Alice in Chains - Dirt
Columbia
September 29th, 1992.
30+ years on from the Grunge movement that swept the early 90's into checkered flannel and ripped jean craze, Alice in Chain's 'Dirt' remains among the heavy hitters of the alternative world. Down in the depths, among the dirt, life appears a little different.
Dirt, the residue of leftovers from all things, the scraps that life gives out, the remainder of what was once wanted. No value is placed on dirt. A worthless token of insincere gratitude. Walked over and spat upon, dirt lives an empty existence. The feeling of hitting rock bottom comes naturally to dirt - it is its natural state. Lining the earth, serving as the floor that all walks of life grow up on, dirt doesn't get it's fair due.
The pain in Layne Staley's voice is matched in its depths with Jerry Cantrell's heavy, twisted guitarwork. Radiating a disgusting heat, contorting inside out, the musicianship found on Dirt isn't one of a necessarily masterful quality, however it's effectiveness doesn't rely on talent. The sound, style, and overarching togetherness of the output is what makes it work so well. Dirt is the kind of album that comes from a certain place, the material all pulled from the same specific world. A full experience on the downright depressed end of the subdued spectrum, Dirt relishes in the sunken spirit - one breathe left, make it count. Sailing on a sea of resent for one's self, Alice in Chains pinpoint a fiery angst. A burning desire to rid oneself of their physical ties, the will to live zooms in on zero day by day.
'Would?' clocks in as one of the finest album closers to ever grace a tracklist. An ode to a fallen friend, lead singer of Mother Love Bone Andrew Wood, and a fate that Staley himself would fall victim to in the coming years. Each and every time it feels like the first time. 'Timeless' is a word that is home to the rarest of qualities. Removed from the hands of time, a pieces impact ceases to falter. The rarest of rare make their way unto the plateau of timeless. Dirt is an essential grunge/alternative metal staple.
