Alice In Chains
Facelift

Everyone sees "Dirt" as AIC's masterpiece, but they have forgotten their debut album, a gold record in 1990 with half a million copies sold just in the U.S.A., epitomizing the whipped generation that was rampant in those years. Influenced by Led Zeppelin-era rock, possessing a metallic sound and a psychedelic atmosphere, "Facelift" is, for me, the true masterpiece of the band, without taking anything away from the splendid "Dirt".

The album embraces many influences, starting from the "heavy" sound of quite old and seasoned metal. Staley's voice is syncopated, managing to deliver great aggressiveness at the right moments. An exalted, sharp voice that never ceases to move, becoming the album's strong point alongside Cantrell: his imploding guitar screeches, scorching and agonizing. The riffs, slow, hard, and incisive, are supported for almost the entire record, distorting the tormented melodies. The rhythmic base is cadenced, yet in any case ferocious, always ready to keep up with the raw sounds.

Arriving in the period before Nirvana's "Nevermind," the album brings AIC into the music world, establishing them as one of the best bands of the era, even though very different from the grunge groups that emerged in the so-called Seattle era.
Laney, the true soul of the group, leads the remaining three members into rough and harsh sounds, the undisputed queens of "Facelift". The tracks flow dense and gruesome, with a sense of absurd paranoia, to the point of completely scraping the gray matter of the human brain.
The prophetic "We Die Young," a hugely successful single, and the biting "It Ain't Like That" are episodes with more metallic content. The Black Sabbath-like rock can be heard in the unforgettable "Man In The Box".
Hypnotic "I Can't Remember" and "Love, Hate, Love" follow each other in a progression that grows until reaching Laney's sad singing.
The cheerful hypocrisy of "Sea Of Sorrow," a loving third track, anticipates the anguish of "Bleed The Freak". Beautiful and intense are also "Sunshine", "Put You Down" and "Confusion". Energetic grunge is expressed by "I Know Somethin' ('Bout You)," which precedes the last song of the album, considered by me the most beautiful of the entire CD.
"Real Thing" advances decisively and insistently, constantly presses, and offers a compelling rhythm, assimilating the dark aspects of the genre.

All these wonderful songs enclosed in one great grunge masterpiece.