Following the tragic drug death of iconic lead singer Layne Staley back in 2002, it was pretty much assumed by Alice fans that it was all over. Despite the fact that remaining members said many times it wasn’t, and that they’d been touring off and on for the last few years with new lead singer William DuVall (former member of ‘Comes of the Fall’), someone who can carry the angst ridden vocals we’ve all come to expect from these guys. I didn’t start getting excited about a possible new incarnation of one of the best bands to come out of the 90s until I heard they’d been in the studio back in October of 2008. Studio time ain’t cheap, so if a band is promoting the fact that they’re in the studio, you can usually bet your bottom dollar that something will come of it.
And now, folks, we have probably the strongest Alice In Chains full length album since ‘Dirt’. With ‘Black Gives Way To Blue’, Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, Sean Kinney, and, of course, William DuVall breath life back into the grunge sound we all love and miss. This is like the good old days before alternative music became the likes of Lillith Fair bullshit being toted by greedy ass, ignorant record execs as alt music.
We have the trademark Alice dark harmonies and raw lyrics that made them the best of the best back in the 90s. We have the classic Alice power chords that get down into your blood and burn like beautiful black stars. Thankfully, these uber-talented guys did not spend their days pining for the loss of Staley (which still irritates and saddens many) but did what any self respecting band should do: they carried on. And in doing so, they’d proven that nothing is impossible with ‘Black Gives Way To Blue’.
Track Listing (they’re all good, but I’ve marked the standout tracks with *):
1. "All Secrets Known"*
2. "Check My Brain"
3. "Last of My Kind"*
4. "Your Decision"
5. "A Looking in View"*
6. "When the Sun Rose Again"
7. "Acid Bubble"*
8. "Lesson Learned"*
9. "Take Her Out"
10. "Private Hell"
11. "Black Gives Way to Blue"
http://www.aliceinchains.com/
--Nickolas Cook
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