10 Best Grunge Albums You Need To Hear

Compared to the rest of the grunge giants, Alice in Chains got a head start with their psychedelic sound of doom. Initially going out on tour with bands like Slayer and Anthrax, the audiences clearly were not accustomed to the sound of introspective dirges just yet.

Once Facelift was released, the allure behind this band was finally made clear with songs that sounded like a monstrous force plowing over your being. While many fans tend to assume that Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the first true grunge hit, Alice in Chains was the one to get their first with their bluesy diatribe "Man in the Box." The hits don't stop there though, with tracks like "Sea of Sorrow" and "We Die Young" showcasing the band's gorgeous vocal harmonies soaring among the destruction below.

Though later albums would show some of Layne Staley's more celebrated vocal performances, tracks like "Love Hate Love" and "Bleed the Freak" are Staley at his most diverse. Facelift is the sound of the band at their most hungry, as the umbrella of grunge presented the closest thing to a metal band that Seattle could offer. As AOC went further, things would definitely be changing, with magnificent highs and emotional lows.