Metal band singer with long dreads

ByBrian Boone

In the 1990s, the Seattle sound — characterized by loud, down-tuned, and feedback-drenched guitars coupled with dark and gloomy lyrics — reinvented mainstream rock music.

The true story of grunge music can be told primarily through the arcs of four bands in particular: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. The latter skewed more metal than its grunge counterparts, and that was thanks in large part to the songwriting and vocal skills of frontman Layne Staley.

His mournful, growling, and occasionally soaring voice amplified the pain and despair present in some of the most indelible rock songs of the era, including "Down in a Hole," "Rooster," "I Stay Away," and "Heaven Beside You."

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Staley coped with substance abuse issues for most of his adult life, and he died at the age of 34 in his Seattle condominium in April 2002.

While a very famous rock star du