Alice In Chains

A chink in the armor

Review Score:

(4/10)
Up to this point in their career, Alice in Chains had done no wrong in my book. Their output was top-notch, whether heavy or acoustic based. Thus, I anticipated the release of "Alice in Chains" (aka "Tripod") more so than any other album in my life.

I bought this album on the day of its release and began playing it immediately. I knew, right away, that something just wasn't right. Upon further review, I came to realize that Layne Staley's performance was a poor one. His voice was heavily layered, often distorted, and never "clean". He never, not once, brought his voice to his signature whail. No "singing", just a montone whine, mired in the sludge of the layered guitars. His voice, so good as recently as the early 1995 "Mad Season" album, was gone, a by-product of his heroin addiction. The band and producers tried to hide it with the heavy production, and three songs sung by Jerry Cantrell, but alas, the album never gets off the ground. The three-legged dog on the cover symbolized the band's frustration, as they were missing a "leg", too.
I loved Alice in Chains first and foremost because of Layne Staley's singing, both voice and style. With all due respect to Jerry Cantrell, who does most of the writing, Layne is the show. But here he is a no-show.
Because of Staley's lackluster performance, I cannot recommend "Alice in Chains" based on my personal tastes. I still give the disc a spin now and again to hear personal favorites such as "Brush Away" and "Shame In You", but I can't help but shake my head in disappointment.
This album was so anticipated at the time, that had it been as good as "Dirt", it would have propelled Alice in Chains into the stratosphere. Instead, it pretty much toned the death knell for the 90's "grunge" scene.
These guys could have been a legacy band like Zeppelin, but they burned out all too quick, and this album always reminds me of that fact.

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