If the opening tracks of Dirt have a somewhat rigid structure, it’s not always the case on the album.
It’s a gorgeous, tormented natural metaphor about the bitter ending to a friendship and the feeling of powerlessness of seeing someone inexplicably turn on you. What it lacks in atmosphere and originality, it makes up in lyrical depth and allegory. It’s considered an Alice in Chains classic, but it’s also an iconic rock n’ roll moment.ĭam That River follows Them Bones with equally aggressive guitars, but a slightly more conventional rock structure. Without ever sacrificing anger and heaviness, Them Bones accomplishes in two minutes and a half what most bands can’t accomplish in their entire career: being dark enough to create a sense of genuine unease for the listener. Layne Staley’s primal, high-pitched screams between the verses are paramount to setting the apocalyptic atmosphere of that song. It’s perhaps the heaviest song in their entire discography. Is Dirt overrated, underrated or properly rated in Alice in Chains’ legacy? Let’s reexamine this dark, unsettling piece of rock history together.ĭirt’s ferocious opening track Them Bones is a statement of intent, featuring Jerry Cantrell’s walloping guitar riff and hollow, sarcastic lyrics about confronting mortality.
It’s often a second favorite, but rarely a first choice. But Dirt bizarrely divides fans into two camps: those who believe Alice in Chains was better without drugs, who enjoy the free flowing Faceliftbetter and those who believe they were better WITH drugs, who enjoy the more somber and elegiac self-titled successor to Dirt. It is their quintessential record, which conveys their brand of sludgy, tormented heavy metal and their themes of frustration, powerlessness and melancholy best. Ask any rock fan to name you an Alice in Chains record and the first answer will most likely be Dirt *.
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