Alice In Chains have been a huge influence for me. I was really hurt when I heard that Layne Staley died in 2002. That day was the day Seattle died. So many great bands have come from the grunge movement that was running every radio station in the 90's, and Alice In Chains was definitely on top in my opinion. Of course when you say grunge everyone thinks of Nirvana, but I really think Alice In Chains, or even Soundgarden takes the cake. After his death I really felt that grunge was dead for real this time. Kurt is dead, Pearl Jam really wasn't grunge anymore, Soundgarden broke up, and Stone Temple Pilots were broken up as well. So grunge was no more with the death of Layne Staley. I still listen to Jar of Flies, and get chills when the first track comes on. Rotten Apple. That bass riff is just so captivating.
So what to do now. Jerry Cantrell completed two solo albums which are excellent by the way. Angel Eyes off of Degradation Trip is such a great song. He did that album with Robert Trejillo, and Mike Bordin. They did a great job on that album with Jerry Cantrell. I highly recommend both Boggy Depot, and Degradation Trip to anyone that just loves great heavy rock music with some real passion.
When I heard on the radio one day that Alice In Chains will be getting back together the first thing I said was no f-ing way its going to work. I was super happy, but angry at the same time. Happy that I would hear some more of Jerry Cantrell's guitar playing, but sad it wouldn't be accompanied by Layne's iconic voice this time as an Alice In Chains effort. So who is this new guy, and will he sound anything close to the level of Layne? I first said not a chance. This was going to be there fifth studio albumin fifteen years since their self titled release in 95. One William DuVall, from the seamlessly unknown band tome, Comes With the Fall. I had never heard of this band before I learned who was going to be singing for Alice In Chains. When the album finally came out I popped it in and the first track gets you prepared for a pretty passionate album. He talks about a new beginning, and moving forward with Alice In Chains, and probably other aspects with their lives. Which is great it could mean we will continue to see Alice In Chains in the future. Which would make me very happy. Now the song Check My Brain while being a bit repetitive is still a powerful tune. I'd have to say I hear more of Jerry Cantrell's voice on the album which is kind of confusing because I thought this was Alice In Chains. I know he sang a lot in the past, but it was Layne's voice that really stood out, and I was hoping the new singers voice would here as well. That's the only thing I'd have to say negative about the album. Is I would've liked to hear more of William DuVall's voice. I really like the song Your Decision. That song really speaks to me, and I'm sure a lot of other people as well. I'd have to say my favorite track on the album is Private Hell. I listened to that song a lot when I first go the album. So when the album was over I was definitely happy with it. You could tell it was Alice In Chains but with something new and different thrown in there. I thought that William DuVall has great potential,and it made me want to check out his other band. So on a whole it was a great listen and I'm really happy to see them back together and hopefully they continue giving us great rock in the future. I gave this album a 10. I recommend it for any fan of good rock N roll. Which is most of America, I mean come on guys Americans love their cars, TVs, food, and rock N roll. Ha ha. So until next time stay hard, stay heavy.
Here are some tracks from the album. Enjoy
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