COMM 380:  Media Criticism

Heavy metal band Alice in Chains’ second album, Dirt, is a legendary collection of filthy-sounding tunes that totally envelops the listener in its darkness. This album is particularly special to Alice in Chains fans, as Dirt is the final album release to feature all original band members, as Mike Starr, bassist was dismissed on account of heavy drug addiction in 1993 (The Grunge Story). Perhaps what is most moving about this now four-time platinum 1992 album is its genuineness of origin, with lyrics and sound born of the pain and anguish being experienced by its creators which is clearly audible in both the lyrical stories and wicked vibrations of guitar strings featured on this album, making Dirt the greatest Alice in Chains album made in the band’s history. 

 

At the time of Dirt’s release, Alice in Chains was comprised of Layne Staley as lead vocalist, Jerry Cantrell on guitar and vocals, Mike Starr on bass, and Sean Kinney as drummer (Billboard). Cantrell was the lead songwriter, and is responsible for most of the lyrics found on Dirt, but collaborated with Staley on a few of the songs including ‘Angry Chair,’ ‘Sickman,’ and ‘Dirt.’ Much of the inspiration for the dark words and depressing concepts were drawn directly from life-considering that multiple band members had heroin addictions, including Layne Staley who eventually spiraled down into his death in 2002 from an overdose (Reyes-Kulkarni, 2015). All things considered, those very dances with death and despair that accompany that dismal lifestyle were divinely channeled into song form here.

 

Perhaps the most standout element of the music heard on Dirt are the unique sounds emitted deep from the soul of Layne Staley. His voice has something new in it, laced with raw and agonized undercurrents, yet implemented with a certain smoothness and might. Particularly on songs like ‘Rooster,’ ‘Would?’ and ‘Down in a Hole,’ Staley executes long, deep notes with a prolonged strength, but slips up into a curious nasally vibrato at the end of each, contributing to his signature sound.

 

Staley also explored a few other unique approaches to create a sound quality from his vocals while in studio. Using a technique called “stacked vocals,” which consists of recording your voice twice, even three times over, and playing them layered upon one another to create a deeper, more haunting sound (De Sola, 2012).

 

This was a technique that Staley suggested himself, with his producer Dave Jerden following his lead, and this ingenuity should be commended, as it translates successfully into the music. In another creative stream, Staley transformed his voice on the track, “Godsmack,” by creating a vibrato effect without the help of any equipment, and only his voice (De Sola, 2012). These innovative techniques shine through on the album, and add immensely to Dirt’s distinctiveness in style and sound.

 

A few of the songs on Dirt directly address the junkie lifestyle from an addict’s point of view and with a shallow listen, seem to glamorize it. The track “Junkhead” is essentially an argument that getting high is a way of opening the mind, almost showing pity for those who judge and have never experienced such a thing. Again in “Godsmack” when Staley sings the line “stick your arm for some real fun” repeatedly in the chorus, it can appear as a promotion of said lifestyle. However, Staley has been noted on several occasions by friends to express his disgust for what heroin has done to him and the people around him, and actually did not intend to promote the use of drugs through Alice in Chains’ music. Instead, these songs can and should be taken as a warning, giving its listeners insight as to how an addicted mind can warp itself into justifying a serious addiction.

 

What takes this album to the next level is a certain evil flow that accompanies the sound of Staley’s voice, and that is brought on expertly by the combination of guitar, bass and hard-hitting drums. The instrumentals throughout “Rain When I Die” conjure images of rolling flames licking outward and above. Cantrell’s guitar playing, which is masterfully combined with a deepness and constancy from Starr’s bass guitar are moving and almost pull at your insides. “Rooster” inspired by Cantrell’s Vietnam veteran father, expertly creates a feel in the listener of impending doom, initially with slow guitar strumming, and constant bass for pacing, but then breaks into an overwhelming instrumental triumph for the chorus, while still keeping to its true grim tone, and pairing perfectly with the lyrical message. Finally, one of Dirt’s best and most direct songs, “Junkhead” faces the topic of descending and succumbing to addiction head on, with momentarily glorious sound during the chorus, to perhaps parallel the scoring of some drugs, but then again returning to the miserable plunging sound that a listener can easily connect to a sense of depression and hopelessness, but also determination, as Staley truly belts out those lyrics.

 

Each of these 13 songs totally consumes its listeners with an unmatchable richness, though dark it may be. There is a distinctive fullness of sound in each of these songs, and the album is consistent in its messages on death, addiction, depression, self-hatred, alienation and a vast array of other grim themes. On Dirt, Alice in Chains achieved a depth and truth that no other grunge band was able to achieve throughout the 90’s in quite the same way. Perhaps, other than sheer talent, this success can be partially attributed to the tragedy that struck this band, in addiction and self-destruction. However, we thank them for their self-awareness and capturing of that suffering and channeling it into a beautiful album. They have truly left the world with one of the greatest, heaviest rock albums of all time: Dirt.

 

Works Cited:

 

Alice in Chains. (n.d.). In BIllboard. Retrieved from

http://www.billboard.com/artist/278597/alice-chains/biography

 

Alice in Chains. (n.d.). In The Grunge Story. Retreived from

http://adikicksass.com/grunge/?q=alice-chains

 

De Sola, D. (2012, April 5). How Alice in Chains found the most memorable voice in

grunge. The Atlantic. Retrieved from

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/how-alice-

in-chains-found-the-most-memorable-voice-in-grunge/255469/

 

Reyes-Kulkarni, S. (2015, September 29). 23 years ago: Alice in Chains dig deep with

‘Dirt’. Diffuser. Retrieved from http://diffuser.fm/alice-in-chains-dig-deep-with-dirt/