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Jenovaslegacy · 11-02-2009, 04:43 PM

I think the new album is a triumph for quality music winning the battle over sentimentality.

It should be noted that you will never, ANYWHERE, find a bigger Layne Staley fan than I. I have a massive tattoo of his name on my right forearm, always commemorate the anniversary of his death every March, the whole kit and kaboodle. A lot of my friends are big hair/glam metal fans and can't really get into grunge and alternative, some people have said that he's an awesome singer but not a good frontman. I counter that with the explanation that an individual with a delivery so bong crushingly authentic and ranged doesn't need to be spandexed up to the max with a fluffy boa prancing about with a cherry pie and a chainsaw, the sheer expressiveness and emotion present in the mans voice was a show all by itself. A true, true master of his art and a horribly wasted talent.

Having said all that I was mega sceptical when I heard they'd recruited a new singer and started to work on new material. I hadn't heard anything of it, but I was with Sean Kinney in that I thought it best to give it another name, start a new project and leave Alice where it belongs for fear of putting out something sub-standard and tarnishing the good name, especially as Jerry had made such an awesome effort on his own with his Degradation Trip album (if you haven't got it, GET IT). THEN I saw them live at Sonisphere (Knebworth, UK for anyone not up on their geography) and was booted into orbit. Not only is the Alice feel there, both musically and lyrically, but William DuVall is an awesome frontman. I was talking to some guys in the crowd beforehand and they'd seen some prior shows where DuVall had basically said that he wasn't trying to be Layne, simply was trying to help AIC go in a new direction, with all four members on board.

To be fair, thats whats happening. As soon as you accept the fact that Layne is gone, and that Alice is becoming something, not so much new, but a bit different, to what we have for so many years loved, you come to see the music for what it is, innovative, exciting and containing musicianship and crafted songwriting seldom seen in todays music scene. Alice with Layne will always be what it was, this is something new, and most people who've seen them live agree that they kick all different flavours of ass (not to mention having two guitar players live makes it extra heavy!) As someone above has already mentioned, Jerry always did most of the songwriting anyway, and the majority of the same lyrical themes are also here (though with a bit less about smack addiction, for obvious and well documented reasons).

So, yeah, the new album, once set apart from the rest of the AIC catalogue, quite frankly rules. High points include Check my Brain, Acid Bubble, A Looking in View (though a tad too long for my tastes) and the achingly emotional ode to Layne and title track Black Gives Way to Blue. Got tickets to see them at Birmingham O2 Academy next Friday, can't wait!

From an (as you can see) massive AIC fan

11-02-2009, 04:43 PM	#13 (permalink)
Jenovaslegacy Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Midlands, UK Posts: 62	Re: Alice in Chains Returns I think the new album is a triumph for quality music winning the battle over sentimentality. It should be noted that you will never, ANYWHERE, find a bigger Layne Staley fan than I. I have a massive tattoo of his name on my right forearm, always commemorate the anniversary of his death every March, the whole kit and kaboodle. A lot of my friends are big hair/glam metal fans and can't really get into grunge and alternative, some people have said that he's an awesome singer but not a good frontman. I counter that with the explanation that an individual with a delivery so bong crushingly authentic and ranged doesn't need to be spandexed up to the max with a fluffy boa prancing about with a cherry pie and a chainsaw, the sheer expressiveness and emotion present in the mans voice was a show all by itself. A true, true master of his art and a horribly wasted talent. Having said all that I was mega sceptical when I heard they'd recruited a new singer and started to work on new material. I hadn't heard anything of it, but I was with Sean Kinney in that I thought it best to give it another name, start a new project and leave Alice where it belongs for fear of putting out something sub-standard and tarnishing the good name, especially as Jerry had made such an awesome effort on his own with his Degradation Trip album (if you haven't got it, GET IT). THEN I saw them live at Sonisphere (Knebworth, UK for anyone not up on their geography) and was booted into orbit. Not only is the Alice feel there, both musically and lyrically, but William DuVall is an awesome frontman. I was talking to some guys in the crowd beforehand and they'd seen some prior shows where DuVall had basically said that he wasn't trying to be Layne, simply was trying to help AIC go in a new direction, with all four members on board. To be fair, thats whats happening. As soon as you accept the fact that Layne is gone, and that Alice is becoming something, not so much new, but a bit different, to what we have for so many years loved, you come to see the music for what it is, innovative, exciting and containing musicianship and crafted songwriting seldom seen in todays music scene. Alice with Layne will always be what it was, this is something new, and most people who've seen them live agree that they kick all different flavours of ass (not to mention having two guitar players live makes it extra heavy!) As someone above has already mentioned, Jerry always did most of the songwriting anyway, and the majority of the same lyrical themes are also here (though with a bit less about smack addiction, for obvious and well documented reasons). So, yeah, the new album, once set apart from the rest of the AIC catalogue, quite frankly rules. High points include Check my Brain, Acid Bubble, A Looking in View (though a tad too long for my tastes) and the achingly emotional ode to Layne and title track Black Gives Way to Blue. Got tickets to see them at Birmingham O2 Academy next Friday, can't wait! From an (as you can see) massive AIC fan __________________ 1971 JMP 50w 1960b 4x12 Cab Zoom G2 FX Westfield E4000 Les Paul Solid Body