Alice In Chains by Alice In Chains

Alice in Chains is the eponymous third studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains. Released on November 7, 1995, it was the follow-up to the highly successful Dirt. Similar to Dirt, the album's songs focus on heavy subject matter such as depression, isolation, drug use, anger and death. The album relies less on metallic riffs and more on melody and texturally varied arrangements than the group's previous full-length albums, finally integrating some of the more delicate acoustic moods of their EPs. It marks the band's last studio album to feature vocalist Layne Staley (who would die of a drug overdose in 2002), Layne's final album, and the last until Black Gives Way to Blue was released in 2009 featuring new vocalist William DuVall. The album has been certified two-times platinum by the RIAA and has sold 3 million copies worldwide. The compact disc was initially available in two versions: one with a transparent purple jewel case with a translucent yellow-green "spine" and the other with the color scheme reversed. The purple jewel case is now out of print. At almost 65 minutes long, it is Alice in Chains' longest studio album. Although not as successful as Dirt, the album reached #1 on Billboard 200 and went 2x platinum in the US, despite lack of support through touring. With the exceptions of "Grind", "Heaven Beside You", and "Over Now", the lyrics are all written by Layne Staley, making this album his greatest lyrical contribution to the band's catalogue. ℗ 1995 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.