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* BerserkButton: Making fun of his addiction was a surefire way to make Layne Staley extremely angry. When ''The Rocket'' (a now-defunct Seattle-area music 'zine) wrote an article on the retirement of Alice in Chains' longtime manager that included the words "But who's to wipe and change Alice in Chains now?", Layne evidently took great umbrage at this and sent them [[{{Squick}} a jar of urine and a bag of human feces]] with an attached note that read "[[VerbThis Wipe and change this]], motherfuckers!"

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* BerserkButton: Making fun of his addiction was a surefire way to make Layne Staley extremely angry. When ''The Rocket'' (a now-defunct Seattle-area music 'zine) wrote an article on the retirement of Alice in Chains' longtime manager that included the words "But who's to wipe and change Alice in Chains now?", Layne evidently took great umbrage at this and sent them [[{{Squick}} a jar of urine and a bag of human feces]] with an attached note that read "[[VerbThis Wipe and change this]], motherfuckers!"motherfuckers!" The staffers, as grossed out as they were, were also relieved at the time, as Layne had long since disappeared from the public eye and was the subject of numerous rumors about his health and the depths of his addiction. When it arrived in the mail, they instantly knew it was from him, because it was ''exactly'' the sort of thing Layne would do.
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Their follow-up full-length album, ''Dirt'', was released later the same year, and became a success with the mainstream audience, due in part to Music/{{Nirvana}}'s release of ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'' and the breakout of grunge. They released another acoustic EP in 1994, titled ''Jar of Flies'', which quickly topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, making it the first-ever EP to reach the number one spot (it remained the only EP to gain this distinction until Music/LinkinPark & Music/JayZ released ''Collision Course'' in 2004). One year later, they released a self-titled studio album, which reached #1 again and is often considered the last album of the grunge era.

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Their follow-up full-length album, ''Dirt'', was released later the same year, and became a success with the mainstream audience, due in part to Music/{{Nirvana}}'s release of ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'' ''Music/{{Nevermind|Album}}'' and the breakout of grunge. They released another acoustic EP in 1994, titled ''Jar of Flies'', which quickly topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, making it the first-ever EP to reach the number one spot (it remained the only EP to gain this distinction until Music/LinkinPark & Music/JayZ released ''Collision Course'' in 2004). One year later, they released a self-titled studio album, which reached #1 again and is often considered the last album of the grunge era.
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* DoomMetal: They could be seen as a more {{alternative|Metal}} take on the genre, especially in ''Dirt'' and ''Alice in Chains'', given the slow tempos, heavy {{Epic Riff}}s and serious subject matter. However, select songs such as "Hate to Feel" can be considered straight-up doom.
* DrugsAreBad: Very, ''very'' bad; many of their songs, especially on ''Dirt'', are about drugs' destructive influence and the pain they've caused. This becomes HarsherInHindsight when you consider that Layne Staley and Mike Starr later died from drug overdoses.

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* DoomMetal: They could be seen as a more {{alternative|Metal}} take on the genre, especially in ''Dirt'' and ''Alice in Chains'', given the slow tempos, heavy {{Epic [[invoked]]{{Epic Riff}}s and serious subject matter. However, select songs such as "Hate to Feel" can be considered straight-up doom.
* DrugsAreBad: Very, ''very'' bad; many of their songs, especially on ''Dirt'', are about drugs' destructive influence and the pain they've caused. This becomes HarsherInHindsight [[invoked]]HarsherInHindsight when you consider that Layne Staley and Mike Starr later died from drug overdoses.



** There are multiple theories on the meaning of the chorus in "Would?" and also several regarding "Dam That River"; the latter is definitely referring to the uncontrolled bleeding from a head wound that Sean Kinney gave Jerry Cantrell after he smashed him over the head with a coffee table (confirmed by WordOfGod), but it could very well be referring to Gary Ridgway's habit of dumping the bodies of his victims in the Green River as well.

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** There are multiple theories on the meaning of the chorus in "Would?" and also several regarding "Dam That River"; the latter is definitely referring to the uncontrolled bleeding from a head wound that Sean Kinney gave Jerry Cantrell after he smashed him over the head with a coffee table (confirmed by WordOfGod), [[invoked]]WordOfGod), but it could very well be referring to Gary Ridgway's habit of dumping the bodies of his victims in the Green River as well.
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* CircusOfFear: The video for "I Stay Away", made even creepier by the use of somewhat grotesque puppets. The song itself doesn't really have much to do with it.

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* CircusOfFear: The video for "I Stay Away", made even creepier by the use of somewhat grotesque puppets. The song itself doesn't really have much to do with it.the trope.
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* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: AIC started out in the late 80s as a glam metal band, which is very apparent in early demo songs like "I Can't Have You Blues" and "Social Parasite".
''Facelift'' had all of the standard AIC elements firmly in place, but their glam roots were ''extremely'' prominent, especially in the songs on the album's latter half. Additionally, while the lyrical content was hardly sunshine and rainbows, it wasn't nearly as bleak and depressing as on subsequent albums.

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* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: AIC started out in the late 80s as a glam metal band, which is very apparent in early demo songs like "I Can't Have You Blues" and "Social Parasite". \n ''Facelift'' had all of the standard AIC elements firmly in place, but their glam roots were ''extremely'' prominent, especially in the songs on the album's latter half. Additionally, while the lyrical content was hardly sunshine and rainbows, it wasn't nearly as bleak and depressing as on subsequent albums.
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''Facelift'' had all of the standard AIC elements firmly in place, but their glam roots were ''extremely'' prominent, especially in the songs on the album's latter half. Additionall, while the lyrical content was hardly sunshine and rainbows, it wasn't nearly as bleak and depressing as on subsequent albums.

to:

''Facelift'' had all of the standard AIC elements firmly in place, but their glam roots were ''extremely'' prominent, especially in the songs on the album's latter half. Additionall, Additionally, while the lyrical content was hardly sunshine and rainbows, it wasn't nearly as bleak and depressing as on subsequent albums.
Willbyr MOD

Changed: 632

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* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: While ''Facelift'' had all of the standard Alice in Chains elements firmly in place, it also had ''extremely'' prominent glam influences from their earlier days. The lyrical content, while hardly sunshine and rainbows, wasn't nearly as bleak and depressing as on subsequent albums.
** Pre-Facelift demo songs like "I Can't Have You Blues" and "Social Parasite" are perfect examples of 1980s glam-metal era [=AiC=].

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* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: While ''Facelift'' had all of AIC started out in the standard Alice in Chains elements firmly in place, it also had ''extremely'' prominent late 80s as a glam influences from their earlier days. The lyrical content, while hardly sunshine and rainbows, wasn't nearly as bleak and depressing as on subsequent albums.
** Pre-Facelift
metal band, which is very apparent in early demo songs like "I Can't Have You Blues" and "Social Parasite" are perfect examples Parasite".
''Facelift'' had all
of 1980s glam-metal era [=AiC=].the standard AIC elements firmly in place, but their glam roots were ''extremely'' prominent, especially in the songs on the album's latter half. Additionall, while the lyrical content was hardly sunshine and rainbows, it wasn't nearly as bleak and depressing as on subsequent albums.
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* CircusOfFear: The video for "I Stay Away" by Music/AliceInChains, made even creepier by the use of somewhat grotesque puppets. The song itself doesn't really have much to do with it.

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* CircusOfFear: The video for "I Stay Away" by Music/AliceInChains, Away", made even creepier by the use of somewhat grotesque puppets. The song itself doesn't really have much to do with it.
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* CircusOfFear: The video for "I Stay Away" by Music/AliceInChains, made even creepier by the use of somewhat grotesque puppets. The song itself doesn't really have much to do with it.
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* William [=DuVall=] - vocals, guitar
* Music/JerryCantrell - vocals, guitar

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* William [=DuVall=] - vocals, rhythm guitar
* Music/JerryCantrell - vocals, lead guitar



* Layne Staley - vocals, guitar 1987-2002

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* Layne Staley - vocals, rhythm guitar 1987-2002
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** And "Phantom Limb": " My regrets are many, true.../ Still so much worse lies ahead.... for you!
* BerserkButton: Making fun of his addiction was a surefire way to make Layne Staley extremely angry. When ''The Rocket'' (a now-defunct Seattle-area music 'zine) wrote an article on the retirement of Alice in Chains' longtime manager that included the words "But who's to wipe and change Alice in Chains now?", Layne evidently took great umbrage at this and sent them [[{{Squick}} a jar of urine and a bag of human feces]] with an attached note that read "Wipe and change this, motherfuckers!".

to:

** And "Phantom Limb": " My "My regrets are many, true.../ Still so much worse lies ahead.... for you!
you!"
* BerserkButton: Making fun of his addiction was a surefire way to make Layne Staley extremely angry. When ''The Rocket'' (a now-defunct Seattle-area music 'zine) wrote an article on the retirement of Alice in Chains' longtime manager that included the words "But who's to wipe and change Alice in Chains now?", Layne evidently took great umbrage at this and sent them [[{{Squick}} a jar of urine and a bag of human feces]] with an attached note that read "Wipe "[[VerbThis Wipe and change this, motherfuckers!".this]], motherfuckers!"
Willbyr MOD

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* AntiLoveSong: "Love Song", the cacophonic hidden track on ''Sap'', is about someone who's emotionally done with their relationship. While they still feel something for the other person, they're in too much personal turmoil to make it worthwhile.



* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Drummer Sean Kinney sings lead vocals (actually just yelling random stuff into a megaphone) on "Love Song" from the ''Sap'' EP. In fact, all the band members switch instruments on that track. There's also old camcorder footage of them screwing around in their rehearsal space once, with Staley playing a very basic kick-snare-kick-snare beat and Kinney rolling around on the ground shrieking. They captioned it with a scroll which read: WARNING - SINGER DRUMMING, DRUMMER SINGING

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* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Drummer Sean Kinney sings lead vocals (actually just yelling random stuff the "lyrics" into a megaphone) on "Love Song" from the ''Sap'' EP. In fact, all the band members switch instruments on that track.track[[note]]Staley plays drums and Cantrell and Starr trade instruments[[/note]]. There's also old camcorder footage of them screwing around in their rehearsal space once, with Staley playing a very basic kick-snare-kick-snare beat and Kinney rolling around on the ground shrieking. They captioned it with a scroll which read: WARNING - SINGER DRUMMING, DRUMMER SINGING
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* LeadSingerPlaysLeadGuitar: Zig-zagged. Cantrell, who is largely the only member to perform guitar, plays the lead parts in comparison to Staley and [=DuVall=]'s occasional, more rhythmic guitar inputs. Cantrell is predominantly the lead singer in the [=DuVall-era=] studio material, but [=DuVall=] takes that role for current live performances of the Staley-era work, on top of never playing guitar in it.

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* LeadSingerPlaysLeadGuitar: Zig-zagged. Cantrell, who is largely the only member to perform guitar, plays the lead parts in comparison to Staley and [=DuVall=]'s occasional, more rhythmic guitar inputs. Cantrell is predominantly the lead singer in the [=DuVall-era=] studio material, but [=DuVall=] takes that role for current live performances of the Staley-era work, on top of never playing guitar in it.
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* LeadSingerPlaysLeadGuitar: Zig-zagged. Cantrell, who is largely the only member to perform guitar, plays the lead parts in comparison to Staley and [=DuVall=]'s occasional, more rhythmic guitar inputs. Cantrell is predominantly the lead singer in the studio material featuring [=DuVall=], but the latter takes that role for current live performances of the work with Staley, on top of never playing guitar in it.
* LighterAndSofter: Downplayed with the Will [=DuVall=] albums. Musically, they have the same heavy guitar riffs and pummeling sound as the Layne Staley albums. However, the lyrics and songwriting are decidedly less negative and despairing. This could probably be attributed to the band, as a whole, being much older and wiser[[note]]not to mention, mostly drug-free [[/note]] by the time of their late-2000s comeback.

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* LeadSingerPlaysLeadGuitar: Zig-zagged. Cantrell, who is largely the only member to perform guitar, plays the lead parts in comparison to Staley and [=DuVall=]'s occasional, more rhythmic guitar inputs. Cantrell is predominantly the lead singer in the [=DuVall-era=] studio material featuring [=DuVall=], material, but the latter [=DuVall=] takes that role for current live performances of the work with Staley, Staley-era work, on top of never playing guitar in it.
* LighterAndSofter: Downplayed with the Will William [=DuVall=] albums. Musically, they have the same heavy guitar riffs and pummeling sound as the Layne Staley albums. However, the lyrics and songwriting are decidedly less negative and despairing. This could probably be attributed to the band, as a whole, being much older and wiser[[note]]not wiser (not to mention, mostly drug-free [[/note]] drug-free) by the time of their late-2000s comeback.

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* LeadSingerPlaysLeadGuitar: Zig-zagged. Cantrell, who is largely the only member to perform guitar, plays the lead parts in comparison to Staley and [=DuVall=]'s occasional, more rhythmic guitar inputs. Cantrell is predominantly the lead singer in the studio material featuring [=DuVall=], but the latter takes that role for current live performances of the work with Staley, on top of never playing guitar in it.
* LighterAndSofter: Downplayed with the Will [=DuVall=] albums. Musically, they have the same heavy guitar riffs and pummeling sound as the Layne Staley albums. However, the lyrics and songwriting are decidedly less negative and despairing. This could probably be attributed to the band, as a whole, being much older and wiser[[note]]not to mention, mostly drug-free [[/note]] by the time of their late-2000s comeback.



* LighterAndSofter: Downplayed with the Will [=DuVall=] albums. Musically, they have the same heavy guitar riffs and pummeling sound as the Layne Staley albums. However, the lyrics and songwriting are decidedly less negative and despairing. This could probably be attributed to the band, as a whole, being much older and wiser[[note]]not to mention, mostly drug-free [[/note]] by the time of their late-2000s comeback.

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