12 Hard Rock Bands Who Succeeded By Never Selling Out

It's almost gone down as a cliche how bands get more commercial with each passing record. While the first offering may be the band's most authentic self, the actual personality of these musicians seem to get muddled further and further with each new track. Given the same formula with most famous bands, it's nice that Alice In Chains tried the reverse technique.

The band had originally started out looking like a glam band, with the name stylized as Alice N Chains to echo more familiar hard rock act Guns N Roses. Once the band relocated to the rainy city of Seattle, they began to tap into something much more sinister. After their first record Facelift, the band hit the road with a hodgepodge of different acts. One day they'd be opening up for Van Halen, the next they'd be on the Clash of the Titans tour with Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer.

As the band went onto their later albums, the band showed that they spent their time refining their sound rather than trying to make it fit into new aesthetics, with works like Jar of Flies and Dirt reflecting their wounded beauty. Even though Layne Staley is no longer with us, the band is still putting out quality material that aims to please no one but themselves.