Soundgarden’s ‘Fell on Black Days’ in Style of Alice In Chains

Soundgarden and Alice In Chains are two of the biggest bands to have come out of Seattle scene that blew up in the early ’90s, but they had quite a few stylistic differences. A musician has recorded a version of Soundgarden’s “Fell on Black Days” in the style of Alice In Chains, and it’s so accurate.

One of the biggest arguments against the term “grunge” is that none of the “Big 4” bands of that era — Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Nirvana and Pearl Jam — really sound alike. In fact, the most that they had in common was their geographical location, although they mostly all shared a similar relaxed nature and had anti-rock star attitudes. That is, of course, until they all became rock stars themselves.

“Fell on Black Days” is one of Soundgarden’s biggest songs, having been featured on their 1994 album Superunknown alongside “Black Hole Sun,” “Spoonman,” “The Day I Tried to Live” and some others. The song was a demonstration of the darkness that frontman Chris Cornell has claimed he often felt, so it’s not a happy song by any means. However, that makes it a perfect candidate for Alice In Chains, whose doomy sophomore album Dirt was laced with stories of depression and addiction.

YouTuber and musician Steve Welsh uploaded the video, titled “If Alice in Chains Wrote Fell on Black Days,” and he performed all of the instrumentation and sang in it. From the twangy, Jerry Cantrell-inspired guitars to the vocal harmonization inspired by Cantrell and late Alice singer Layne Staley, we don’t think this rendition could have been anymore spot on.

“The fact that you can do Jerry’s and Layne’s voices both almost flawlessly is really impressive, especially love these AiC recreations,” one person commented on the video, with another praising, “I’m always amazed by the uniqueness and originality of your work. Rather than copying and pasting riffs exactly as they are, as many do, you brilliantly capture the nuances that define AIC’s style, crafting something extraordinary. Congrats on being such an exceptional artist.”

READ MORE: Where Did the Term ‘Grunge’ Come From?

Welsh even pinned a comment noting that he hid some Easter eggs in the video, including some bits from Cantrell’s 1998 debut solo album Boggy Depot. It’s clear that he’s very familiar with the work of the members of Alice In Chains, even outside of the band.

Plus, it’s a great tribute to both Cornell and Staley, both of whom had incredible voices but are no longer with us.

Check out the video below.

Hear Soundgarden’s ‘Fell on Black Days’ Played in the Style of Alice In Chains