10 Legendary Rock Bands That Got Darker Over Time

Going through their back catalog, someone like Alice in Chains doesn't really need to get any heavier than they already are. Since their first album and single literally started on the topic of kids dying at a young age, you can only go up from there, right? In theory, yes. When you put the first version of Alice in practice though, things were a lot more glitter rock than grunge.

Though they were still rooted in Seattle most of the time, the original incarnation of the band fronted by Layne Staley was entitled Alice N Chains, being much more in tune with the hair metal movement, down to the ripped jeans and cowboys boots worn by Jerry Cantrell to evoke the same persona of Slash. Something strange happened once they got everyone on the same page though, with Jerry turning in more sludgy riffs indebted to Black Sabbath.

This wasn't just a darker change in musical direction either. As Layne got more and more messed up with heroin, he started to hold nothing back in the lyrics as well, with Jar of Flies practically being a musical version of him signing off and choosing to waste away instead of fighting it. Even without Layne though, the darkness always crept back in, with the latest version of the band making riffs that almost feel closer to the realm of stoner rock than grunge. They may have started as an alternative band, but it's clear nowadays that Alice has grown into their metal boots.