10 Hard Rock Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

It's no secret that all of the grunge bands coming out of Seattle were going through some emotional distress. As opposed to the fun partying sound of the hair metal scene in the '80s, bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam weren't messing around when discussing depressing topics like suicide, abuse, and the everyday struggles of someone struggling with their mental state. At a time when overlooked topics were finally getting a voice, Alice in Chains showed us all that the most painful songs are those that feel real.

After coming off of Facelift, the guys in Alice had picked up some real bad habits, with Layne Staley falling head over heels into heroin addiction. Instead of going and getting clean first, every member channeled their inner pain into their music, which made for some of the most emotional performances of the '90s. Not even all of them had to be about drug addiction, with Staley's songs like Down in a Hole and Rain When I Die bookended by Jerry Cantrell's laments about arguments and PTSD on Dam That River and Rooster.

While this sounds like a really depressing record, the actual execution of these tunes are phenomenal, as these melodies act somewhat like a catharsis for both the band members and the fans dealing with issues of their own. There might be a lot of ugliness on here, but you have to have some dark corners if you want to see the light at the end of the tunnel.