Alice in Chains were one of the most pivotal rock bands of the ’90s, and especially of the Pacific Northwest music scene. Though they released some of the best albums of that decade, they’re still going strong today with a second vocalist. But which of their records is the best? That’s what we want to know during this week’s Loudwire Nights Album of the Week poll.
You’ll have until Friday at 12N ET to cast your votes. We’ll then play the three tracks from the album with the most votes during Loudwire Nights‘ Album of the Week block to start the following Monday’s show!
Alice in Chains have the unique distinction of being the first of the “grunge” bands to have an album peak in the Top 50 of the Billboard 200 chart, as they were also the first to sign with a major label. Facelift, which came out in 1990, likely owed a lot of its success to the popularity of the hits “We Die Young” and “Man in the Box” — particularly the latter, which was put into heavy rotation on MTV in 1991.
All eyes were on Seattle by the beginning of 1992, after Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden all also released breakthrough albums. So when Alice in Chains released their sophomore album Dirt later that year, they were already one of the biggest bands in rock ‘n’ roll. But, this second album was much deeper and darker than its predecessor, and introduced fans to a style of heavy but introspective music they may not have ever heard before.
Alice released one more record with vocalist Layne Staley in 1995, which was self-titled, though many refer to it as Tripod because of the three-legged dog pictured on the cover. It was their first and only album to go No. 1.
After the tragic death of Staley in 2002, Alice in Chains didn’t imagine they’d continue, but in 2009, they made a triumphant comeback with new vocalist William DuVall with the album Black Gives Way to Blue. Since then, they’ve put out another two records with him on the mic.
Head below to vote for your favorite Alice in Chains album, then tune into Loudwire Nights next Monday at 7PM ET to find out which record prevailed. During tonight’s show, you’ll get to find out which Papa Roach album was voted the best, and hear three songs from the winner.
Loudwire Nights with Toni Gonzalez airs nightly starting at 7PM ET. You can tune in anytime, from anywhere right here or by downloading the Loudwire app.