StMU Research Scholars

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May 13, 2019

Alice In Chains: Unchained

Everyone from the 1990’s remembers how influential the grunge movement was for music and fashion. Flannels, torn jeans, and long, messy hair; you name it. It all began in Seattle. Bands such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana are typically what people in the rock and heavy metal community consider to be the most influential towards the grunge sound’s evolution into a unique level of heaviness and softness within rock music. This was also one of the key elements of how alternative rock became popular in the 90’s. The spark of grunge music was a defining moment in American culture and changed the lifestyle of young teenagers in the way they dressed and communicated with each other.1 It would be dishonorable to not mention Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Nirvana for their huge impact on music and fashion in the grunge movement; however, Alice in Chains remains one of the few bands that brought different groups of music listeners together with a mixture of rock, heavy metal, and acoustic elements. Their original sound was beyond the creativity of other bands; therefore, Alice in Chains would remain unchained.

Live album by Alice in Chains in MTV Unplugged | Brooklyn, New York | 1996 | Courtesy of Flickr

Alice in Chains was formed in Seattle, Washington in the year of 1987, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, lead vocalist Layne Staley, and bassist Mike Starr. The band’s name was a joke at first, and was originally going to belong to Staley’s project with a different band to make themselves; however, that band quickly fell apart. Cantrell, on the other hand, liked the name and took possession of it along with Staley and the other members.2 The band played small venue gigs for about a year and a half in North America, and that became the initiation of Alice in Chain’s music career. The people who went to see them for the first time were astonished by the intensity and the sound that was quite new to the rock and metal community. Staley’s vocals were “achingly soulful and sinister,” which fit perfectly to the band’s “heavy, brooding sound and angst-ridden lyrics.”3 Young punks, listeners of loud, aggressive rock music, and headbangers, metal fanatics, were profoundly magnetized by their lyrics and instrumentation. The reason was addressed by Jerry Cantrell in an interview, stating, “We’re not a big message band. We pretty much write for ourselves. But [if there’s something] that we’re scared about or we’re feeling bad about it, we put it in our music.”4 That’s pretty much how it worked out for the band. Songs like “Man in the Box” and “Would?” were the most influential songs of the Grunge period, because they were intense and emotional; which is why the band prospered and became recognized for their original sound. Alice in Chains “contributed the melodic, mid-tempo” in vocals and instrumentation, mixing blues, sludge, heavy metal, and grunge altogether in one sound.5 Because of that, grunge became popular, and it influenced young musicians to Cantrell stated once in an interview, “Taking something that’s ugly and making it beautiful is something that’s of interest to me.”6 Therefore, without realizing, Alice in Chains’ Seattle sound was considered a sound quite liberating and powerful.

During the golden age of grunge, Alice in Chains appeared in the film Singles (1992) as a club band, and they were given an award from MTV for best video in film in 1993.7 For many people that were new to the grunge movement, they found it to be ridiculous; however, the youth were magnetized to this distinct look. Thanks to the rise of Alice in Chains in television and in music competition, the band was an important factor for promoting grunge “fashion.” Since Alice in Chains was highly influenced by grunge, their style worked to set them apart from other heavy bands and styles in a positive way.8 Because of their unique style of grunge and heavy music, the youth wanted to look exactly like them. The youth discovered that to attain the grunge look they could find it in thrift stores and shops that provided work clothing, such as Dickies work pants and a pair of Caterpillar boots.9 Of course, Alice in Chains wasn’t the primary grunge band that influenced grunge fashion in the early 1990s; for instance, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Mother Love Bone became important bands that sparked the movement as well in music and in fashion.10 However, Alice in Chains was a band that was totally distinct. Alice in Chains lyrics were soulful, emphasizing key terms, such as depression, drugs, and loneliness, to focus on the reality of life, and how it could turn someone down. With the instrumentation, the lyrics become stronger and highly profound in the way music can impact someone’s life. The music that they played was meaningful, and it became important to the grunge movement, because listeners were tired of the 80’s party-rock music, and they wanted to hear something that resonated with their own lives. Alice in Chains wrote songs that were calm and soothing to the ears of music listeners that were highly influenced by their acoustics and instrumentation, which truly motivates the band to keep flourishing in their music career.

Layne Staley in live performance at The Channel in Boston, MA | November 1992 | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Guitarist Jerry Cantrell has always looked at the band as a family, and that is something that he will always state to people that come to him to ask him about his relationship with his band mates. “It’s just a reaffirmation that these are great bunch of guys to play with, and that I’m really lucky to be in this band. They’re my brothers,” Cantrell stated in an interview.11 And that is true, especially with Layne Staley. Before the band was formed, Cantrell and Staley were close to each other. They were family before they even started their music project together, and that is something that Cantrell truly holds in his heart. Staley’s vocals was profoundly a signifying resemblance of the band’s unique sound; his musical talent was truly a gift that Cantrell admired and loved to hear.12 At the age of 34, Layne Staley, lead vocalist of Seattle-based grunge band Alice in Chains, was found dead on April 19, 2002 after an overdose of heroin and other drugs.13

Because of Layne Staley’s death, this became a dramatic change for the band’s career. Not only that, Staley’s death touched the hearts of the band members, because they were all close to each other. When Staley’s death was announced, Alice in Chains soon fell apart as well. It was difficult to recover after being so attached to each other and even becoming one of the most influential bands in the grunge scene; therefore, after the loss of Staley, many Alice in Chains’ fans were saddened to hear the news. Furthermore, the Seattle-grunge scene was also losing popularity, because pioneering grunge bands, like Nirvana and Soundgarden, also fell apart, and as a result, people that were highly influenced by the grunge movement lost interest of it.

Alice in Chains on tour with new lead vocalist (left) William DuVall | 2007 | Courtesy of Flickr

However, a couple of years after the dramatic loss of Staley, whom many people consider to be one of the greatest vocalists in the Seattle-scene, Cantrell decided to move forward with the band, even if it wasn’t the same without Staley. It wasn’t until Cantrell met William DuVall, a guitarist and songwriter singer, that had so much potential with Alice in Chains that he became the new lead vocalist for the band. Although this was a new initial for the band after losing their dear friend, some fans were not satisfied with DuVall replacing Layne’s vocals. In an interview with a magazine company, drummer Sean Kinney stated, “Layne’s an impossible person to replace, so that wasn’t even a thought. Will doesn’t come in and try to do a karaoke version of the past– he puts his all into it and make it his own…”14 Jerry Cantrell went a little further by saying, “William is not Layne, and he’s not trying to be. But there are some similarities, which work for the band. Even though the personnel is different, it’s evolved in a different way.”15 William DuVall was not a replica of Layne Staley; moreover, he was a proud vocalist that was given the chance to be a band member of Alice in Chains. His admiration for Staley’s voice and energy that he gave during live performances made him realize that the band will need the same thing for him, which is one of the reasons that DuVall is also admired by the band and by the fans for sparking the spirit of Layne Staley in his voice and vitality on stage.

In 2008, Alice in Chains released their album Black Gives Way to Blue, which was the band’s first album release after fourteen years of fighting with the loss of Staley. As a result, fans were astounded to hear and feel the band’s original sound once more. “MY HEART JUST STARTED BEATING AGAIN 14 YEARS LATER!!!! The WORLD needs this band!” one fan commented in the iTunes Store.16 No one could imagine that new lead vocalist William DuVall could have such an incredible voice to sound almost exactly like Layne Staley. He was able to hit all the harmonic pitches along with Jerry Cantrell just the way Staley did with him as well. For many fans, DuVall’s voice truly reminds them of Staley’s “ghostly” voice; therefore, the fans were satisfied with having DuVall as a former member of Alice in Chains.

The golden years of grunge are over, but it is still around in music and fashion in some way. Although grunge music isn’t popular, Alice in Chains will forever keep their same taste of sound that distinguishes them from other bands that are still around today. It’s hard to imagine that Alice in Chains had its ups and downs during their career, yet their fans from all over the world remain loyal to their music because they find it unique and enjoyable to listen to. Cantrell’s “monstrous,” loud distorted guitar riffs, Kinney’s “drums of doom,” Mike Inez’s low-bass tuning, and DuVall’s harmonic vocals perfectly unify with full power in instrumentation and vocals.17 There is no doubt that grunge persisted because of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, but it is difficult to imagine Alice in Chains not being one of the pioneers of grunge as well. Despite their hardships as a band, Alice in Chains will remain unchained for their perseverance and effort to keep the grunge sound alive in the American culture.

  1. American Decades Primary Resources, 2004, s.v. “The Grunge Look: Alice in Chains” by Karen Mason Blair.
  2.  Contemporary Musicians, 1994, s.v. “Alice in Chains” by Simon Glickman.
  3. Contemporary Musicians, 1994, s.v. “Alice in Chains” by Simon Glickman.
  4. Contemporary Musicians, 1994, s.v. “Alice in Chains” by Simon Glickman.
  5. Contemporary Musicians, 1994, s.v. “Alice in Chains” by Simon Glickman.
  6. Contemporary Musicians, 1994, s.v. “Alice in Chains” by Simon Glickman.
  7. Contemporary Musicians, 1994, s.v. “Alice in Chains” by Simon Glickman.
  8. American Decades Primary Resources, 2004, s.v. “The Grunge Look: Alice in Chains” by Karen Mason Blair.
  9. American Decades Primary Resources, 2004, s.v. “The Grunge Look: Alice in Chains” by Karen Mason Blair.
  10. American Decades Primary Resources, 2004, s.v. “The Grunge Look: Alice in Chains” by Karen Mason Blair.
  11. Contemporary Musicians, 1994, s.v. “Alice in Chains” by Simon Glickman.
  12. Ken Micallef, “Alice in Chains,” Electronic Musician 29, no. 5 (May 2013): 17 & 22, http://blume.stmarytx.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=86216641&site=eds-live&scope=site.
  13. Jon Pareles, “OBITUARIES: Layne Staley, 34, Alice in Chains’ Singer, Dies A Pioneer in Seattle’s Early 1990’s Grunge Scene,” New York Times, 2002, https://search.proquest.com/docview/92151793/fulltextPDF/9FAF8607C02C4F79PQ/1?accountid=7076.
  14. Bud Scobba, “Alice in Chains,” Mix 33, no. 9 (September 2009): 26, http://blume.stmarytx.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=44965409&site=eds-live&scope=site.
  15. Bud Scobba, “Alice in Chains,” Mix 33, no. 9 (September 2009): 26-29, http://blume.stmarytx.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=44965409&site=eds-live&scope=site.
  16. Bud Scobba, “Alice in Chains,” Mix 33, no. 9 (September 2009): 29, http://blume.stmarytx.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=44965409&site=eds-live&scope=site.
  17. Ken Micallef, “Alice in Chains,” Electronic Musician 29, no. 5 (May 2013): 16, http://blume.stmarytx.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=86216641&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Tags from the story

alice in chains

Grunge

heavy metal

Music

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Recent Comments

Mitchell Yocham

This article interested me a lot because they turned the negative aspects of life into the positives. It’s weird how although we all strive for happiness in the future we all let negativity effect our lives and make us not want to continue on with our lives. This amazing genre is something that almost no one knows about and it would have such a grand impact on our society if people listened to it more.

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13/10/2019

8:34 am

Elizabeth Maguire

Before reading this article, I had never really heard of the band Alice in Chains or know anything about this band. I have only seen mention of this band due to this amazing article. It’s sad to hear that the former lead singer had passed away, especially considering how close they all were with one another.

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02/11/2019

8:34 am

Ana Cravioto Herrero

Great article! I know a lot of people that love grunge music and even love the fashion style that was inspired from it, and although I had never heard of Alice in chains or any of the members, it is very evident that they had huge influence in the creation of the genre. It is interesting to hear about the history behind it all, and it is very sad that Staley died.

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01/03/2020

8:34 am

Melissa Garza

Awesome article Engelbert! I have never heard of Alice In Chains or any of their music but it was very interesting to read more about them and their impact on grunge culture in the 90s. A culture that is very much so still present today, or at least making a come back. When I was growing up, my mom was still very young and so she would listen to Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and all that type of music, so I am very familiar with it!

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02/03/2020

8:34 am

Mia Hernandez

I grew up in bands in the 90s grunge genre like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and so on, so Alice in Chains isn’t a band that I am unfamiliar with. I knew that they started in Seattle like most grunge bands around that time, but I was unaware of them appearing in the Singles movie. This article was a great read and I got to learn a little bit more about the band and their impact/ influence in the grunge genre.

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21/03/2020

8:34 am

Justine Ruiz

Amazing article! I grew up listening to grunge music since it was my parents’ favorite genre so Alice in Chains was played a lot! I never knew how this band became about and why they had a struggle for a few years. I was shocked to discover that the reason they had a struggle singing again was due to a member’s death. This saddened me because I could only imagine how the entire band felt. This was very understandable. The band ended up finding another vocalist which had quite the trouble trying to fill the shoes of the previous singer but, later proved to be worthy.

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06/09/2020

8:34 am

Kendall Guajardo

This was so cool to learn about the origin of the grunge scene and music by the band Alice in Chains. I have only really heard of the latter bands mentioned such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam but nonetheless they were such an important part of music culture for a this particular genre. I find that many great bands find their role in the downfall of high demand music that’s usually short-lived. The introduction to a fresher, more relatable, melodic sound is what gave them their fans and ultimately their reputation. The heavy sound prior to this band was worn out so the slower, soulful additions made a niche market that was previously untapped in the youth. With bands there is always some sort of conflict whether it be by natural causes or drama. His untimely death deteriorated their popularity and chemistry with each other as to be expected but fortunately they were able to find their love of music again with a new vocalist who wanted to honor their prior vocalist.

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19/09/2020

8:34 am

Christopher Jordan

Hey Engelbert, first off great article. I really enjoyed the mix of talking about the rise and appeal of the grunge music scene, fashion, as well as the story of Alice in Chains. I am a big fan of the dirt album so it is nice to read about and learn more about something that I have some familiarity with and look forward to similar articles.

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07/02/2021

8:34 am

Sherisa Orozco

Great article! I never heard grunge music or the band, Alice In Chains but it was definitely interesting learning about them. It’s very readily apparent that they had a powerful effect on the creation of the genre. It’s exciting to understand the history behind it all, and it’s unfortunate that Staley died. This article was a great read and I understood some more about the band and their impact/influence on the grunge style of music.

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14/03/2021

8:34 am

Shanita Frazier

I really liked this article grunge music is actually good in my opinion. I really like that it had a positive influence on many people and it was a good genre. The culture is also still present today and I think that is amazing. I really enjoyed learning about the history behind it all. I really like that this article stayed on track and kept me very interested, very good!

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11/04/2021

8:34 am

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