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.
Sea of Sorrow
Alice in Chains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I choose to stroll amongst the waste
That was your heart lost in the dark
Call off the chase
Walls of thought, strong and high
As my castle crumbles with time
I think of you, oh, yes I do
You opened fire and your mark was true
You opened fire aim my smiling skull at you
You opened fire
I live tomorrow, you I'll not follow
As you wallow in a sea of sorrow
Lines cut across my face
Why you laugh at my disgrace
I'll never know how far to go
To reach that place
You opened fire and your mark was true
You opened fire aim my smiling skull at you
You opened fire
I live tomorrow, you I'll not follow
As you wallow in a sea of sorrow
You opened fire and your mark was true
You opened fire aim my smiling skull at you
You opened fire
I live tomorrow, you I'll not follow
As you wallow in a sea of sorrow
I live tomorrow, you I'll not follow
As you wallow in a sea of sorrow
I live tomorrow, you I'll not follow
As you wallow in a sea of sorrow
I live tomorrow, you I'll not follow
As you wallow in a sea of sorrow
The lyrics of Alice in Chains’ “Sea of Sorrow” convey the pain and turmoil of a broken heart. The singer chooses to immerse himself in the pain and waste of a love that has gone wrong, instead of walking away. The walls of his thoughts are strong and high, but eventually, they crumble with time when he thinks of his lost love. He questions why she opened fire and made him a target of her wrath, and in the end, he chooses to live tomorrow without her by his side, as she wallows in her sea of sorrow.
The song speaks of the destructive nature of love and relationships, and how they can bring a person to the depths of despair. The lyrics are raw and emotional, with the music matching the intensity of the words. The heavy guitar riffs and the haunting vocals of Layne Staley create a powerful soundscape that echoes the pain and despair of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Mind, of destructive taste
My mind is prone to destructive tendencies
I choose to stroll amongst the waste
I have decided to spend time in negative and hurtful environments
That was your heart lost in the dark
You have lost your compassionate and empathetic nature
Call off the chase
Stop pursuing me, it is pointless
Walls of thought, strong and high
My thought process is well defended
As my castle crumbles with time
My defenses are weakening over time
I think of you, oh, yes I do
You are on my mind, despite my efforts to push you away
Such a crime
It is a shame that things have turned out this way
You opened fire and your mark was true
You attacked me with precision and accuracy
You opened fire aim my smiling skull at you
You specifically targeted me, even though I was not a threat
I live tomorrow, you I'll not follow
I will move on and not let you control my life
As you wallow in a sea of sorrow
You are stuck in a place of sadness and negativity
Lines cut across my face
I am visibly scarred from our interactions
Why you laugh at my disgrace
I don't understand why you find pleasure in my struggles
I'll never know how far to go
I am uncertain of how to move forward from this point
To reach that place
To reach a point of peace and closure
I live tomorrow, you I'll not follow
I will move on and not let you control my life
As you wallow in a sea of sorrow
You are stuck in a place of sadness and negativity
I live tomorrow, you I'll not follow
I will move on and not let you control my life
As you wallow in a sea of sorrow
You are stuck in a place of sadness and negativity
I live tomorrow, you I'll not follow
I will move on and not let you control my life
As you wallow in a sea of sorrow
You are stuck in a place of sadness and negativity
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Cantrell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Awge_aket
Mind, of destructive taste
I choose to stroll amongst the waste
That was your heart lost in the dark
Call off the chase
Walls of thought, strong and high
As my castle crumbles with time
I think of you, oh, yes I do
Such a crime
You opened fire
And your mark was true
You opened fire
Aim my smiling skull at you
You opened fire
I live tomorrow
You I'll not follow
As you wallow
In a sea of sorrow
Lines cut across my face
Why you laugh at my disgrace
I'll never know how far to go
To reach that place
You opened fire
And your mark was true
You opened fire
Aim my smiling skull at you
You opened fire
I live tomorrow
You I'll not follow
As you wallow
In a sea of sorrow
You opened fire
And your mark was true
You opened fire
Aim my smiling skull at you
You opened fire
I live tomorrow
You I'll not follow
As you wallow
In a sea of sorrow
I live tomorrow
You I'll not follow
As you wallow
In a sea of sorrow
I live tomorrow
You I'll not follow
As you wallow
In a sea of sorrow
I live tomorrow
You I'll not follow
As you wallow
@larrote6467
EvilGeek
Genre: Pop/Rock
Subgenre: Alternative Rock
Style: Grunge
Grunge was a musical scene
examples of other musical scenes: palm desert scene & west coast hip hop
There are few musical genres, most styles fall under one of them, some styles fall in between two or three genres.
@jhope5523
AIC for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction in 2020 please.
@Keristan_aka_christianhulen
YEAHHHHHHHHHHH \m/
@MarcosT.C.
in 2019 and very too late... on this morning is more just!
@dontwnnagrowup13
Phantom Limb yaaaaaas
@john-wg2vm
Will never happen. Layne's legacy is not one they would endorse....unfortunately
@siyat528
@john 8181818 They have Stevie Nicks in twice, despite her drug addictions in the past. It's more than time for Alice in Chains to get in. Coming from a fan of both Fleetwood Mac and Alice in Chains.
@TheWindstorm2012
This is honestly one of the best songs I've ever heard.
@ivanmdc22
yep
@SutekhTheDestroyer
Yes indeed.
@kidkique
then check out the version on the album... it's longer and better