Alice In Chains fans are divided into two general groups: those who swear by the band's 1992 opus Dirt, and those who adamantly insist that Facelift is the very finest AIC could offer. Personally? I fall into Group #1 -- Dirt is just untouchable -- but I have absolutely no problem with calling Facelift a mighty fine piece of work.

Facelift was the 1990 debut of Alice In Chains, a brilliant, unique rock band fronted by the insanely talented Layne Staley. To put it mildly, Staley's life wasn't smooth sailing; his troubles were frequently displayed in his songwriting. Sadly, a heroin overdose permanently ended things for him in 2002, but his incredible talent will continue to live on for decades to come. Honestly, the magic of Alice In Chains comes down to the core songwriting team of Staley and guitarist/backing vocalist Jerry Cantrell. When it comes to wonderful musicianship, you just can't get much better than those two guys.

This is quickly demonstrated once Facelift kicks off with the churning, heavy riffs of "We Die Young." With a blink-and-you'll-miss-it length of 2:32, this fast-paced rocker is loud, dark, and menacing. "Man In The Box" slams in next, and it's the most popular Alice In Chains song for good reason. Its sludgy wah-wah guitar groove is unmistakable, interrupted briefly by Cantrell's amazing solo. This song contains one of the strongest, most haunting vocal performances I've ever heard -- every rock/metal lover should make it a point to listen to "Man In The Box" at least once.

"Sea Of Sorrow" has an interesting guitar introduction that reminds me a bit of Black Sabbath. It soon mellows out a little bit, alternating from a doomlike pace to a more uptempo one, working in one of Facelift's catchiest choruses: "I live tomorrow / You I'll not follow / As you wallow / In a sea of sorrow!"

Fast, furious, and rough around the edges, "Bleed The Freak" is delightfully raw, twisted, and anything but listener-friendly. Staley creates such a dark atmosphere here with his low, trembly voice, and it's undoubtedly an album highlight for me. "I Can't Remember" slows things down a little with softened guitars, but this song is still no day at Disney World: it's every bit as bleak and tortured as we all would expect from Alice In Chains. Layne's voice actually works itself into a much higher pitch at a couple points, and I dig it.

"Sunshine" always gives me chills because of the inimitable way Staley slowly drones out his words against the backdrop of fast, interesting guitar riffs, and "Put You Down" jets off with a smashing guitar solo, fast pace and unsurprisingly, overwhelmingly powerful vocals. Changing things up pretty drastically, "I Know Somethin' (Bout You)" opens with a '50s-jukebox-style swirl of guitars that sounds FAR too cheerful to be in an AIC song. Things soon rock out a little bit more, but to say the least, this is definitely not what most would expect from AIC, so those who have called 'em a one-trick pony in the past can eat their words with a side of soggy Special K.

Facelift's grand finale comes in the form of "Real Thing." Its solemn bass introduction gives way to Staley's pained howls -- if you can't feel his emotion here, believe me when I say that you will never be able to, nor will you ever be able to understand and appreciate Alice In Chains. This song has unpredictable changes in pace and a really solid groove, closing out Facelift just right.

In my ever-humble opinion, this isn't the definitive Alice In Chains album -- Dirt is...trust me when I say that album is magnificent beyond any and all forms of magnificence -- but it's very, very purchase-worthy indeed. I would recommend that music lovers new to AIC look into Dirt first to get a more accurate glimpse of the band's "typical" sound, but be sure to work your way back to this debut. It's raw, heavy, and incredibly real, slight imperfections and all.




Recommended: Yes