Candlebox, “The Long Goodbye.”

Nineties grunge rockers Candlebox are riding off into the sunset, but not before marking a 30-year existence in music with a tour and one last album of bluesy Seattle alt-rock for which it first made its entrance at the height of grunge.

Right out of the gate, “Punks” sets the tone with a combination of riffs and rumbling bass lines under Kevin Martin’s singing.

“This ain’t your last chance/ This ain’t your last dance/ It’s already gone,” sings Martin, the band’s lone original member, painting a stark portrait. His rhyme schemes are particularly effective, especially on the wordy bridge. It’s a fun start that injects energy.

“What Do You Need” was cowritten by MONA’s Nick Brown, who also guests on the track. It’s a shift from the opener, leaning more into the hard-hitting mid-tempo bluesy groove. The riffs are there, but they don’t overtake the song, leaving space for the vocals—sometimes in harmony and sometimes seemingly fighting each other—to cut through.

The atmospheric “Elegante” dials back the heaviness and into a more ’80s-centric sound that works particularly well. Martin’s performance is solid, guitarist Brian Quinn also delivering a melodic and lyrical solo. It’s a style that returns later on the album with “Foxy,” an unexpected love song.

The heaviness returns on “I Should Be Happy,” a groove-heavy number driven by drummer BJ Kerwin. The guitar tones, rather than overdriven with distortion, have a lo-fi fuzziness that adds an organic rawness.

The pace slows for piano-driven rocker “Nails On a Chalkboard,” a surprisingly nuanced power ballad, offering plenty of space to let the song breathe. Martin’s vocal vulnerability shines as he rolls into the high notes.

“Was I the joker?/ Was I the king?/ Was I the mad man…?” Martin asks.

Quinn brings things home with a melodic guitar solo as the tension builds and then fades away to Martin’s a cappella vocal. Other tracks, such as “Ugly,” are no-nonsense rockers that tackle the tenor of society and the hostilities that define us.

“I’m a fraud, a fake, a phony, all tied up in knots,” Martin sings.

Candlebox strips the music down to its simplest on “Maze,” an acoustic ballad that offers a deep intimacy and some of Martin’s best singing on the album. As the piano enters and the vocal soars, it’s sure to send lighters into the sky at concerts. Then, “Cellphone Jesus” brings a melodic and piano-driven groove as Martin again offers up his societal reflections in lyrical form.

“My serotonin’s been broken/ My hope could fill up an ocean/ What I’m asking myself: ‘Is it water or wine?'” he asks.

While the band delivers on its grunge signature, some of the album’s best moments come in the more musically experimental moments. One of those is on the closing song, “Hourglass,” which throws classic rock and blues into the mix. It’s a worthy endpoint, allowing each band member a notable contribution or final statement.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.