Alice in Chains albums ranked
I will not be including any of their EPs in this ranking. Studio albums only. As always, all of this is in my opinion. I'm sure this one's bound to offend, lol.
6. Facelift
Of all the first three albums featuring the band's original singer -- the late and great Layne Staley -- Facelift is the least memorable. Honestly? This album was never all that remarkable to begin with. It has the band's earliest hits with its singles and a couple other worthwhile numbers, but there's nothing here they didn't easily (And greatly) surpass by their second album. You could say it's comparable to the first Nirvana album in that it's not a bad record in the least, but it pales in comparison to what followed. I will say that as their first, it holds up as a good introduction to Alice in Chains' music and the one I'd recommend to anyone new to their music.
Highlights: "Man in the Box", "We Die Young", "Sea of Sorrow", "Sunshine" "It Ain't Like That"
5. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
The second album with William DuVall. I like to call it the Facelift of the modern Alice in Chains era in that apart from its singles and a few other tracks, it's mostly forgettable. But also like Facelift, it's not bad either! The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is a decent enough album on its own, but it lacks the spark that reignited the band on Black Gives Way to Blue. While it carries the modern doomy alt metal sound from its predecessor, it's a bit slower and more gloomy, which makes the overall album feel a bit sluggish. But what standout tracks it does have, I happen to enjoy more than the songs on Facelift, which is the only reason I'm ranking this one above it. Fortunately, the problem with this album were fixed by the one that followed it, but it'll go down as one of the group's lesser efforts.
Highlights: "Stone", "Voices", "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here", "Hollow", "Phantom Limb", "Pretty Done"
4. Alice in Chains
The band's third album and the last before they would enter a hiatus, during which Layne Staley would tragically pass away from a drug overdose, making it the last one to feature him. Alice in Chain's self-titled album is slightly less heavy than Dirt and more on the melodic side, yet at the same time, it's much more somber with its themes of depression, anger and addiction. What heaviness there is is tuned even lower, giving the album as whole a far gloomier feel -- the darkest of their classic era. No doubt, it reflects the state of mind the group was in at the time. Particularly, Staley. Despite the negative energy behind it, it yields a decent selection of tracks and has some more essentials from the group, such as its three singles and the closing song "Over Now". The latter of which would come to be a very eerie foreshadowing of the group's demise and Staley's swan song.
Highlights: "Heaven Beside You", "Grind", "Again", "Over Now", "Head Creeps", "Brush Away"
3. Rainier Fog
When Alice in Chains re-emerged with Black Gives Way to Blue, they adopted a modern sound that dropped grunge entirely in favor of their signature sludgy alternative metal sound. Rainier Fog carries on this modernized style, but in a throwback to their Seattle roots (which inspired the title), traces of their classic grunge sound can be heard on this album, which ought to please new and old fans alike. Songs like the title track and "Never Fade" would not be out of place on Dirt, while "Fly" and "So Far Under" sound like they were made for their self-titled third album; "Drone" like it could be on Facelift! They fix the issues from The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here being a bit too slow by picking up the pace. The album is a bit lighter in tone too, but not in a way that diminishes the band's sound at all. Rainier Fog has some of the best songwriting in the band's whole catalogue and may be the closest we get to them returning to their old school style. I'd personally love to see another album like that meets in the middle between new and old, but we'll just see.
Highlights: "Never Fade", "The One You Know", "Rainier Fog", "So Far Under", "Fly", "Red Giant", "Deaf Ears Blind Eyes"
2. Dirt
Let's be honest: none of Alice in Chain's early albums can be a considered a grunge masterpiece in the same vein as Nirvana's Nevermind or Pearl Jam's Ten in the sense of it having as much influence and cultural significance as those records. But Dirt does come pretty damn close! Hell, half of the album is basically a greatest hits compilation with it having all of the band's most popular songs like "Them Bones", "Rooster", "Would?" and others. The lyrical themes may be darker and more angst-ridden than they were on Facelift, but this only strengthens the band's songwriting skills as they give us some of their most iconic tracks. Dirt may not have been as impactful as some of its contemporaries, but it still cemented Alice in Chains as one of the "big four" of the grunge movement and one of the greatest bands to come out of the '90s. Many fans consider it their best. I'm tempted to consider it such myself! But when it comes down to it, I have to be honest with myself in which album of their I enjoy most, even if it means the AiC fanbase chasing me down with torches and pitchforks...
Highlights: "Would?", "Them Bones", "Dam That River", "Angry Chair", "Rooster", "Rain When I Die", "Down In a Hole"
1. Black Gives Way to Blue
Now here's something no one ever saw coming... Not only Alice in Chains returning with a new singer after a nearly 14-year hiatus, but with a new album that was a lot better than it probably should have been! Black Gives Way to Blue marked the first album with William DuVall replacing the late Layne Staley as the band's lead singer (even though Jerry Cantrell does most of the vocal work now) and the beginning of the modern AiC era. It also sees the band taking on a new style devoid of the dated grunge from their older music, yet still with that recognizable dreary heaviness the band's most famous for. Fans can say whatever they want about the group carrying on without Layne Staley, but Black Gives Way to Blue shows us a band that has matured and evolved without ever losing their touch; that they're no group who has to cling to their classics to stay relevant and are still capable of dishing out more solid albums. I could very well be the only fan who believes this, but I stand by my opinion on this being their best one.
Highlights: "Check My Brain", "Your Decision", "A Looking In View", "When The Sun Rose Again", "Last of my Kind", "All Secrets Known", "Lesson Learned"
Of all the first three albums featuring the band's original singer -- the late and great Layne Staley -- Facelift is the least memorable. Honestly? This album was never all that remarkable to begin with. It has the band's earliest hits with its singles and a couple other worthwhile numbers, but there's nothing here they didn't easily (And greatly) surpass by their second album. You could say it's comparable to the first Nirvana album in that it's not a bad record in the least, but it pales in comparison to what followed. I will say that as their first, it holds up as a good introduction to Alice in Chains' music and the one I'd recommend to anyone new to their music.
Highlights: "Man in the Box", "We Die Young", "Sea of Sorrow", "Sunshine" "It Ain't Like That"
The second album with William DuVall. I like to call it the Facelift of the modern Alice in Chains era in that apart from its singles and a few other tracks, it's mostly forgettable. But also like Facelift, it's not bad either! The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is a decent enough album on its own, but it lacks the spark that reignited the band on Black Gives Way to Blue. While it carries the modern doomy alt metal sound from its predecessor, it's a bit slower and more gloomy, which makes the overall album feel a bit sluggish. But what standout tracks it does have, I happen to enjoy more than the songs on Facelift, which is the only reason I'm ranking this one above it. Fortunately, the problem with this album were fixed by the one that followed it, but it'll go down as one of the group's lesser efforts.
Highlights: "Stone", "Voices", "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here", "Hollow", "Phantom Limb", "Pretty Done"
The band's third album and the last before they would enter a hiatus, during which Layne Staley would tragically pass away from a drug overdose, making it the last one to feature him. Alice in Chain's self-titled album is slightly less heavy than Dirt and more on the melodic side, yet at the same time, it's much more somber with its themes of depression, anger and addiction. What heaviness there is is tuned even lower, giving the album as whole a far gloomier feel -- the darkest of their classic era. No doubt, it reflects the state of mind the group was in at the time. Particularly, Staley. Despite the negative energy behind it, it yields a decent selection of tracks and has some more essentials from the group, such as its three singles and the closing song "Over Now". The latter of which would come to be a very eerie foreshadowing of the group's demise and Staley's swan song.
Highlights: "Heaven Beside You", "Grind", "Again", "Over Now", "Head Creeps", "Brush Away"
When Alice in Chains re-emerged with Black Gives Way to Blue, they adopted a modern sound that dropped grunge entirely in favor of their signature sludgy alternative metal sound. Rainier Fog carries on this modernized style, but in a throwback to their Seattle roots (which inspired the title), traces of their classic grunge sound can be heard on this album, which ought to please new and old fans alike. Songs like the title track and "Never Fade" would not be out of place on Dirt, while "Fly" and "So Far Under" sound like they were made for their self-titled third album; "Drone" like it could be on Facelift! They fix the issues from The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here being a bit too slow by picking up the pace. The album is a bit lighter in tone too, but not in a way that diminishes the band's sound at all. Rainier Fog has some of the best songwriting in the band's whole catalogue and may be the closest we get to them returning to their old school style. I'd personally love to see another album like that meets in the middle between new and old, but we'll just see.
Highlights: "Never Fade", "The One You Know", "Rainier Fog", "So Far Under", "Fly", "Red Giant", "Deaf Ears Blind Eyes"
Let's be honest: none of Alice in Chain's early albums can be a considered a grunge masterpiece in the same vein as Nirvana's Nevermind or Pearl Jam's Ten in the sense of it having as much influence and cultural significance as those records. But Dirt does come pretty damn close! Hell, half of the album is basically a greatest hits compilation with it having all of the band's most popular songs like "Them Bones", "Rooster", "Would?" and others. The lyrical themes may be darker and more angst-ridden than they were on Facelift, but this only strengthens the band's songwriting skills as they give us some of their most iconic tracks. Dirt may not have been as impactful as some of its contemporaries, but it still cemented Alice in Chains as one of the "big four" of the grunge movement and one of the greatest bands to come out of the '90s. Many fans consider it their best. I'm tempted to consider it such myself! But when it comes down to it, I have to be honest with myself in which album of their I enjoy most, even if it means the AiC fanbase chasing me down with torches and pitchforks...
Highlights: "Would?", "Them Bones", "Dam That River", "Angry Chair", "Rooster", "Rain When I Die", "Down In a Hole"
Now here's something no one ever saw coming... Not only Alice in Chains returning with a new singer after a nearly 14-year hiatus, but with a new album that was a lot better than it probably should have been! Black Gives Way to Blue marked the first album with William DuVall replacing the late Layne Staley as the band's lead singer (even though Jerry Cantrell does most of the vocal work now) and the beginning of the modern AiC era. It also sees the band taking on a new style devoid of the dated grunge from their older music, yet still with that recognizable dreary heaviness the band's most famous for. Fans can say whatever they want about the group carrying on without Layne Staley, but Black Gives Way to Blue shows us a band that has matured and evolved without ever losing their touch; that they're no group who has to cling to their classics to stay relevant and are still capable of dishing out more solid albums. I could very well be the only fan who believes this, but I stand by my opinion on this being their best one.
Highlights: "Check My Brain", "Your Decision", "A Looking In View", "When The Sun Rose Again", "Last of my Kind", "All Secrets Known", "Lesson Learned"
