10 Best Acoustic Metal Songs

Alice in Chains always seemed to have two different sides of themselves. In addition to having two competent lead vocalists with Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell, these Seattle rockers were as proficient in acoustic music as metal, with songs like Man in the Box being balanced on the other side by Brother or Got Me Wrong.

Even though the group laid out all of their demons on their album Dirt, Jar of Flies showed that there was much more to unpack on Nutshell.

With Staley at the forefront, this entire track feels like giving up, as the singer sounds tattered and torn at the hands of his addiction. Set to just a few cowboy chords from Cantrell, Staley's performance almost feels like him releasing every single emotion he has left in his body, with subtle hints of beauty appearing just below the surface.

While Cantrell tries to add some life into the track with his final guitar solo, there's no escaping the drug-addled haze you're stuck in.

This song also ended up taking on a new life when Alice played it live on MTV Unplugged, as Layne looked like he was at the end of his rope, completely consumed by his demons. No one should have to die for the sake of their art, but sometimes the most beautiful musical passages can only be born out of tremendous pain.