12 Best Cult Hard Rock Albums Of The 90s

Alice in Chains always had a much more eclectic style than their grunge counterparts. Though their initial draw was always that haunting crunch of their electric rockers, the band's mellow acoustic side was enough to leave any metalhead stunned. Though the band's is celebrated for their landmark EP Jar of Flies, the acoustic outing right before this on the EP SAP can certainly hold its own next to its younger brother.

Are the melodies on here as hard-hitting as something like "No Excuses?" Not necessarily. What this album makes up for in the lack of hooks is plenty of atmosphere, with tunes that have some of the most eerie passages of the band's career. Songs like "Got Me Wrong" and "Brother" seem to be floating just on the edge of the universe, as Layne Staley's voice soars through the stratosphere. There is also "Love Song," which features a star-studded cast of Seattle musicians from Chris Cornell to Mark Arm from Mudhoney.

Even if these songs weren't received well upon release, they ended up taking on a whole different life once the band performed a few of them on their MTV Unplugged appearance. There may be no replacing Jar of Flies, but SAP is still a fantastic display of musicianship from Seattle's most chilling band.