Alice In Chains, and grunge as a whole, has had a renaissance in popularity due to social media. This renewed notoriety is deserved; they’re a band like no other. They have lyrics that speak to the soul, an awesome sound that combines the best of metal and grunge, and to top it all off, Layne Staley’s voice was absolutely incredible. They’re one of the premier bands to come out of the Seattle grunge scene. 

Dirt is the group’s most well known album. It’s also widely acclaimed by music critics. Rolling Stone put it at #26 on its list of the 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time, as well as #6 on their list of the 50 Greatest Grunge Albums. A reputable guitar magazine, Guitar World, said the album was the best of 1992. In addition to this critical acclaim, it is certified 5x platinum in the U.S. It has some of the darkest pieces the band wrote since most of the material centered around the band’s addictions at the time. Despite that dark tone, or perhaps because of it, this album is widely considered to be their best. 

“Them Bones” starts the album with a bang. It combines elements of both metal and grunge with a killer guitar riff. This song has a nice groove to it because of the bass line. It’s dark lyrically, but it has great energy. Layne Staley’s voice fits quite well with the sound that is achieved here. It’s a great one to jam out to. 

My favorite Jerry Cantrell riff is in “Dam that River.” It has such a cool tone and rhythm to it. It’s that perfect mix of metal and grunge. I love Staley’s voice in this song. It’s so powerful and has the same grit found in the guitar tone. The layered effect on his vocals for the verses makes it much more full, which is a perfect stylistic choice. This song is perfect for a hard rock summer. It’s a jam, but it feels sunny at the same time.

“Rain When I Die” has an amazing bass line. It’s my favorite on this album. I like that the rest of the instruments join in a bit chaotically. A little bit of chaos in music can be cool, so having it in moderation like it is here is a great touch. I can’t tell what effects pedals are being used on the guitar at the beginning, but I think it’s a combination of a wah pedal and a whammy bar. Whatever it is, the tone it produces is a great fit for the song. This song was written as a joint effort between Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley about their girlfriends trying to keep them grounded, but ultimately can’t because of their life on the road. The fake ending is cool, but I feel like it can be a bit overdone.  

“Down In A Hole” slows down the album a little and introduces an acoustic sound. It reminds me of a slower version of “Song and Dance Man” by Warrant. It strays from the heavier roots the album has. I love the guitar tone here; it has a really cool vibe. The pick slide used at the 2:15 minute mark is a nice touch. It’s a depressing song, but it’s a cool one all the same. “Down in a hole, feelin’ so small / down in a hole, losing my soul” could be a metaphor for either addiction or depression. 

“Sickman” has a solid beat. Staley’s vocals at the :18 second mark remind me of early Megadeth. I like that it reverses a common musical structure of slowing down for the verses and speeding up on the chorus. Instead, the verses are fast and the refrain is slow. That difference in structure is a choice that fits the song well. It keeps the slow pace for the bridge, then goes fast again. 

The most popular song on this album is “Rooster.” Jerry Cantrell wrote this song about the things his father went through as a soldier during the Vietnam War. “The bullets scream to me from somewhere” describes the guerilla warfare tactics that the North Vietnamese used during the war. “They spit on me in my homeland” speaks of the harsh treatment of soldiers back in America due to anti-war protests. It portrays this time in a unique way and it isn’t all about the anti-war movement; it shows the awful things that the soldiers went through on the battlefield as well. I love that the song itself is more gentle during the verses and lets the lyrics make it heavy before the chorus takes it the rest of the way. The harmonies throughout are gorgeous. It makes the song more haunting. 

“Junkhead” is slow, yet heavy. This song is most likely one of the reasons why the band is sometimes labeled as “sludge metal,” for its gritty, slow sound. It’s not only heavy in instrumental, but also in lyrical content. It’s very forward in its portrayal of addiction. The layered vocals on the chorus are a great touch. The solo is one of the best on the album. I like that it’s brighter sounding than the song itself, which makes it stand out. For such a bleak song, it’s a nice jam.

The title track, “Dirt,” uses some cool distortion on the intro. It has a great vibe. It fits with the album cover; it mirrors how I imagine it to sound if it was a song. The guitar tone feels like heat waves. The use of a wah pedal for the guitar showcases some thrash metal influences, which will come full force on the album later on in “Iron Gland.” The solo is solid. I like how Cantrell’s solos are more feeling based rather than being centered around technique. I like that the end of the song doesn’t fade out and it more gradually comes to a stop. 

“God Smack” leans into grunge more than some of the other songs on the album while having vocals that sound similar to Slayer on the verses. The riff is great; the use of the wah pedal on the chorus adds a cool character to it. While it’s a fun sounding song, it’s the most direct about references to drugs. It showcases the darker themes of the album in a great way; while you think it’s all fun and games at first glance, once you actually listen, it becomes dark and haunting.

“Iron Gland,” which is also known as “Intro (Dream Sequence),” features vocals from Tom Araya, lead singer of the thrash metal band Slayer. The crossover between bands is awesome. It also shows the thrash influences the band had. This song often appears unlisted on physical copies of the album due to its short length. The first line is a spoof of the opening of “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath; instead of “I am Iron Man,” Araya sings “I am Iron Gland.” 

“Hate to Feel” uses dissonance to give the song a gritty feel. It’s very slow, almost like it’s in slow motion. The pre chorus and refrain speed up a little, but not much. The layers of harmonies in the refrain are amazing. It gives the song a chaotic feel, but it’s beautiful chaos. It has a great beat to it as well. The bass line under the solo is moody, which fits in with everything else so well. I love that the harmonies are the main focus at the end. The end is the fastest part of the song before it comes to an abrupt stop.

“Angry Chair” starts out with a nice beat before the guitar kicks in. It has an awesome reverb tone. The pre chorus makes the song punchy before the chorus smoothes it out. The solo here reminds me of Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine. The layered vocals have a creepy quality, but it works. I like that the outro mirrors the intro. The drum beat is perfect for the song. 

“Would?” has a killer intro. The bass line is incredible and the drums make it so much heavier. I love Staley’s vocals in this song. The high note he hits before the solo is wonderful. The harmonies make this song sound otherworldly. The outro is so cool. The way Staley sings “if I would, could you?” gives the album a nice close. It’s forceful and punchy, which makes that ending stay with you after the close. It’s understandable that this song still gets radio play. This song has the honor of being my favorite from Alice In Chains. While I usually go for deeper cuts, this song stood out to me. I could listen to it on loop for hours. 

I wish I could listen to this album for the first time again. It was a mind blowing experience. This album defies categorization. It’s not strictly grunge and not strictly metal either; it just is. It’s an album I wish I had checked out sooner. I don’t know why I didn’t because I found that I absolutely love this album. If you’re reading this and haven’t heard the album before, whenever you have a free hour, go listen to it all the way through uninterrupted. Your ears will thank you.