Band · United States

Alice in Chains

Formed in 1987

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Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1987. Since 2006, the band's lineup has consisted of vocalist/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney. Original vocalist Layne Staley died in 2002, and former bassist Mike Starr left in 1993. Often associated with grunge music, Alice in Chains' sound and style is rooted in heavy metal. The band is known for its distinctive vocal style, which often included the harmonized vocals between Staley and Cantrell (and later Cantrell and DuVall).

Alice in Chains' original lineup consisted of Cantrell, Kinney, Staley, and Starr. They took the name from Staley's previous band, Alice N' Chains. The band rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with other Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. They broke through on MTV and mainstream rock radio with the single "Man in the Box" (from their 1990 debut album Facelift). After releasing the EP Sap in early 1992, the band achieved major mainstream and commercial success with their follow-up album Dirt later that same year. Dirt contained the popular singles "Rooster" and "Would?", among others. Starr was replaced on bass by Inez in early 1993. The following two records, 1994's Jar of Flies (which included the popular single "No Excuses") and 1995's Alice in Chains (also contained radio hits such as "Heaven Beside You" and "Grind"), both topped the US Billboard 200 chart and earned the band several Grammy Award nominations.

Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity from 1996 onward, largely due to Staley's substance abuse, which resulted in his death in 2002 and caused the band to go on hiatus. Alice in Chains reunited in 2005, with DuVall joining in 2006 as rhythm guitarist and sharing lead vocal duties; the band has since released three more albums: Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013), and Rainier Fog (2018).

In the US, Alice in Chains has sold over 30 million RIAA-certified records. They have had 18 Top 10 songs on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and five No. 1 hits, and have received 11 Grammy Award nominations. The band has been included in numerous greatest of all time lists, including a position of No. 34 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" special and No. 15 in Hit Parader's "Greatest Live Bands" list.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Alice in Chains (AIC) est un groupe américain de metal alternatif, originaire de Seattle, dans l'État de Washington. Formé en 1987 par le guitariste et chanteur Jerry Cantrell et le chanteur Layne Staley, il s'agit de l'un des groupes de grunge les plus notoires, faisant partie du Big Four of Seattle aux côtés de Nirvana, Pearl Jam et Soundgarden.

Leur style musical inclut des rythmes sombres et lourds, mais est très mélodique et se caractérise également par une variété de sons, ce qui rend difficile la classification exacte du groupe. Le groupe est généralement catégorisé grunge, mais s'inspire du heavy metal des années 1970 contenant des éléments issus des riffs lourds de Black Sabbath et des éléments de hard rock mélodiques proche du style musical de Led Zeppelin, entrelacé de compositions plus douces et plus propres dans un style acoustique. Les lignes vocales harmonisées sont un autre trait distinct du groupe.

Le groupe acquiert une renommée internationale grâce à l'album Dirt, et le premier single promotionnel de l'album Would? devient l'un des représentants les plus populaires du rock dans les années 1990. Le groupe dénombre plus de 25 millions d'albums vendus à travers le monde, dont 14 millions aux États-Unis. Après leur publication, les albums Jar of Flies et Alice in Chains atteignent les premières places dans les classements américains. Jar of Flies est leur premier EP à atteindre la première place des classements. Le groupe est également nommé neuf fois aux Grammy Awards.

Le groupe n'a jamais officiellement été dissous, mais à la mort du chanteur Layne Staley en avril 2002, il suspend son activité jusqu'en 2005, date à laquelle Staley est remplacé par le chanteur William DuVall.

Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0