Over the year’s rock and roll has been shaped and changed by many bands who have either added on; or have changed the sound of rock to a higher level. The bands who have change it significantly are recognized greatly for their contributions. Conversely, there still are bands out there that have contributed greatly and are not recognized on such a high level of fame for it. Alice in Chains was a group that was somewhat unappreciated and played a vital role in developing the growth of rock and roll. Alice in Chains for years produced many multi-platinum albums. They also became major influences to new music as well as old music, as the drug phase came upon them, they are still seen as inspirations to many as Layne Staley, the lead singer, is known to have had one the longest suicides in rock and roll history due to the abuse of drugs. Alice in Chains was one of the biggest bands to emerge from the grunge scene; Rolling Stone magazine acclaimed them as one of the four horseman of grunge (Rolling). The other three were Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam. Alice in Chains went multi-platinum off every studio album they had produced, they also hold the record for having the first EP to hit number one on the billboards (Rolling). However, billboard spots were just the tip of the iceberg, they had numerous Grammy nominations; individually every studio album produced with new Alice in Chains tracks have reached platinum at least once. There top selling album, entitled Dirt, has sold over 4 million copies. The album ironically made its success due to the power of Alice in Chains’ hardships and struggles with drugs, as most of the album tracks were heroin related. The album was often described as a ‘concept album about heroin’ (Edge). After the success of ‘Dirt,’ the band was at its prime soon after releasing their number
Citations: “Alice in Chains: Biography.” 2001. Rolling Stone. 2008. 22 Mar. . (Rolling) Alice in Chains. Biography. 13 Mar. 2008. Alice in Chains. 22 Mar. Metallica. Biography. 2008. Metallica. 22 Mar. < http://www.metallica.com/>