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Alice in Chains (informally referred to as the Dog Album, Dog Record, or Tripod) is the third studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released in vinyl formats on October 31, 1995, through Columbia Records, and in other formats on November 7. It served as the follow-up to the group's commercial breakthrough Dirt (1992), and it was their last to feature their original lead vocalist Layne Staley, who died in 2002.
Alice in Chains had not played live for a year and a half due to Staley's opiate addiction. During the hiatus, Staley joined the Mad Season with Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees to record the album Above (1995), leaving the future of Alice in Chains in question. Staley's growing heroin addiction led to rumors of his death. Shortly after the release of Above, the band began work on their third album, with the intention of putting an end to speculation on their break-up.
The album was recorded at Seattle's Bad Animals Studio with the producer Toby Wright from April to August 1995. The songs focus on emotional subject matter such as drug addiction, depression, spirituality, broken relationships and the internal tensions within the band fueled by Staley's substance abuse. The music relies less on heavy metal riffs and more on melody and texturally varied arrangements, some integrating the acoustic moods of their earlier EPs, while others introduced late 1960s and early 1970s rock influences.
Alice in Chains was released during the decline of the grunge era. The band was unable to tour due to Staley's addiction, and only performed for televised events and the opening for Kiss. Nevertheless, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and stayed there for nearly a year. The tracks "Grind", "Heaven Beside You" and "Again" were released as singles. "Grind" and "Again" were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA and sold over three million copies worldwide. It was the band's last for almost 14 years as Staley died from a drug overdose in 2002. They eventually emerged with Black Gives Way to Blue in 2009 with new co-vocalist William DuVall.
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