20 Most Important Hard Rock Albums Of All Time
12. Dirt - Alice In Chains
It's nearly impossible to understate the grip that grunge music had on the hard rock world in the early 90's. With Pearl Jam and Nirvana receiving mainstream attention, every other record company wanted a band that sounded like them so they could make their own millions. While Alice In Chains may have shared the same area codes as the grunge rockers, their sound was much darker than anyone could have imagined.
Though the band's debut album Facelift showcased their blend of vocal beauty and metallic rage, it wasn't until Dirt was unleashed in 1992 that we really got to see how dark the band would get. Completed during a time when singer Layne Staley was strung out on drugs, this album feels like the sonic equivalent of a bad trip, with songs that sound like they want to be joyous but aren't able to pull themselves from the melancholy swamp.
Granted, not every song on this record deals with addiction, but the haze that encompasses the entire record drenches you in the same lethargic energy of being a junkie looking for your next high. Though Staley eventually lost his battle with his demons, Dirt still remains some of the greatest art to come from inner pain.