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Rating:
THE REVIEW
The last official album of the group before getting lost among Layne Staley's drug problems and the various live collections. At first glance, it might seem strange that the last album is named after the group (it's usually the first), but according to Jerry Cantrell, it's a sort of provocation for all those who considered 'Dirt' as the group's masterpiece, asserting that this is the album where Alice In Chains are fully and completely represented.
It is certainly the most mature yet also the sickest album of the group, with a sound less refined than the previous one but very direct and certainly much darker.
Staley's voice is hypnotic in almost all the tracks, thanks also to a countless series of harmonies that accompany it, the guitar sound is very raw, and the drums are deliberately stripped of effects to make everything more direct.
The entire album is accompanied by a great feeling of unease and it feels like being in a dark vortex delivered to a sad fate where only in songs like 'Heaven Beside You' and 'Over Now' does it seem possible to rise and glimpse salvation for a moment.
The slowness of 'Sludge Factory,' which becomes agony in 'Frogs,' as well as the beautiful 'God Am' with its syncopated rhythms and a rather disturbed chorus, seasoned with the explosive 'Again,' make this album the highest evolution achieved by the group, at times truly over the top, demonstrating with this very committed work that the group did not want to rest on the laurels won with 'Dirt,' but wanted to distance themselves from what had become the standards of grunge.
The result is an excellent work, a must-have for Alice In Chains fans and definitely the darkest album to come out of the Seattle scene.
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Summary by Bot
This review highlights Alice In Chains' self-titled album as the band’s darkest and most mature work. It emphasizes the raw and direct sound, hypnotic vocals of Layne Staley, and a departure from their previous album 'Dirt'. The album is described as a committed evolution of grunge, filled with unease but punctuated by moments of salvation in select tracks. It's positioned as a must-have for fans and a notable contribution to the Seattle music scene.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
01 Grind (04:45)
In the darkest hole, you'd be well advised
Not to plan my funeral before the body dies, yeah
Come the morning light, it's a see through show
What you may have heard and what you think you know, yeah
Let the sun never blind your eyes
Let me sleep so my teeth won't grind
Hear a sound from a voice inside
Sure to play a part, so you love the game
And in truth your lies become one and same, yeah
I could set you free, rather hear the sound
Of your body breaking as I take you down, yeah
Let the sun never blind your eyes
Let me sleep so my teeth won't grind
Hear a sound from a voice inside
In the darkest hole, you'd be well advised
Not to plan my funeral before the body dies, yeah
Let the sun never blind your eyes
Let me sleep so my teeth won't grind
Hear a sound from a voice inside
03 Sludge Factory (07:12)
Owe...Oh yeah...
Owe...Oh yeah...
Owe
You insult me in my home
You're forgiven this time
Things go well, you're eyes dilate
You shake, and I'm high
Look in my eyes deep and watch
The clouds change with time
20 hours won't print
My picture milk carton size
Carton size, carton size, carton size
Call me up congratulations
Ain't the real why
There's no pressures besides brilliance
Let's say by day 9
And this corporate ignorance lets
Me control time
By the way, by the way (echo)
Once again you see an in
Discolored skin gives you away
So afraid you kindly gurgle out a date
For me
Owe...Oh yeah...
Owe...Oh yeah...
Owe
Now the body of one soul I adore
Wants to die
You have always told me you'd
Not live past 25
I say stay long enough to repay
all who caused strife
Once again you see an in
Discolored skin gives you away
So afraid you kindly gurgle out a date
For me
Once again you see an in
Discolored skin gives you away
So afraid you kindly gurgle out a date
For me
Owe...Oh yeah...
Owe...Oh yeah
(I bear true and an existing witness to this barrel of monkeys. A self-proclaimed immoral success, perfected by each whereof; individually deadly, and equally so and spread about the surrendered troops, for even thousands of miles cannot tear apart their communication, or the lack thereof. Vultures, liars, thieves: each proclaim their innocence in no suggestion or rhyme, your weapon is contained in the wrecking of keeping the desired effect. The breaking of the spirit thwarts the whole being.)
Your weapon is guilt
Your weapon is guilt
Your weapon is guilt
Guilt
04 Heaven Beside You (05:27)
Be what you wanna be
See what you came to see
Been what you wanna be
I don't like what I see
Like the coldest winter chill
Heaven beside you, hell within
Like the coldest winter chill
Heaven beside you, hell within
Like the coldest winter will
Heaven beside you, hell within
And you think you have it still, heaven inside you
So there's problems in your life
That's fucked up, and I'm not blind
I'm just see through faded, super jaded
And out of my mind
Do what you wanna do
Go out and seek your truth
When I'm down and blue
Rather be me than you
Like the coldest winter chill
Heaven beside you, hell within
Like the coldest winter chill
Heaven beside you, hell within
Like the coldest winter will
Heaven beside you, hell within
And you wish you had it still, heaven inside you
So there's problems in your life
That's fucked up, and I'm not blind
I'm just see through faded, super jaded
And out of my mind
Like the coldest winter chill
Heaven beside you, hell within
Like the coldest winter chill
Heaven beside you, hell within
Like the coldest winter will
Heaven beside you, hell within
And you know you have it still, heaven inside you
So there's problems in your life
That's fucked up, but you're not blind
You're just see through faded, overrated
And out of your mind
06 Again (04:05)
Hey, let them do it again, yeah
Hey, you said you were my friend
Hey, turn me upside down, Oh
Hey, feelin' so down
Hey, hey...hey...hey...
You made a fool of me again
Again
Hey, I know I made the same mistake, yeah
I, I won't do it again, no
Why, Why you slap me in the face, oww
I, I didn't say it was OK, no
No, No...
You violate a part of me again
Again
Ah, ooo
Whoo whoo, yeah
Hey, you had time to think it out, yeah
Hey, Your weak will won't help her heal her heart
Hey, I'll bet it really eats you up
Extending part of me again
Again
Ooo
Whoo whoo, yeah
07 Shame in You (05:35)
When I awaken
And I'm achin'
'Time for sleepin', yeah
When I'm sayin'
Time to go and
I've been hurtin', yeah
When I'm layin'
I'm still trying
Concentrating on dyin', yeah
You're right as rain
But you're wrong to blame
Agreed my crime's the same
My sins I'll claim
Give you back shed pain
Go find a place for own shame
So you can deal
With this thing unreal
No one made you feel any hurt, yeah
Body's movin'
Only provin'
No one needed to move
Still believin'
Yet mistaken
All God's children, yeah
And I must say
I was stupid
Selfishly she consumed, yeah
And you must change
Patterns all we trained
Or n'er regain peace you seek
Now you hear me
For the things I see
Yeah, I believe in inner peace, yeah
Throw out
Blow up
Hold in
Show fine
No signs
Grow blind
09 So Close (02:45)
Why are we here again?
It's the same old sit down roll around
Chewed up pen
Nothin' thrilling me too much, yeah
Nothing thrilling me
Yeah, so close now
Yeah, so close now
Man, I nearly snapped my twig
Then again I nearly snapped
A few of you
So I hear you think highly now
So I hear you think
Yeah, so close now
Yeah, so close now
Why
Why
Why
11 Frogs (08:18)
What does friend mean to you?
A word so wrongfully abused
Are you like me, confused
All included but you
Alone...
The sounds of silence often soothe
Shapes and colors shift with mood
Pupils widen and change their hue
Rapid brown avoid clear blue
Why's it have to be this way
Be this way...
Flowers watched through wide brown eyes
A child sings an unclaimed tune
Innocence spins cold cocoon
Grow to see the pain too soon
Why's it have to be this way
Be this way...(repeat)
(7 a.m. on a Tuesday, in August
Next week, I'll be 28
I'm still young
It'll be me
Off the wall I scrape... you
I gotta wait
Show me you're irate
To cause this wake
It's my fate
They... they...
Never fuck with me again
My own clean slate
Don't fuck with me again
I just want to go straight through you
Irate)
Alice in Chains
American rock band formed in Seattle in 1987, noted for two-voice harmonies, dark lyrical themes and a signature grunge/alternative-metal sound. Fronted by Layne Staley until his death in 2002; later continued with William DuVall.37 Reviews
Other reviews
By the facelift
A crazy, sick, toxic album, not so much in the lyrics but in the sounds, yet of great caliber, unfortunately the last masterpiece.
FROGS, absolutely my favorite song of their entire career, very experimental with references to post-rock hallucinating and heartbreaking like few.
By treno
Alice in Chains is not an easy-listening CD, but one that you savor over time.
The cover struck me immediately... I felt anguish even before listening to it.
By Starblazer
The booklet is the most beautiful, visionary, and hallucinatory I’ve ever seen.
"Shame In You" melts me as if it were the first time, and there are very few songs that have that effect on me.
