The grunge explosion of the early 90's was certainly something to behold. The likes of Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana kicked out all the hair metal bands of the scene (bands like Motley Crue went from having private jets, to playing clubs again), and teenagers were throwing out their Winger and Warrant shirts, replacing them with Screaming Trees and Alice In Chains tees.

Speaking of Alice In Chains, they're arguably the best of the bunch (at least in this writer's opinion). Sure, Nirvana became an anthem to all of Generation X, and Soundgarden/Mother Love Bone had enigmatic frontmen in Chris Cornell & Andrew Wood, but was any band better at combining a heavy metal attack with grunge than Alice In Chains? Doubtful, since most of their peers were more rooted in punk and/or glam, not heavy metal.

I'm also not sure I've heard a more harrowing album detailing the horrors of heroin and drug addiction than "Dirt", Alice In Chains' 1992 album, which put them at the forefront of the music world.  The perils of drug addiction are specifically referenced in detail in 3 of the best non-single tracks, "Junkhead", "God Smack", and "Sickman" - consequently, three of the darkest songs AIC ever put to tape.

And we haven't even gotten to the singles yet. The final track, "Would" (which references fallen Mother Love Bone vocalist Andrew Wood) was released before the album, appearing on the soundtrack to the movie "Singles". You couldn't go a few hours in the early 90's without hearing it on the radio - same went for "Rooster", "Down In A Hole", and "Them Bones". 5 singles from the same album eventually propelled Alice In Chains to headline Lollapalooza 1993, arguably the height of their popularity.

"Dirt" is also important in the development of the creation of the sludge metal genre. The slow, heavy sound on the longer tracks ("Rooster", "Sickman") no doubt influenced many bands to tune lower and explore some very dark places.

"Dirt" is not an album for the faint of heart. It's a foreboding album that would see Layne Staley from, what else, a drug overdose. But if there's something everyone can learn from it, it's not to mess with heroin or drugs. The album, even 23 years later, holds up incredibly well, like all timeless albums should. It's arguably the most important band out of Seattle playing arguably the most important album. What's not to appreciate?

This post was written by Bradley Dillon, editor-in-chief of The New Fury. He loves Deftones, grunge, and his family. If you like his work and want to read more of his writing, or if you want to be super cool and offer him full time industry employment, reach out and connect with him on Twitter.