Black and Blue Bloody Brilliance
September 30th, 2009 - Written by stevek
Alice in Chains: Black Gives Way to Blue
How like the 1990s this decade has turned out to be: Bush is gone from the White House and the young Democrat President is getting fucked on health care in the Senate and trying to clean up the mess in the Middle East left by his predecessor, and I am listening to new material from Alice in Chains.
In the last few years, a lot of popular Grunge acts have attempted to stage revivals. Smashing Pumpkins, Blind Melon, Jane’s Addiction, The Breeders, Mudvayne, Guns & Roses…few of these giants of old have been able to impress me when releasing post-hiatus material. Fewer still are the Grunge-era musicians, such as Lenny Kravitz, the Foo Fighters (AKA Nirvana Sans Kurt Cobain) or Pearl Jam, who experience continued success. So when I learned that Alice in Chains, whose music was a definitive and influential element in Grunge Rock, were reuniting and putting out new tracks I was overwhelmed with trepidation.
I decided to finally bite the bullet and sit down with ‘Black Gives Way to Blue’. Original vocalist Layne Stayley died seven years prior to this release. I was reminded of how poorly Blind Melon fared when Shannon Hoon died, not to mention what became of Nirvana after Cobain died.
Dead drug-abusing musicians are a dime a dozen in Grunge Rock. A lot of great bands have failed following the death of their lead singers. Despite a four-year hiatus following Stayley’s death, Alice in Chains reunited, playing shows for fans and friends alike. The musicians were lining up to play lead vocals with the band. Finally, they found a new lead in William DuVall. DuVall has been working in Punk and Metal scenes for over twenty years, and his pedigree is, if less widely known by the public, held in high esteem by his fellow musicians. DuVall is the natural choice, in terms of his vocal style and abilities, to replace the late, great Layne Stayley.
This album sounds very much like Alice in Chains of old. More so than any of their failed Grunge-band reunion peers, Alice in Chains have recaptured their sound, and managed to adjust it for a new era, without losing anything. Yes, Stayley’s absence looms large over this album, but it succeeds in spite of Stayley’s shadow, not because of it.
There are eleven outstanding tracks on ‘Black Gives Way to Blue’, and as always in this sort of review, I would like to highlight a couple. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the opener “All Secrets Known” essentially addresses the audience directly, on the topic of the new album. One must hear it for one’s self to understand how well they do this. “Check My Brain” highlights why DuVall was the obvious heir to the Microphone. “Your Decision” is my absolute favourite; it takes me right back to college and to the times and places and people I was around, when ‘Dirt’ and ‘Jar of Flies’ were all we were listening to. The rest of the album is equally powerful, equally haunting and equally deserving of the band’s legendary reputation.
Just get this one, okay? If you like Rock, if you like Grunge, and especially if you think the shit they got on the radio now is what Rock is supposed to sound like.
Alice in Chains: Black Gives Way to Blue
Virgin
Steve’s Rating: 10/10
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