12 Most Brutally Heavy Metal Albums EVER

12. Dirt - Alice In Chains

In the world of hard rock, grunge came to prominence in the early 90's and pretty much rewrote the handbook. Although these bands were putting out quality records, not many had their toes dipped in metal territory quite like Alice in Chains. Once the band got off the road for their first offering Facelift, we were treated to something much darker on Dirt.

The entire record is coated in an existential melancholy, almost like each of the band members are teetering right on the edge of existence at every turn. The amount of heavy riffs from Jerry Cantrell on songs like "Them Bones" and "Dam That River" provide an ideal counterbalance to the gorgeous vocal harmonies he shares with singer Layne Staley.

Although the whole album earns its heavy pedigree, it gets even heavier once everything's put into context. At the time of recording, Staley was suffering from a heroin addiction that would eventually claim his life, and these lyrics read like the confessions of a man who has fallen prey to his own sins.

The music made you feel that dread, but knowing what we know, these are the true sounds of Layne's inner pain coming from the other side of consciousness. While most were going along with the trend of flannel shirts and angst, this was the most ominous record from the scene to work its way onto the Billboard Charts.