10 Most Divisive Hard Rock Albums

Out of all of the grunge bands that were making waves past 1994, Alice in Chains actually managed to stay fairly consistent with their releases. Though Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were each going through a bit of a rough patch in the wake of the alternative nation's mourning of Kurt Cobain, the sad nature of Jerry Cantrell's hadn't failed him on the self-titled record. This wasn't divisive because of the songs though. It was because it signaled the beginning of the end.

Since everyone knew of the troubles that Layne Staley had with substance issues, the fact that he only shows up for a little bit on this record let everyone in on how bad a shape he was in. Though his harmonies with Jerry are still amazing, you can barely hear him summon up the strength for a gutteral scream anymore, feeling more like a shell of what he once was.

Hell, some of these songs have so little Layne involvement that they seem like previews of what would turn up on Cantrell's solo albums later down the line. Having a closing track called Over Now also proved highly prophetic, with Alice going on hiatus until Layne eventually passed away in 2002 from his heroin addiction. While any Alice in Chains song is meant to carry some morose feeling, not many can claim to be as close to the bone as this.