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Seal discussed his admiration and love of Alice in Chains and Layne Staley.
DerekJohnson
Administrator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 66,778 
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I just became a Seal fan.
AIC was in a class by themselves relative to the other "Seattle sound" or grunge bands. I don't even think of them as being that similar.
I'm no @YellowSnow or @HarveyRoad though, so I really don't know.
I was at a press conference once when Willingham was at UW. He came in and sat down in front of us and there was some menial chit-chat before it began. Someone asked him who is favorite singer or band was and he said Seal. CSB
I was reading the Spotify description of AiC and it mentioned AiC taking their inspiration from hard rock/metal instead of punk like other grunge bands did.
Take that with a grain of salt as I’m pretty sure that description comes directly from AiC.
Alice in Chains carved out a unique space in the 1990s Seattle music scene by drawing from heavy metal rather than punk. Formed in 1987, their debut album Facelift (1990) arrived before Nirvana’s Nevermind brought grunge into the mainstream. Despite their metal roots, their sound—heavy, minor-key riffs paired with dark, introspective lyrics—resonated within the alternative rock wave. Hits like "Man in the Box" and "Would?" defined their grunge presence, while "No Excuses" and "I Stay Away" showed their acoustic versatility.
Following the release of the Jar of Flies EP (1994), which debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, Alice in Chains continued to build their legacy with their self-titled album (1995) and a notable MTV Unplugged performance in 1996. However, the band faced challenges after the passing of original frontman Layne Staley in 2002.
The band reunited in 2005 for a benefit concert and, with new lead singer William DuVall released Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), marking their comeback. Their follow-up album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013) solidified their resurgence, and they continue to be a dominant force in rock music, having released Rainier Fog in 2018.
I think it's pretty accurate. I've never vetted this, but I've heard/read multiple times that they dressed in drag and opened for one of the hair metal acts. I'm thinking it was Skid Row but maybe Cinderella or Winger or some gay shit like that.
But it would illustrate that they were more metal inspired than punk.
Also Cantrell lifted a couple of riffs directly from iconic rock bands. Dirt has the same riff as Electric Funeral, and Hate To Feel sounds an awful lot like Dazed and Confused at times.
Seal should give all males with scabbed up acne face hope.
Being a successful singer helps