30 years ago, on Halloween in Seattle, the grunge capital of the world, Alice in Chains released one of the greatest albums ever made. This album blended elements of the grunge sound, which Alice in Chains was best known for, with sludge, doom and alternative metal. All of these influences, along with Layne Staley’s steadily degrading health, made for a powerful and emotional record–an album that was perfect for its vinyl release date of Oct. 31, 1995, (later released on different mediums in November.)

“Tripod” was the last studio LP that A.I.C ever released with their front-man Layne Staley. Staley was a heavy drug user, and in the mid-nineties he realized that there was no easy way out of his addictions. Heroin in particular had done too much damage to his body for him to turn back, and he didn’t think it would be possible to quit. This put Staley in a very low place, a place that fueled him and the rest of the band to create this dark, dooming, dreary and haunting record. Staley passed away in his home in Seattle on Apr. 5, 2002. Many fans compare “Tripod” to a dystopian wasteland that seems to move your very being with its thick guitar tones, poetic lyrics, and brutal honesty; and when looking back on Staley’s death, the album seems to mean even more than it did upon its release.

Tripod was officially released with the simple title of “Alice in Chains” but to avoid confusion many fans just call it “Tripod” or “Three-Legged Dog” because of the animal on the cover, a canine that doesn’t really have a definitive answer to its origin. The most famous story is that drummer Sean Kinney knew a three-legged dog named Tripod that would chase him around when he was a kid. Another is that the band just found the picture of the dog and thought it would make for a great cover. Others think that the actual dog photographed for the cover was named Sunny. Others think it was named Richard, after Richard D. James, the experimental electronic musician known as Aphex Twin. I think the uncertainty really fits the uncertain and mysterious feel of the album.

While Tripod is a very interesting album, it is not very appreciated. Most grunge fans look past it, but hardcore A.I.C fans all agree it’s insanely underrated. It’s not the most accessible grunge album, but I’ve found when it’s given an intense listen, it provokes feelings that no other piece of art can. It’s by far Alice in Chains’ heaviest album, and that sort of raises the barrier of entry for many casual listeners that aren’t used to heavy music. The band was really wanting to experiment with different sounds and genres, which made “Tripod” an album that didn’t really align with their past albums, but I think that that’s what makes it so special.

Every track is so diverse and different from each other, yet they are all unified by overarching themes of honesty, addictions, failed relationships, isolation and depression. There are subjects of death and pain in the opening track “Grind”, to the immense regret and honesty of “Frogs”. Themes of failure, relationships gone wrong, and the inevitable end of all things close the album with the track “Over Now”, a track with one of the most beautiful outros I have ever heard.

This year for Halloween, I would strongly recommend this album. “Tripod” has been changing lives for 30 years, and I think it will continue to do so for years to come. When I first listened to it about a year ago, I knew that there was something special about it. It seems as though every time I give it a listen, another song stands out to me, a testament to its quality and consistency. Rest in peace Layne, happy 30th anniversary to Tripod and happy Halloween.