Alice In Chains

Jar Of Flies

One of the best of the '90s...

Review Score:

(10/10)
It's a close call between this, DIRT, and TRIPOD, but in the end, I think JAR OF FLIES comes out as the best release from Alice in Chains. In my opinion AIC was by far the most talented of the "Big Four" of grunge (AIC, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden). Their music was the least mainstream (save for Pearl Jam's failed attempts to deviate from their original formula), yet the most enjoyable and most well-done.

With JAR OF FLIES, Cantrell shows his superior songwriting abilities by producing acoustic and/or mellow songs that carry at least as much, and at times more, of the misery and dreariness of the heavy numbers on DIRT. "Rotten Apple" and "I Stay Away" are my favorite tracks musically, and all the songs feature wonderful lyrics. The instrumental "Whale and Wasp" is an amazing composition and performance from an amazing guitarist, Jerry Cantrell.

In the end, I attribute the exceptional quality of JAR OF FLIES (and AIC's other work) to Jerry Cantrell just as much as the late Layne Staley. Staley's vocals were an integral part of AIC's music, and make no mistake, there's no replacing that voice. May Layne rest in peace. As for Jerry, his 2002 release DEGRADATION TRIP is nothing short of stunning, and, if I may say so, it is right up there with JAR OF FLIES and DIRT. In other words, if you have all of AIC's albums and are still starving for more, I strongly recommend the double-disc set of DEGRADATION TRIP.

As for JoF, it is quite understandable why it remains the only EP to debut at #1 on the Billboard Charts. It belongs in any grunge/rock fan's collection, and it remains the only album I own that is so depressing yet so mellow.

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