Columbia It was Sept. 29, 1992 when Alice in Chains released their sophomore set, ‘Dirt,’ a brooding masterpiece that would stand as one of the ’90s best works. Having made inroads with their debut full-length ‘Facelift’ and its pre-grunge explosion single ‘Man in the Box,’ many felt the group was primed for something big now that their music scene was finally taking off nationwide. They didn’t disappoint, and got an early boost when the song ‘ Would? ‘ from the forthcoming album would turn up on the ‘Singles’ soundtrack. The melancholy track was penned by guitarist Jerry Cantrell as a reaction to the death of his late friend, Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone, who died from a heroin overdose a few years prior. Cantrell would state on the ‘Music Bank’ liner notes, “I was thinking a lot about Andrew Wood at the time. We always had a great time when we did hang out, much like Chris Cornell and I do. There was never really a serious moment or conversation, it was all fun. Andy was a hilarious guy, full of life and it was really sad to lose him. But I always hate people who judge the decisions others make. So it was also directed towards people who pass judgments.” The feelings brought about by addiction issues would play a large role in the recording of ‘Dirt.’ ‘ Them Bones ‘ would be the second single from the disc (first if you consider ‘Would?’ initially coming from a soundtrack prior to the album’s release). From a vocal standpoint, there’s not much more powerful than the primal scream that Layne Staley delivers at the beginning of the song. On the lyrical side, Cantrell would state that the track was his take on the mortality that faces us all. The guitarist also took great pride in the track’s 7/8 time signature, telling Guitar World , “Off-time stuff is just more exciting. It takes people by surprise when you shift gears like that before they even know what the hell hit ‘em … A lot of Alice stuff is written that way. ‘Them Bones’ is a great off-time song.” The other major songwriter in Alice in Chains, Layne Staley, stepped up with the band’s third single, ‘ Angry Chair .’ The singer even strapped on the guitar to add a little something extra to the track. ‘Angry Chair’ is also a notable song in the band’s history as it was one of the final moments where bassist Mike Starr got to shine. Starr would eventually exit the band, leaving Mike Inez to finish out the disc and eventually take over as a full-time touring and recording member. But before he left, Starr and drummer Sean Kinney laid down the killer low end on this classic cut. The group hit on something big with their fourth single, ‘Rooster.’ The haunting opening melody of Staley and Cantrell is spine tingling, and the way Staley moves between the moody intro into the full-on belting of “ I ain’t gonna die ” later in the track shows his range. Cantrell wrote the song about his Vietnam War-vet father, who was nicknamed “The Rooster,” and the track shares some of the horrors of war that his father finally opened up about. It would go on to become the biggest song on the disc, topping out at No. 7 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. Finishing out the singles was ‘ Down in a Hole ,’ a rare love song from Alice in Chains. Cantrell said in the ‘Music Bank’ liner notes, “It’s to my long-time love. It’s the reality of my life, the path I’ve chosen, and in a weird way it kind of foretold where we are right now. It’s hard for both of us to understand … that this life is not conducive to much success with long-term relationships.” In addition to the singles, the album is filled with heavy goodness, as the chugging rocker ‘ God Smack ,’ the darkly wailing ‘ Rain When I Die ,’ and the hard-hitting ‘ Sick Man ‘ are among the standouts that never got commercial airplay. By the time the album cycle was complete, Alice in Chains had gone from potential buzz band to having their rock ‘n’ roll legacy cemented. ‘Dirt’ was the right album at the right time, and took full advantage of being released at the height of the grunge era. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-grunge-bands/” title=”Next: 10 Best Grunge Bands of All-Time” align=”center”] Watch Alice in Chains ‘Rooster’
Posts Tagged ‘singles’
20 Years Ago Today: Alice in Chains Release ‘Dirt’
September 29th, 2012 
Metalkult 
Posted in News 
Tags: alice, alice in chains, andrew-wood, chris-cornell, guitar, layne-staley, life, rock, singles, time, track, vietnam 
No Comments »Marilyn Manson Unveils Avant-Garde Video for ‘Hey, Cruel World…’
September 28th, 2012 Metalkult Cooking Vinyl Rock icon Marilyn Manson has been riding high since the release of eighth album and self-professed “comeback” record, ‘Born Villain.’ After already unleashing videos for the singles ‘No Reflection’ and ‘Slo-Mo-Tion,’ Manson has brought us his third visual offering from ‘Born Villain’ with a new video for the album’s opening track, ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ One interesting aspect of the video that should be pointed out is that ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ has been released entirely in black and white. When Manson set out to write the ‘Born Villain’ album, the musician chose to isolate himself in a small apartment, bringing only a few possessions with him into a room with white walls and a black floor. Either purposely or subconsciously, perhaps the video is a representation of that starting point. “It took me completely stripping my life away,” Manson told us in an interview shortly before the release of ‘Born Villain.’ “Moving into a place with black floors and white walls, putting all my things in storage and just taking my movies, my instruments, my cats and realizing, ‘I don’t need anything else. All I need to do is fill this [room] full of something.’” ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ is what fans have come to expect from a Manson offering; unnerving imagery, extreme close-ups and epileptic transitions, with a strange sense of hypnotic fascination. The video’s director, Tim Mattia, says of the clip, ”We shot over four nights in the UK, Italy and America, capturing what I think is one of the world’s most exciting live performers at his best.” Be sure to check out Marilyn Manson’s new video for ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ in the player below. Marilyn Manson, ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-slo-mo-tion-video/” title=”Next: Watch Marilyn Manson’s ‘Slo-Mo-Tion’ Video” align=”center”]
Posted in News Tags: a-place-with, instruments, life, movies, official music videos, singles, songs, video, villain No Comments »Top 10 Albums of 2002
September 20th, 2012 Metalkult Sean Gardner / Jonathan Wood / Karl Walter, Getty Images As cliche as it may sound, it seems unbelievable that these 2002 landmark albums were released a decade ago. In a time when MTV was still playing music videos on heavy rotation, mainstream rock as well as underground metal had a very memorable year in 2002. Bands such as Queens of the Stone Age and Chevelle rocketed to worldwide notoriety, while various types of 'core' and progressive metal crowned some new heroes. Although 10 years have passed since the release of these albums, each one of them shares a timeless quality that to this day, allows these records to be constantly re-spun. Check out our list of the Top 10 Albums of 2002: ? 10 'Audioslave' Audioslave ? ? When it comes to rock 'supergroups,' few have been as successful as Audioslave were in the 2000s. Consisting of Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine along with Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, Audioslave's self-titled album is home to rock anthems like 'Cochise,' 'Show Me How to Live' and 'Like a Stone.' The band would release two more albums before breaking up in 2007. ? 9 'Perseverance' Hatebreed ? ? As the New Wave of American Metal swept through the 2000s, different types of 'core' began to gain a tremendous amount of attention. With the release of Hatebreed 's 'Perseverance,' they became one of the first truly heavy bands of the era to succeed on a major label [Universal]. As an essential piece of the New England metal scene, bands such as Killswitch Engage constantly praise Hatebreed for paving the way for modern metal acts and allowing others to succeed on major labels. Tracks such as 'Proven,' 'Call for Blood' and 'I Will Be Heard' allow for a unique catharsis, letting the listener “get the red out.” ? 8 'The Art of Balance' Shadows Fall ? ? In a quest to find the perfect balance between melody and aggression, Shadows Fall created 'The Art of Balance.' With tracks about yoga and meditation mixed in with negative points in life and thrashing aggression, the experiment worked, and 'The Art of Balance' received gleaming praise from critics and fans. Vocalist Brian Fair explains, “It's the idea of oneness and unity between all people and all things. It's the idea that all systems begin from the same spark and it's something we get further away from. We're all in this together.” ? 7 'Wonder Whats Next' Chevelle ? ? Chevelle released their breakthrough album 'Wonder What's Next' in 2002, and the disc went on to achieve platinum certification. The success of the album is largely due to Chevelle's signature track, 'The Red.' 'Wonder Whats Next' had a long and impressive ride after the its release, as the singles 'Send the Pain Below' and 'Closure' kept Chevelle going through a monumental period in the band's history. ? 6 'Alive or Just Breathing' Killswitch Engage ? ? Widely considered as pioneers of the 2000s metalcore explosion, Killswitch Engage released 'Alive or Just Breathing' to mass acclaim. It was the last album featuring original vocalist Jesse Leach, who returned to Killswitch in 2012 after a decade-long tenure elsewhere. The highly addictive album consists of fan favorites 'My Last Serenade' and 'Fixation on the Darkness,' among others. ? 5 'Oceanic' Isis ? ? Crushing, gorgeous, stunning, sludgy, mesmerizing … 'Oceanic.' New England post-metal band Isis delivered a true gem with the release of 'Oceanic.' Their sophomore effort is a conceptual masterpiece, which revolves around the themes of water, romance, incest and suicide. 'Oceanic' feels like it hasn't aged a bit in it's 10-year existence, with old and new fans continuing to immerse themselves in Isis' isolating depths, even if there is no land in sight. ? 4 'By the Way' Red Hot Chili Peppers ? ? With 'Californication' achieving phenomenal success, Red Hot Chili Peppers needed another incredible album to keep the momentum going. With the song 'Can't Stop' being a perfect manifesto to define RHCP, their 'By the Way' album carried the band into another monumentally high point in their existence. With the album's release, songs like 'By the Way' and 'The Zephyr Song' flooded the airwaves into the ears of joyful listeners. ? 3 'Deliverance' Opeth ? ? Opeth truly boast one of the most incredible discographies in metal music. With ironclad critical praise following their entire career, 'Deliverance' is one of 10 full-length milestones in the lifespan of Opeth. Although 'Deliverance' only consists of six tracks, the album clocks in at over an hour, with mastermind and frontman Mikael Akerfeldt brewing one of his best progressive death metal concoctions to date. ? 2 'Remission' Mastodon ? ? Mastodon 's debut album, 'Remission' proved to be the launching pad for an incredibly important and critically acclaimed band. Loosely based on the theme of fire, 'Remission' is an album with the power of an atomic bomb. The disc is home to a myriad of modern classics such as 'Crusher Destroyer,' 'Mother Puncher,' 'Where Strides the Behemoth' and 'March of the Fire Ants.' Simply put, 'Remission' is an album that redefines your perception of what humans can create. ? 1 'Songs for the Deaf' Queens of the Stone Age ? ? Queens of the Stone Age are a difficult band to nail down. Despite not fitting into any particular musical genre, 'Songs for the Deaf' exploded into the mainstream with an unexpected burst of originality and balls-out rock. The disc is thickly layered with addictive singles like 'No One Knows' and 'Go With the Flow,' combined with challenging and unrelenting barrages of guitar-driven tracks such as 'A Song for the Deaf.' For its overall originality, 'Songs for the Deaf' tops our list of the best 2002 albums. ? What's Your Favorite Album of 2002? Which of these 2002 albums is your favorite? Did we get the order right? Did we miss an album? If we didn't include your personal favorite, post it in the comments section below: ?
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