n nThe first comprehensive biography of Alice In Chains from its genre-forging years on the hard edge of grunge to the tragic death of lead singer Layne Staley and the bands comeback. n nAlice in Chains were among the loudest voices out of Seattle. They were iconic pioneers who mixed grunge and metal in ways that continue to influence todays artists, and theirs is a story of hard work, self-destruction, rising from the ashes, and carrying on a lasting legacy. n nFour years after their first meeting at a warehouse under Seattles Ballard Bridge, Alice in Chains became the first of grunges big four - ahead of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden - to get a gold record and achieve national recognition. With the charismatic Layne Staley behind the microphone, they became one of the most influential and successful bands to come out of the Seattle music scene. But as the band got bigger, so did their problems. n nAcclaimed journalist David de Sola delves beneath the secrecy, gossip, and rumor surrounding the band to tell their full story for the first time. Based on a wealth of interviews with people who have direct knowledge of the band, many speaking on the record for the very first time, de Sola explores how drugs nearly destroyed them and claimed the lives of Staley and founding bassist Mike Starr, follows Jerry Cantrells solo career and Mike Starrs life after being fired from the band, and chronicles the bands resurrection with new lead singer William DuVall.n nFrom their anonymous struggles to topping the charts with hits like Would?, Man in the Box, and Rooster, Alice in Chains reveals the members of the band not as caricatures of rock stars but as brilliant, nuanced, and flawed human beings whose years of hard work led to the seemingly overnight success that changed the music scene forever.n