Alice in Chains

[razoredge]

One of the greatest bands in the mainstream. I don't know why they are posted here though, they are considered "heavy Metal/Grunge" also they are listed in metal archives and spirit of metal. That is irrelavent though. Great band don't care about the genre elsewise. I would consider them alternative metal since heavy metal is considered a classifcation and not a specified genre in the long run.

I dont see anyones problem with this post. I dont totally agree about the "metal" thing but BFD the post is nearly accurate to the point. The sound of grunge and post grunge replaced commercial metal on the radio and in the mainstream that is a fact. Its like a fine line drawn in the sands of time. In one year we went from hard rocking pop metal (and ballads) that had a run of well over 10 years to this grunge influenced sound and never went back.

grammer corrections and personal pokes are childs play

 

[MURAI]

I love Alice in Chains but I only have Facelift. Staley's vocals are very distinct.

 

[Einherjar86]

I dont see anyones problem with this post. I dont totally agree about the "metal" thing but BFD the post is nearly accurate to the point. The sound of grunge and post grunge replaced commercial metal on the radio and in the mainstream that is a fact. Its like a fine line drawn in the sands of time. In one year we went from hard rocking pop metal (and ballads) that had a run of well over 10 years to this grunge influenced sound and never went back.

I actually hear a lot of differences between Alice in Chains and any kind of metal. They definitely tend towards a hard rock sound moreso than metal.

 

[razoredge]

I actually hear a lot of differences between Alice in Chains and any kind of metal. They definitely tend towards a hard rock sound moreso than metal.

Yeah, I hear you...

Theres so many influences in "heavy" music now and for along time its nearly impossible to define the line between "hardrock" and "metal" though we all try. That was the beauty of the term "grunge" and it even fit the sound.

 

[Einherjar86]

Very true, and I agree that it's sometimes difficult to make the distinction.

I suppose I would say that Alice In Chains are definitely the most metal-influenced grunge band, but that doesn't qualify them as "metal."

 

[Satanstoenail]

I suppose I would say that Alice In Chains are definitely the most metal-influenced grunge band, but that doesn't qualify them as "metal."

I think Soundgarden are probably on par with AiC in the metal department. And then there's The Melvins, who are often referred to as grunge, and they're more metal than both of them.

 

[razoredge]

Wouldnt Nirvanas song Teen Spirit be pretty darn thrashy metally punky,,, stuff ? Then they had other types of songs of course.

Thing with Alice in Chain to me is they really didnt "rock" much. It was this really heavy fat loathing sound. Around that time I would consider a band like the Black Crows to be hard rock with no metal in them. Then if you took Alice and put them up against metal pioneers like Maiden or Priest it would be a tuff call to say who was "heavier" and who "rocked" more. At the time to me Grunge was a new take on commercially viable metal. Besides go WAY back and some hardrock was metal before metal was cool. They evolved out of the same thing and then were melded together in various forms, the hardest call being that of the 80's pop metal bands that rocked pretty hard but had the metal aggresiveness and attitude.

I guess technically metal is just a sub division of rock

 

[BloodSword]

Certainly, every one is entitled to their opinion about what "genre" or "type" of music AIC may be. Why does every one split hairs about this stuff? When it's all said and done, genre-defining doesn't even matter. To those who understand the musical structure, who cares about those who don't pay attention!!

 

[Doomguy]

I think Soundgarden are probably on par with AiC in the metal department. And then there's The Melvins, who are often referred to as grunge, and they're more metal than both of them.

I thought Melvins were sludge.

 

[Satanstoenail]

Wouldnt Nirvanas song Teen Spirit be pretty darn thrashy metally punky,,, stuff ?

No, it's basic rock with slight punkish elements, there's nothing metal about it, and there's certainly nothing thrash about it.

I thought Melvins were sludge.

Yeah they are, and they're also considered the godfathers of grunge. They're a pretty hard band to categorise though.

 

[razoredge]

No, it's basic rock with slight punkish elements, there's nothing metal about it, and there's certainly nothing thrash about it.

Sounded thrashy to me and was way too noisey and lacking of integrity to be rock with slight punk

 

[Satanstoenail]

Sounded thrashy to me and was way too noisey and lacking of integrity to be rock with slight punk

Disagree for the sake of disagreeing much?

 

[razoredge]

Disagree for the sake of disagreeing much?

Not at all, I see no way in hell that song was simply rock with a bit of punk

please note I said "Wouldnt Nirvanas song Teen Spirit be pretty darn thrashy metally punky,,, stuff ?

I did not say is was "thrash metal" but it sure had the noise elements and was a long ways from any rock I had ever heard. Again as I previously mentioned bands have been drawing from many influences especially after the 80's.

 

[Satanstoenail]

Not at all, I see no way in hell that song was simply rock with a bit of punk

please note I said "Wouldnt Nirvanas song Teen Spirit be pretty darn thrashy metally punky,,, stuff ?

I did not say is was "thrash metal" but it sure had the noise elements and was a long ways from any rock I had ever heard. Again as I previously mentioned bands have been drawing from many influences especially after the 80's.

I never said you were claiming it was thrash metal, I said there was nothing thrash metal about it. As in, no thrash metal characteristics. At all. Or any metal characteristics whatsoever. Please show me where they are, and I'll happily agree with you. "Noise elements" doesn't actually mean anything.

 

[razoredge]

First I'd say the chorus is screamed/growled/shouted whatever you wanna call it in the best of thrash fashion... thus my "thrashy" comment because its thrashy sounding... again get thrash metal out of your head and think of the word thrashy as descriptive... please. Then the pace of it is pretty bombastic a characteristic of metal. Then its full on distortion... "noise". Find me pre metal hardrock that thrashes away like that song does and I'll happily agree with you that they drew no influence from metal on the song.........

 

[Satanstoenail]

First I'd say the chorus is screamed/growled/shouted whatever you wanna call it in the best of thrash fashion... thus my "thrashy" comment because its thrashy sounding... again get thrash metal out of your head and think of the word thrashy as descriptive... please.

What does "screamed/growled/shouted whatever you wanna call it in the best of thrash fashion" mean if you're not talking about metal?

Then the pace of it is pretty bombastic a characteristic of metal. Then its full on distortion... "noise". Find me pre metal hardrock that thrashes away like that song does and I'll happily agree with you that they drew no influence from metal on the song.........

Your complete ignorance of punk rock has granted you a limited perspective. Smells Like Teen Spirit was written after punk had been around for nearly 20 years, and Kurt was primarily influenced by punk, pop and rock music. The song shares all the characteristics of your standard punk rock tune (screamed vocals, messy distorted guitars, verse-chorus-verse simplicity, poppy melodies, etc), but with a few shiny new nineties-isms like slicker rock production, more use of dynamics, and the shuffle "grunge" drum beat in the chorus, which Mudhoney had used so much.

I can't find you a pre-metal hard rock tune that "thrashes away as hard as that one does", but there's a whole world of punk rock music out there that shares many more traits found in the song than any metal does.

 

[razoredge]

Good now we're getting somewhere and was not Thrash influenced by punk ? Not that I hear it with pretty much a distaste for both but I do hear metal influence in that song, sorry. Vocal could pass for a Hetfield (cant wait to hear you twist that one too) I'm not talking structure or music theory at all. If that song doesnt sound like grating iron I dont know what does.

 

[Satanstoenail]

So you are talking about thrash metal now? Make your mind up. I don't need to twist anything, you're doing a fine job of that yourself.

 

[razoredge]

No still talking about what I was origionally talking about... influences (duh) You asked me to explain better so I did... and it only appears to have confused you. Go figure... you seem to have become your avatar :zombie:

 

[youdontknowme]

Nirvana was a punk band. no bones about it.