Alice in Chains New Album

petethebrick

Really looking forward to the new AIC album coming out in a few months.
I thought Black gives way to blue was great. The main issue I have with DuVall's singing is that although he can hit the same notes as Staley could I think he could put a bit more raw emotion into it sometimes.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jerry-cantrell-on-new-alice-in-chains-album-theres-some-real-filth-in-there-20130304#ixzz2MbNtdow9

Saw them here supporting Metallica in 2009. I'd love if they came again - even more if it was with Soundgarden!

Motley Crue

Yeah, I agree, new album - sounds great so far - if anything though I taught Black Gives Way to Blue sounded a little too much like Staley's ghost, it was almost creepy how nostalgic and good that album was and as much as I don't want to complain I just hope they weren't using what was left over and then moving on

seachto7

Don't get all the hate for Duvall either. While Staley was very unique, it just so happened that Cantrell contributed a lot vocally as well. He's carrying Staley on the unplugged album for fecks sake.

While Duvall isn't Staley, I wouldn't say he is any worse, Duvall is Duvall and as an album, I liked BGWTB.

AC/DC changed singers and nobody seems to give them grief. I even prefer the Bon Scott stuff.....

Looking forward to the new one, though the single didn't blow me away...

Riddle101

I like Duvall. I never compare new singers with old singers, it's unfair on the new guys. I take them all for what it is, and I think Duvall is quite good. He's no Staley but Staley is dead. So move on and enjoy the music.

Richy06

Rather than looking at William as the new 'singer', I regard him as a new 'member'. Whilst, yes, he's there to ensure the bands signature layered vocal style stays intact, he's there as much to contribute with his guitar. And tbh, he's a ****ing fantastic guitarist. If no one has checked out Comes With The Fall, I cannot recommend them highly enough. Might make people who're giving him so much flack and who just paint him to be a Layne ripoff re-evaluate him some.

Him and Cantrell have been playing together for years at this point, maybe even longer than Cantrell/Staley were a tandem. They dovetail off each other very well.

The new record should be cool and a little less referential to Staley, because, well, they've kind of dealt with that on that last album. From what I've read and heard so far, it'll be Alice, but the next step. In fairness, from album to album, whilst each has sounded different from that before it, it's still unquestionably them.

I cannay fackin' wait!

Gonzovision

I must go back and give the album a listen. I haven't really listened to any of the newer material apart form some of Cantrells solo albums, which I enjoyed.

Richy06

It's a logical progression from Cantrell's Degradation Trip (the 2 volume edition) musically. More so than Alice's s/t. Such a strong album. All Secrets Known, Lesson Learned, Private Hell are my favourite tracks on it. Private Hell is probably one of the best songs they've ever penned IMO.

petethebrick

gonzovision wrote: »

I must go back and give the album a listen. I haven't really listened to any of the newer material apart form some of Cantrells solo albums, which I enjoyed.

yeah you should check out BGWTB. It's a great album

seachto7

Wasn't it the case that Duvall was a touring member of Cantrell's band at one stage, and they hit it off? He could have just toured and made albums as Cantrell with Duvall involved, but I guess they get the chemistry with the AIC drummer and bass player as well.

Richy06

When Cantrell wanted to tour Degradation Trip, Mike Bordin & Rob Trujillo were tied up. So Jerry had been living in LA around this time, before he began recording. He saw Comes With The Fall in a club, loved what he saw/heard, was introduced and they struck up a friendship. Cantrell would hang out and jam with them and even joined them onstage and played some of his favourite tracks from their first record with them.

When he needed a support band for his Deg Trip tour, he hit them up for the spot. Then he needed a backing band....so they did that too! They ended up pulling double duty each night on those tours and the bond grew and grew. This is also when they first started playing Alice tunes together. Since then, CWTF have gone to release afew albums of VERY high quality and the other guys have been involved with various other projects - MonstrO are supporting AiC stateside soon, Bevan Davies is the drummer from CWTF.

Anyway, the whole 'why doesn't he let Layne rest and just do his own thing' argument has been covered before. Cantrell, Kinney & Inez were as big a part of that band as Staley was, especially Cantrell. Staley would've been still singing in hair metal bands if he hadn't been given the vehicle of Cantrell's songs & lyrics with which to find his place and subsequently start writing his own stuff. If 3 guys have worked their asses off to create an identity, a 'brand' as it may be and when one of those was the guy writing most of the music in the first place, well they should be able to do what they want.

Simple fact is, more people will buy an Alice record than a Jerry Cantrell solo effort.

EDIT

I'm gonna venture a guess that not many have heard CWTF. If you like heavy rock music that has strong, melodic sensibilities then you will be all over this. The last record they did is still one of my favourites of all time.

And, for me, their best song:

I was lucky enough to stumble across them before William joined AiC and kinda knew it would be him before he joined. He's very knowledgeable about music and has been around in bands for a long time. Pretty interesting dude if you were to Google him. Also, an absolute gent.

Richy06

Another leaked song, 'Phantom Limb'. Probably the best of the 3 songs I've heard so far.

'Stone' was leaked last night and will be available today I think, so it should be online in full tonight. Any leaks have been pulled.

oldscoil

Today is Layne's anniversary.

11 years today.

RIP Layne.

Naraka

For me Stayley was one of the greatest frontmen of all time. His performances were honest and without ant frills. On the subject of the Unplugged album, Cantrell did carry Stayley, but that was one gig. I thought BGWTB was a great album, I'm looking forward to the new album and hopefully we'll hear more of Duvall. I thought vocally, there was a bit too much Cantrell on BGWTB.

Sephiroth_dude

Can't wait for the new album.

RodgersLFC

Richy06 wrote: »

It's a logical progression from Cantrell's Degradation Trip (the 2 volume edition) musically. More so than Alice's s/t. Such a strong album. All Secrets Known, Lesson Learned, Private Hell are my favourite tracks on it. Private Hell is probably one of the best songs they've ever penned IMO.

Funny you say that, Private Hell is easily my least favourite song on BGWTB! I think its a very solid album, completely different to the AIC stuff with Staley because its lacking that darkness that he brought to it, but as a modern rock record, its quality. Jerry Cantrell is one of the all time great riff-writers, in my book.

cena

RodgersLFC wrote: »

Funny you say that, Private Hell is easily my least favourite song on BGWTB! I think its a very solid album, completely different to the AIC stuff with Staley because its lacking that darkness that he brought to it, but as a modern rock record, its quality. Jerry Cantrell is one of the all time great riff-writers, in my book.

I love that song.

Naraka

Yeah Private Hell is probably my favourite song on the album. A Looking In View is a cracker of a song too. I saw them on the BGWTB tour in London, amazing gig.

Richy06

This has reached the interwebs. It is quite satisfactory.

PropJoe10

Just giving it a first spin now. Nobody writes heavy sludgy riffs like Jerry Cantrell. Pretty impressed so far.

Kess73

Really liking it. Lot of influences bubbling to the surface other than the obvious Sabbath circa Volume 4/Sabbath bloody Sabbath era influence.

seandotcomm

Love it, almost finished the first playthough of it. Very slow like the last album but sounds great

Gonzovision

Just going to give it a listen now. I haven't heard anything from it yet and still haven't gotten around to listening to Black gives way to Blue, so this should be interesting.

PropJoe10

Solid, solid album. Not sure if I like it as much as Black Gives Way To Blue, but hopefully it'll be a grower.

Jacks Smirking Revenge

First listen, impressions are good. Phantom limb and the title track are standouts for me.

Richy06

3 or 4 listens at this point and I'm finding little bits I like about it every time. I'm always gonna try and like their stuff, but thankfully they don't have to try to hard past just doing what they normally do. Some stuff we've not heard from them melded with things we've heard before but somehow, updated. They have certain moments that hark back to each album & EP whilst not really sounding like it's apeing any of the eras too much. Just sounds like another logical progression. Standouts for me thus far are Pretty Done, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, Phantom Limb, Hung Like A Hook and Choke with no song popping up that I at all dislike, unlike the last album where I never hugely warmed to Take Her Out, for example.

I'd give it a solid 4/5.

RossFixxxed

Bit slow, not much happening on an intial listen then:

"Before you ask for something better, you should know I'm practised at goodbyes." Shiiii... like a punch in the gut. Takes a little readjusting, Cantrell isn't letting up on the raw feelings clearly. Immediately makes me want to listen to it all again.

It may be a grower though, a lot of great albums are. Loved AIC for so long, always rooting for them, delighted they're going strong!

PropJoe10

Its most definitely a grower. The only track I really havent warmed to at all is Lab Monkey, just seems to go nowhere. The rest is a pretty solid 8/10 for me.

Love Layne Staley, probably my favourite rock singer, but its great for these guys to be able to go out, play their stuff, make new music and not have to worry about Staley falling apart. Good luck to em, I say.