ALICE IN CHAINS (AIC) Dirt CD Album (1992) Reissue 2017

There are albums that defined a scene and then there's Dirt, the record that stared Seattle grunge in the face and refused to flinch. Released in 1992, Alice in Chains delivered something darker and more unflinching than most of their contemporaries were willing to touch.

Layne Staley's vocals on this record are a masterclass in controlled devastation. Them Bones opens like a punch to the chest and the album barely lets up from there. Down in a Hole, Rooster, Would? It's a tracklist that doesn't need defending. The 2017 reissue brings it back into circulation for anyone who wore out their original copy or is coming to it fresh, and either scenario is completely valid. This is essential grunge and dark alternative listening, full stop.

CD format, full-length album. Origin: USA. Genre: Grunge.

Fans of: Soundgarden, Mad Season, Nirvana