Man in the Box

Alice In Chains, 1990, from Facelift. Solo by Jerry Cantrell.

Jerry Cantrell's playing here is all about menace and texture. The main riff runs through a talk box, giving it a strange, half-human quality, and his solo leans on wah, bent notes and sour, dissonant turns that feel sludgy and unsettling. It isn't a showpiece, but it thickens the song's claustrophobic atmosphere and keeps the tension coiled. The track helped define Alice in Chains' blend of metal weight and grunge darkness, and Cantrell's knack for making a lead sound ugly on purpose was widely imitated. Listen for how the solo bends notes slightly past comfortable pitch, adding to the queasy feel, before the riff returns like a door slamming shut.

Man in the Box by Alice In Chains is ranked #105 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Jerry Cantrell and the song was released in 1990. It appears on 7 lists, placing as high as #5 (Alternative Nation).

In our lists

• See Them Live — #35
• The Modern Canon: Best Since 1990 — #22
• The 25 Greatest Grunge Guitar Solos — #3
• The 1990s — #19
• Wah & Talk Box Solos — #7
• Most Divisive — #22
• The Best Jerry Cantrell Guitar Solos — #1
• The Best Alice In Chains Guitar Solos — #1

Sources

• Alternative Nation: Top 10 Iconic Guitar Solos Of The 90's — #5
• Classic Rock (Louder): The 100 greatest guitar solos in rock — #55
• Bombay Lives (Substack): 100 Greatest Guitar Solos — #77
• Topito (now 10h26.com): Top 100 des plus grands solos de guitare de l'histoire (Benoit Floyd) — #77
• Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #135
• Guitar Tricks: 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time — #157
• Letras.mus.br: Conheça os 15 melhores solos de guitarra da história do rock
• RAG Music: ギターソロがかっこいい洋楽の名曲まとめ