and now I'm christian... I pray for anyone who is under addict or depression, we are together, dudes!
Aiden Meier
Amen brother
WILLIAM BERRY
Been clean 2 months. No religion. Just very spiritual. Having a Jewish daughter and a Christian daughter I stay neutral and dedicate my life to both of them
Corinne Frusciante
This made me cry like a baby. Layne was such a talent and the world is a better place for having had him in it. Layne I hope you’re at peace because you’ve bought so much of it to others 💖
Andie Kaye
Agree... tears :( I love Layne
Michael Minton
@Andie Kaye
London to get to see the full story