10 Greatest Album Intros In Rock History
3. Them Bones - Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains' first run in the '90s was the stuff of music legend. Long before the grunge scene had really taken over, the band's success off of tracks like Man in the Box got fans acclimatized to what alternative rock would be just a few years later. However, a few years can change a person when drugs start to creep into the picture.
Going into their next album Dirt, Alice used the lyrics as an opportunity to address their demons, with Layne Staley not mincing words about his dependence on heroin. Though the entire album feels like a descent into the underworld, Them Bones practically throws you into the chaos from the very beginning. Starting with the agonized screams from Staley, we get one of Alice's heaviest riffs, whose offbeat time signature makes it all the more demented. By the time the vocals actually come in, you've reached the pit of despair with absolutely no means of escape.
As the tracks chugs along, Staley's screams grow even more desperate, almost as if he's trying to shout away all of the pain that he gets from his demons. It gets even more depressing when you get into the lyrics, with Staley promising nothing except returning to dust at the hands of his addiction. Though this is not the sunniest of tracks, it is extremely effective in setting you into the mood of what Dirt would become.