In the early 1990s, as grunge and alternative rock surged, one band emerged that garnered the respect not just of fans but of peers. Alice in Chains — known for their dark, textured riffs and haunting vocal harmonies — were singled out by Lars Ulrich of Metallica as something special: “the ’90s Black Sabbath,” he said.
Ulrich explained that what separated Alice in Chains, in his mind, was their blend of heavy riffing and an un‑boxed sense of structure and attitude. He described their sound as “loose … not square … round edges.”
It’s a striking comparison. Black Sabbath forged heavy metal’s foundation with thunderous guitar, slow‑burning tension and lyrics that tapped into existential gloom and societal frustration. Their sound carried weight — emotional and sonic — and opened a path for many who followed. In the article, Alice in Chains are portrayed as carrying that same torch but in the ’90s: riff‑driven, moody, and defying easy classification.
For listeners of that era and beyond, the comparison underlines how Alice in Chains operated at a level of freedom and intensity that resonated. They weren’t simply following the blueprint of heavier rock — they were living it, twisting it, and making it their own. In doing so, they earned the kind of peer‑recognition from Ulrich that few other bands receive.
Ultimately, the comment invites a fresh look at Alice in Chains: rather than simply a grunge band, they may be better viewed as a successor to the heavy, doom‑inflected legacy of Black Sabbath — with their own shape, their own contours, their own “round edges.”