Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains [2LP Limited Yellow Vinyl]

Alice In Chains pushed its heavy, down-tuned sound into a darker and more fractured form on the self-titled album, combining dense guitar riffs with acoustic passages, stark harmonies, and Layne Staley's increasingly strained vocal presence. Jerry Cantrell's writing carries much of the record, while Mike Inez and Sean Kinney give songs such as "Grind" and "Sludge Factory" a deliberate, weighty pulse that separates this album from the band's earlier work.

"Grind" opens with a slow, crushing riff and a chorus built around layered Staley and Cantrell vocals, while "Heaven Beside You" shifts toward acoustic guitar and a more melodic structure. "Again" is tighter and more repetitive, driven by a circular riff and clipped vocal refrain, while "Sludge Factory" stretches its tension over a longer arrangement. "Over Now" closes with acoustic guitar, restrained percussion, and a measured vocal that gives the final side a different character from the heavier material.

The lyrics address isolation, addiction, distrust, fractured relationships, and personal decline in songs such as "God *m," "Frogs," and "Shame In You." It was the band's final studio album with Layne Staley as lead vocalist. This 30th Anniversary limited edition is pressed as two translucent Highlighter Yellow vinyl records and housed in a gatefold jacket with printed inner sleeves.

• Format: 2LP
• Standout tracks: Grind, Heaven Beside You, Again, Over Now
• Pressing details: 30th Anniversary, Limited Edition, Translucent Highlighter Yellow Vinyl, Gatefold Jacket, Printed Inner Sleeves
• Genre/style: Grunge, Alternative Metal, Hard Rock
• UPC: 198028486910

"Grind," "Again," and "Heaven Beside You" remain its most familiar songs, while "Frogs" and "Over Now" show how far Alice In Chains had moved beyond its earlier heavy-rock formula. The self-titled record stands as the band's final studio statement with Staley.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Grind
2. Brush Away
3. Sludge Factory

Side B:

1. Heaven Beside You
2. Head Creeps
3. Again

Side C:

1. Shame In You
2. God *m
3. So Close

Side D:

1. Nothin' Song
2. Frogs