Ranking Alice in Chains Albums : From Worst to Best
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I’ve become somewhat of an Alice in Chains idiot savant over the last twelve months. Blasting their entire discography on repeat, reading about them and watching every piece of documentary I could find, trying to take it all in. Trying to understand who they were and who they are today. It allowed me to craft this list for you, which will allow you to bust a few myths… and confirm others.
Your reactions to my reviews was very telling as well. The William DuVall-era pieces were among the least popular album reviews I’ve ever published (although they were among my best written, I believe), so the band died with Layne for many of you. It’s too bad because the new Alice in Chains is pretty dope in its own, different way. It’s not as good as the Layne era, but you know… it didn’t have drug-fueled tension to draw inspiration from.
Anyway. Here’s my worst to best list to end this retrospective. I don’t think any of my choices are controversial, but you’ll tell me.
8th - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (4.5/10)
Bloated. Meandering. The songs are overly long and complex for what they should be and it results in a feeling of purposelessness, like Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall were looking for something to be angry about. Even in their best years, anger has never been the driving emotion for Alice in Chains and such a heavy, doomy and angry record feels completely out of place in their discography. There are a few shorter bangers like Hollow and Phantom Limb, but it’s a very awkward and cumbersome record overall. Their only release that’s outwardly bad.
7th - Sap (5.8/10)
My main problem with this record is that it’s dated. Overall, Alice in Chains’ music has withstood the test of time pretty sturdily, but Sap is peak flannel-era acoustic alternative rock and… it’s a tiny bit boring? If it wasn’t for the stellar Right Turn with guest vocals by Chris Cornell, it might’ve found itself at the bottom of the list. Some say Sap is a forgotten jewel in Alice in Chains’ discography. I say it was a practice swing for the more mature and sophisticated Jar of Flies. It’s not bad, but I don’t see a reason to go back to it outside of grunge days nostalgia.
6th - Black Gives Way to Blue (5.9/10)
Their first album with William DuVall on vocals. It’s full of hits and misses, which is understandable because they had a lot of figuring out to do. Basically, deprived of the killer, doom-laden tension that Layne Staley brought by his mere presence, the band fell back on two things they do very well: killer guitar riffs and catchy, almost pop-like chorus. There are outrageous bangers on this record that I would love to hear live, such as Check My Brain, Last of My Kind and Lesson Learned. Not always smooth to listen to, but they were on to something.
5th - Jar of Flies (7.1/10)
Perhaps the only controversial choice on this list. I like this record. I just don’t think it’s THAT good outside of the Earth-crushing hit No Excuses. A lot of people love I Stay Away, but once again it feels so dated and swallowed by pop culture that I can’t get myself to still feel enthusiastic about it. Jar of Flies was recorded very quickly and has a jam session feel to it, which is somewhat of an acquired taste. But overall, I liked Alice in Chains because they transcended alternative rock. Here, they conform to it more than anything. But No Excuses is fucking great.
4th - Rainier Fog (7.2/10)
Is this controversial? I don’t think it is. Rainier Fog is, by far, their most fun, and accomplished record of the William DuVall era. The band eschewed the more complex song structures here to concentrate on what they do well: write killer rock songs. It reminded me of Facelift a lot because it draws inspiration from classic rock and hair metal to create something new and unique. The One You Know and and the title song Rainier Fog are classic Alice in Chains with a mature twist to it. On this album, they really grew up alongside their audience.
3rd - Facelift (7.5/10)
I believe this album is slightly overrated because of historical perspective, but it’s really good nonetheless. It’s who Alice in Chains were before Layne’s drug problems propelled them in that weirdly great creative streak. They were originally influenced by Californian metal (and why wouldn’t they be, up there in Seattle?) which shows in songs like We Die Young and Sea of Sorrow. But it’s their heavier songs that are the calling card of Facelift, like Man in the Box and Love, Hate, Love. This album has high and lows, but it definitely was innovative at the time.
2nd - Alice in Chains (9.1/10)
Whether you like this album or Dirt better is up to you, really. How do you differentiate awesome from awesome, right? My take is that tripod has the better songs, but that overall it’s consistent than its relentless predecessor. My favorite Alice in Chains track are on there: Grind, Heaven Beside You, Over Now… but there are some songs I don’t really care about on tripod too. I love this album anyway. It seethes with rage and exhaustion. The sense of impending doom more present here than on many doom metal records. A true classic record.
1st - Dirt (9.2/10)
I don’t think this album gets all the love it deserves. I mean, it gets PLENTY of love, but it should get even more. There’s not a dull song on Dirt. Not one. It’s just banger over banger over banger: Them Bones, Dam That River, Rain When I Die, Rooster, Would?….they’re all fucking awesome. Dirt is ugly, hopeless and confrontational and unlike tripod has the spark of life to it of a band that didn’t accept its fate already. It’s packed with repressed emotions and swirling with inherent violence. I love that record so much. It is, I believe, what Alice in Chains has done best
