Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains
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Free Music Notes for Alice in Chains
Free Music Review: Great music from great guys
Hit: 5 Stars
I would say this Alice In Chains album is much more "complete" than the previous ones. All the songs have a certain mood to them and they are very dark. Songs are more complex than in Dirt. Tracks like Brush Away, Sludge Factory, Head Creeps and Again are very heavy and will get you going if you are looking for great, distorted riffs on this album. There are slower songs too, like Heaven Beside You and Shame In You and there is some darkness thrown into those as well. I would agree with other people's comments on Layne Staley. He doesn't scream and use his voice as he used to do in Facelift, but he is still great and very different from any of the other singers I heard in my life. He is a very talented man, and you can still hear that on songs like Frogs. I would say that there are nearly no fillers on this album (there are just 2 in my opinion), and all the songs rock. If you have listened to previous Alice In Chains albums or even Unplugged, and you liked them, I strongly urge you to buy this one. I think this album is their best. But it takes time to get used to it, and you probably will not like it the first time you hear it.As for the people who have never listened to an Alice In Chains album or heard just a couple of tracks of them, don't buy this album. If you are one of these people, I advise you to buy either Dirt or unplugged, THEN get this cd. This was my first AIC cd, and it took me a long while before I started liking it.
Free Music Review: A Slight Turn on the Road From Dirt, But Still Good
Hit: 5 Stars
First off, I'd really give this review a 4.5 if I could, but it's closer to a 5 star than a 4 star to me. Anyways, this is quite an underrated cd from many people. Like another guy said, this isn't Dirt. Sometimes, a band can stray away from its formula and it doesn't work (see anything Pearl Jam released after Vitalogy), but AIC made it work in this case. It's not completely away from their forumla. There are a lot of good guitar riffs, excellent harmonizing (nobody has done it better since Crosby/Stills/Nash/etc.), and dark lyrics, but it is different from Dirt, and a lot different from Facelift. And there aren't a lot of throwaway songs here. There are a couple towards the end (I sikp over So Close and Nothin Song), but I can listen to all the other songs on the cd, be the hard rocking ones (Again, Head Creaps, Brush Away), semi-hard rocking ones (Grind, God Am), depressing songs (Sludge Factory, Frogs, Shame In You), and beautiful songs (Heaven Beside You, Over Now). My personal favorties from those are God Am (can't explain it, there is just something I love about the song), Sludge Factory (I can relate to the despair in the song), and Heaven Beside You, but the rest of the songs are pretty damn good in their own right. If you're an AIC fan and you don't own this cd, you're missing out. Granted, the very first time I listened to it, it didn't blow me out of the water, but it's a very nice acquired listen.
Free Music Review: Not As Good As Dirt, But What Is?
Hit: 5 Stars
Song Grades1. Grind-well-deserved radio hit
Grade-A-
2. Brush Away-comparable to Dam That River
Grade-B
3. Sludge Factory-sludgegy song like title says
Grade-B+
4. Heaven Beside You-absolute masterpiece
Grade-A+
5. Head Creeps-what song Junkhead on Dirt wishes it could be
Grade-A
6. Again-overated hit, like Them Bones
Grade-B
7. Shame In You-acoustic-like masterpiece, would have been best song on SAP/Jar Of Flies
Grade-A+
8. God Am-anti-religious song like Godsmack, but slightly better
Grade-B+
9. So Close-not as bad as some people say
Grade-B
10. Nothin' Song-a band actually dared to write a song bout' a song they couldn't finish-pretty damn creative
Grade-B+
11. Frogs-longest song on CD, pretty haunting guitar riff
Grade-A-
12. Over Now-would sadly predict band's fate
Grade-A
It's sad that Alice In Chains didn't make another CD after this. They are the second greatest band of all-time, Metallica being first. Their influence is heard today in bands like Staind, Creed, Godsmack etc... All inferior. They were the true leaders of the alt. revolution that began in 90-91, not an inferior band like Nirvana.
Free Music Review: Tri-pod. Coolest album nickname ever.
Hit: 5 Stars
The three-legged dog on the cover is very symbolic to where this band was when they released this album. Despite everything (drug problems) they were still standing.
This is the last studio album by this great band, at least with Layne as the frontman. And while it is very sludgy and not as hauntingly melodic as Dirt, it is full of great songs and offers up a handful of hits.
"Grind" kicks the album off to a good start, and it does have grinding riffs and a great chorus. The video for this song is really cool.
"Brush Away" and "Sludge Factory" are highlights, and could have been singles. "Heaven Beside You" is probably the biggest song on this album, and my personal favorite. It is one of the catchiest songs they ever made. "Again" is another hit song, and Layne really shines on this chugging tune. There are a handful of songs that probably only a true AIC fan would appreciate, as "Head Creeps", "God Am", "Nothin Song", are kind of odd, but excellent. The end of the album gets more mellow with the haunting "Frogs" and the prophetic "Over Now", another single.
If you are a fan, this is a must-have to complete your collection. If you are just getting into AIC, I would suggest Dirt as a starting point. Enjoy!
Free Music Review: Very, very underrated.
Hit: 5 Stars
This album, known by some as Tripod, is another AIC masterpiece. However, many were turned off by this album because it didn't sound exactly like "Dirt". Now, to be honest. I hated the grunge era. I hate Nirvana, Pearl jam, and so on. AIC has many, many qualities that those bands lack, like processed bands of today (Nickleback, Creed, Godsmack, all of whom SUCK). Anyway, Layne's vocals, though tuned down, are much more haunting and traumatized here. I think he knew time was running short. Some say too many songs on here are too long. Well, if I want 2 minutes pieces of crap, I'd go buy Blink-182, now wouldn't I? "Heaven Beside You" is beautiful. "Brush Away" is eerie, just like it's big brother "Sludge Factory". "Head Creeps" is truly cool, as is "Shame in You". The most hated on and underappreciated song here is "Frogs", which is such a good song, it's sad.
There isn't one song on this cd I don't love with all my heart. Forget the naysayers and buy this. If you want something that sounds like 1992's "Dirt", then why not just buy that one?
This is without a doubt the darkest album Alice in Chains ever put out. Enjoy it. I certainly do.
Rest in peace, Layne...you are missed ENDLESSLY. All our love to you and your family.