Alice in Chains

Facelift

By Joseph Dougherty

Alice in Chains helped to release Layne Staley’s tortured soul.  The group’s debut Facelift represented the type of music that existed in Seattle during the grunge movement of the early nineties.  The first song “We Die Young” shows the architecture of this record.  They fill the album with screaming lyrics built around hard guitar playing.  The record’s message about youth and hard times lurks in every song through Layne Staley’s dark lyrics.

One of the best songs, “Man in the Box” was the hit of this record.  This compelling song pits Staley’s powerful vocal instrument with Jerry Cantrell’s awesome guitar playing and epochal solos, literally sucking you into the music. 

   Some of the songs on Facelift sound a bit cheesy when listening to them years later, but they still sound relevant.  “Love/Hate/Love” has an eerie, outright scary sound typifies the power ballad,  lighter side of Alice in Chains even as the power of the song creeps up on you and takes over with unusual depth.  This music has a sound all of its own.  A true classic of the 90’s Seattle rock scene.