The Tune Thief Strikes Again

Always the most shadowy of the original generation of grunge bands, Alice in Chains have spent the past several years couched in a darkness deep enough to prompt fans to wonder if they'll ever emerge again. While that's still open to debate, this powerful retrospective -- in essence a distillation of 1999's career-spanning box set, {|Music Bank|} -- makes for a fine backward look at the catalogue of Layne Staley and company. From the crushingly despondent, riff-driven tones of "Man in the Box" to the weary, but compelling musings of "Would?" and "Heaven Beside You," this ten-song compilation deals all of the AiC calling cards: squalling guitars, a punishing bottom end, and the haunted vocals of Staley, who's become one of hard rock's more tragic figures in recent years. Still, with the rangy riffing of Jerry Cantrell at the fore of songs like "Angry Chair" and "Them Bones," these Chains are certain to bind.