Sap - Alice in Chains

The much respected grunge kings take a left turn on an enjoyable counterpiece to their metallic output. Normally packaged as a double disc with the excellent Jar of Flies, 'Sap' sees Alice in Chains with some of their peers on a short collection of acoustic songs. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden fames appears on 'Right Turn' along with Mark Arm from the original grungers Mudhoney. The songs here are vastly different than those to be found on the bands classic 'Dirt', although the tone is comparable. Both 'Got Me Wrong' and 'Am I Inside' are chilly numbers, far away from the typical acoustic output of most bands. Alice in Chains later proved their songwriting ...  Read the complete review

Alice in Chains were one of the more successful and acclaimed grunge bands to come from the infamous Seattle scene in the early Nineties, their depressing music sharing more commonalities with heavy metal than some of their contemporaries, but their fan base and presumed image still serving in many cases to overpower reception of the music itself. While vocalist Layne Staley failed to martyr himself for the good of album sales, eventually passing away slightly less glamorously due to heroin and cocaine overdose in 2002 (that's still a sexy way to go, kids), it's the band's depressing sound under his increasingly faltering tenure that remains their fondly remembered ...  Read the complete review