Lyrics had already set the tone for nearly the whole record - and it’s not pretty. Cantrell wah-wahs his way through the only effort on the record with writing credit given to all four band members, which was enough, since the guitarist needed some serious demons exorcised on his own, made clear on the track which followed, “Down in a Hole”. “Rain When I Die” slows the tempo slightly, but the passionate depression only grows.

“Dam That River” continues the breakneck pace, with Staley’s sneering “Oh, you couldn’t dam that river / And maybe I don’t give a damn anyway” letting loose not with anger or malice - but rather matter-of-fact disgust while spitting out the lyrics, which, like many on Dirt, were penned by Cantrell. From the absolutely scorching bombast of the opener, “Them Bones”, two-and-a-half minutes of furious screaming, patented harmonizing between Staley and Cantrell and a downright relentless chugging riff, it was clear that this record was intent on separating itself form the Pacific Northwest pack. Nothing was held back, no flaw left buried and no drug reference went unsaid. To get to that resolution was a dark trip unlike any seen throughout the grunge era. Singer Layne Staley, with shorn and slicked back blond hair, defiantly screamed “If I would / Could You?,” words that also signaled the cathartic ending to a landmark Alice album released in late that September. They looked decidedly non-metal, as a throbbing bass line and tribal drumbeat intermingled with scenes from the Cameron Crowe love letter to early ’90s Seattle. That June, the video for “Would?” was released to promote the soundtrack to the film Singles, and it showed a completely different Alice in Chains. Still, nothing could prepare the music industry for what was to be the encore.

And just in case the music itself didn’t get the point across, on the back cover, the band members are shown urinating on their own old press photos, showing a none too thinly veiled view of their immediate past. In early 1992, on the bare boned acoustic EP SAP, with its laid back and richly textured depth, the band erased the record company promoted image in only four songs.

With 1990’s Facelift, before Nirvana blew the scene wide open, Seattle’s Alice in Chains were getting a metal push, thrown on tour with the likes of Slayer and Megadeth, repeatedly booed off stage in a genre where they didn’t belong.

Alice in chains dirt album lyrics