The best from Alice in Chains. They developed the most depressing and hypnotic sound of all their discography.

This album seems to be AIC's most challenging and strangest effort, as it very rarely sounds like anything the band had recorded beforehand. Gone is the crushing heaviness of 'Dirt' and the rough rawness of the band's debut album, making way for a sludgier, more depressing sound that, although never quite works as well as it should, is quite often satisfying. 'Heaven beside you' and interestingly upbeat closer 'Over now' both work well with their acoustic guitar-led structures, and even the sludgy nature of both 'Sludge Factory' and 'Frogs' offer a particularly laid-back feel, at times even begging to hypnotize the listener all the more. Such a shame that this was the last AIC album to feature vocalist Layne Stanley before his death.

Facelift displays AIC as a new-born, blooming band, with upbeat heavy metal songs, with just a little bit of sadness and sorrow mixed somewhere. It's a straight-forward great record.

Dirt is a masterpiece of an album, with a dark, grittier sound, and a killer "meta-album" within which portrays the stages of heroin addiction. "Would?" closes off the album because it's about Andrew Wood. After you discover and re-visit the feelings of Dirt, try listening to Would? again. Perhaps Layne ended up following the same path?

Now this album is underrated as hell, I like it more than Facelift. It's innovative: sludge, creepy, progressive and DARK. That's because most of the songs are Layne's, not Cantrell's. Layne was already struggling with his addiction, and that's why they never toured for this album, and avoid songs from it nowadays. This is album is a definitive "Inside Layne's Mind" and "Head Creeps" is my favorite track.

This album was made for me. Extremely strange. Many people might not like it that much, but to me, it's their best album (but just a few steps ahead of Dirt)

This album is great, definitely a grower. "God am" is my favorite along with "sludge factory"

Written by deadone on 16.04.2014 at 06:12

I find this one to sound tired and especially Layne's vocals.

It's missing the spark of the first two or the brilliance of Jars of Flies.

IMO the move to a sludgier sound was not a good step.

Whilst not in the same league as the brilliant Dirt or their debut album, I still really enjoy this one.

This album, as imperfect as it is, is just so distinctive and unrestrained in terms of exploration that it's remarkable. Even after over 5 years since first encountering it, I struggle to know what to feel about it. But just because of that I think it's quite special, even if not of the quality of past records such as Dirt, Sap and Jar of Flies. "Frogs" has to be one of the most desolately bleak and all-laid-bare songs I've ever encountered, it's weird as hell and really chilling; perhaps influenced by hindsight, but it really sounds like the resigned howl of someone who knows they're doomed. I do like modern AIC, but they can never hope to match the sheer depraved inspiration of Staley-era AIC.

One of the best and most iconic Alice in Chains record. Songs like "Grind", "Again", "Heaven Beside You" or "Over Now" are unforgettable. But the whole record is amazing. Maybe the most well known dog in rock history? That cover art is legendary.

Kind of underrated in their discog, at least compared to Facelift and Dirt. Sludge Factory is probably one of my favorite AIC tracks.

Not as amazing as Dirt but I always thought it was far superior than Facelift.

This is their darkest sound, and it should be up there with Dirt. Amazing album.

The first AIC album I listened to back in 90s. Fell in love instantly with it and the new genre 'grunge'. Today I just thought of revisiting some old favorites.