#dave jerden

Facelift was ultimately more of a rough draft for Alice in Chains than a fully actualized statement, but in 1990 it was a grimy jolt to a metal community not totally ready to reconsider their approach for a new decade.  And there was plenty in “It Ain’t Like That” that reflected ‘80s conventions, primarily the inherent heroics in Jerry Cantrell’s guitar playing as well as the slight swagger in Sean Kinney’s percussion.  But Layne Staley pushed metal vocals into the ‘90s even as his repeatedly yelling “yeaahh!!!” nodded to his hair metal past, and the juxtaposition of his singing with Cantrell’s gnarled harmonies added another dimension alongside the bendier take on Iommi-style riffing.  And while Kinney’s drumming had some groove, the combination of his drumming with Mike Starr’s thudding bass gave the tune a lurching quality that added weight to the distressed and frequently disturbing lyrics.  Alice in Chains would get all the way there on their next record, but “It Ain’t Like That” showed right away that they were on to something.

POE - ANGRY JOHNNY 

Man in the Box by Alice in Chains from the album Facelift - Director: Paul Rachman

Sound of White Noise helped define ‘90s metal, and “Packaged Rebellion” encapsulated all of that for better and worse.  Anthrax swung for the fences and crafted a tour de force of a track that nodded to their recent past but also very much functioned as its own thing.  The blunt force trauma of the music, John Bush’s howitzer vocals and Dave Jerden’s anvil on steel production made it a pummeling force of nature even as Bush added nuances and dynamics throughout the pre-chorus, chorus and bridge.  The lyrics, however, had it both ways: on one hand, the tone and dogma recalled the increasingly hectoring nature of Scott Ian’s wordsmithing on State of Euphoria and Persistence of Time, but although his and Bush’s words initially presented themselves as similarly political in theme “Packaged Rebellion” was ultimately about poseurs and fakes, which was as ‘90s as one could get.  And although Anthrax couldn’t hide their sincerity even as they sometimes tried to be ironic, the combination of the musical beatdown, lyrical diatribe and Bush’s relentless roaring came close to being a major turnoff- at the very least, their rigidity verged on condescension: did we really need this kind of lecture from these guys?  But all of that said, the power of the band’s attack was so intense as to be undeniable and unstoppable, and Bush’s way of creating sticky hooks was always underrated and certainly went a way towards making “Packaged Rebellion” as catchy as it was vicious, even if the lyrics were perhaps best deprioritized.

Symbol of Salvation was such an escalation and elevation for Armored Saint that even deep cuts like “Warzone” outshone most of their previous material. The band was under considerable stress while writing and recording their fourth album: they were without a record deal, but more importantly guitarist and primary composer Dave Prichard was diagnosed with leukemia during the demo process and passed away before they went into the studio.  And the Saint emerged from all this sounding hungrier and more focused than ever, with John Bush’s vocals sounding especially ravenous.  Prichard was sorely missed, but Jeff Duncan and returning founder Phil Sandoval were a focused tag team on guitar, and Gonzo’s double-kick frenzy at the end brought “Warzone” to a thunderous climax.  This was Armored Saint firing on all cylinders and banging out a monster of a rager, one that should’ve set them up for the ‘90s but unfortunately for them ended up being an unheralded gem.

Love, Hate, Love by Alice In Chains from the album Facelift

Rockit by Herbie Hancock from the album Future Shock - Directed by Godley & Creme