Alice In Chains

If previous album was "Dirt," you could call this, "Mud."

Review Score:

(6/10)
This album does nothing to disprove that these guys are great songwriters but it is not as consistently good as "Dirt." I was taken with "Dirt" the first time I heard it but other than "Again," which hooked me immediately with its grinding guitar and its characteristically eerie AIC dirgelike chorus, this album took a few listenings to grow on me. Obviously, "Heaven Beside You" (Hell Within), is an example of AIC's songwriting skill at it's best and, although I haven't noticed it mentioned in any of the reviews here, maybe dyed-in-the wool AIC fans can confirm something for this latecomer: it seems obvious to me that this song is about Curt Cobain - there's even a passage that sounds like Nirvana.

I also agree that this album is a bit more low-key than "Dirt," and some of the songs seem a bit too long for their material whereas AIC did not hesitate to give us some short, to the point, gritty and crunchy songs like "Them Bones" and "Rain When I Die," on "Dirt." On the whole, a good album, but not as remarkable as "Dirt," which was not only AIC's best album, but an instant hard rock classic, and a very tough act to follow.

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