10 Most IMPORTANT Rock Musicians Of The 90s
4. Jerry Cantrell
In the rainy city of Seattle, there was no lack of people willing to say how miserable they were. From the punk rock amateur brevity of Mudhoney to the pure art rock zaniness of the Melvins, the sounds of grunge were practically designed to be sludgy and depressing from the minute you heard them. However, it took a certain type of songwriter to make those dark elements actually sound captivating.
Being one of the first real success stories from Seattle, Alice in Chains' arrival on the scene all came down to the mastermind of Jerry Cantrell. Despite having the pained cries of Layne Staley leading the charge, Cantrell's way of stringing together melodies alongside the brutal riffs gave them an edge that the other metal acts of the time couldn't have imagined. From the way the harmonies played off each other to the way the riffs would pummel you over the head, the whole thing sounded like what Black Sabbath would sound like if they had gotten a Beach Boys fixation.
Along with being the masterful arranger, Cantrell actually proved himself worthy of keeping Alice going after Staley started to spiral, drafting in William DuVall and finding new life at the turn of the century. While Alice might not have their trademark voice at the helm anymore, Cantrell's writing is pretty much part of the band's DNA at this point.