My most recent listens to Above revealed it to be better than I remembered. Mad Season have given us one of the, say, five or so supergroup albums that’s actually worth multiple spins. On the other hand, the mid-album material is emblematic of the band’s lack of experience playing together, and seemingly the time spent on composition.

The lyrics are damn basic too, compare “I Don’t Know Anything” to the angst depicted in the songs of Alice in Chains. No comparison. It’s coasting on Layne Staley’s unique, smooth, drawn-out vocals, whereas the best tracks on Above complement it to create distinct atmospheres and themes. The evocatively dreary opener “Wake Up” is sparse, but such dryness feels like a final call to the self-destructive tendencies of grunge culture. A message everyone wishes Staley would’ve taken.