MetalSucks

Did Alice in Chains blow their entire budget on the excellent “A Looking In View” video? Their new clip, “Check My Brain,” finds them standing against a green screen while the director places the most clichéd images available behind them (e.g., The sun burst right when the band sings “So I found myself in the sun.” How imaginative.).

Barely matters. The song is awesome, and the band’s new album, Black Gives Way to Blue, seems pretty much guaranteed to be awesome, too.

The video is an MTV premiere, which means that a) those of you who live outside the States might not be able to watch it and b) those of you who can watch it will get a shit quality stream anyway. Oh well.

Black Gives Way to Blue comes out September 29.

-AR

Our sistah from anutha mistah, Justina Villaneuva, was at the Alice in Chains show at the Fillmore/Irving Plaza with us on Tuesday night. But instead of just being another stoned asshole who considers going to a show and rocking out “working,” Justina was actually working, by taking awesome photos of the concert. As she’s prone to do.

You can see those photos here; the one above is just a sample taste. All hail the Mighty Eye of Villaneuva.

She also did a very nice write-up of the show for Metal Injection, her home base. You should read that shit, son.

-AR

It’s certainly no secret that Dave Mustaine is a dick… just look at the seemingly endless feud between him and Kerry King. But the guy doing this interview for Rockerrazzi.com easily out-does Dave in the douche-tard department. The guy is completely unqualified; he asks “When was that?” when Mustaine tells him that Megadeth took Stone Temple Pilots out on their first tour, then quips that “You obviously had your shit together at the beginning,” as if Megadeth were newborns in 1992. But the best part by far is when the interviewer tells Dave that he’s heard that the new stuff “is quintessential Alice in Chains.” Dude. And to Dave’s credit, he totally rolls with it and doesn’t say a thing. Watch.

-VN

I had kind of a stunning realization last night as I watched Alice in Chains blow the roof off Irving Plaza/The Fillmore/whatever the fuck it’s called now. It was during the second song of the band’s ninety minute set, “Again.” (The show opener was “Rain When I Die,” in case you’re curious.) New vocalist William DuVall (well at this point he’s not really new anymore, but I guess he’s new-ish) didn’t just sing the phrase “Again and again and again” – he belted it, jumping up onto the monitors to give himself just a little extra boost in the rockstar god department. Then, as it came time for him to grunt and signal the start of the “Doo-doo, doo-doo” sing-along section (and sing along the crowd did), DuVall lept off the monitor and started pumping his fist in the air, prompting the audience to do the same. As he finally turned to face drummer Sean Kinney, Kinney started grinning; and then the grin spread across the stage like an infectious disease, and by the end of the song, guitarist Jerry Cantrell and bassist Mike Inez were smiling, too.

And that’s when it hit me. It was kind of a morbid epiphany, especially for someone who held deceased vocalist Layne Staley in as high regard as I did, but it was an important epiphany for a fan who hopes to follow this band into their future. Here it is:

Layne Staley did not want to be with us here tonight.

Click to read more…

So Vince and I were talking the other day about this question that both of us have wondered about from time to time, and since then I haven’t stopped thinking about it. So here it is: DO ANY OF YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT LYRICS IN METAL?

Is it just the sound of the voice and how it works with the sound of the music, or is it also what the vocalist is saying that matters to you? I’m going to take a guess and say that fans of hardcore and straight edge bands really do care about the lyrics because the bands are representing the ideals and beliefs of their respective communities. But what about in death metal, black metal, or any other genre of metal? When you listen to Necrophagist or Cannibal Corpse or Suicide Silence, can you comprehend what they’re singing about, and do you even care? Is it what they’re singing about, or is it more what it sounds like with the music, or both?

Click to read more…

What an awesome way to start the weekend.

Finally, after weeks and weeks of crappy bootlegs, we get some actual new music from Alice in Chains! Our friends at Metal Insider are streaming the band’s new single, “Check Your Brain.” And guess what? It is CLASSIC Alice. The guitars, the vocals, the hook, everything… I mean, swap out William DuVall for Layne Staley and the song would easily fit on the band’s self-titled album.

In short: we think it’s awesome. Listen to it here, then come back and let us know what you think.

Alice in Chains’ big comeback album, Black Gives Way to Blue, drops September 29.

-AR

The heart image seems fitting somehow, ’cause… I dunno… Layne is dead… but out hearts still beat for him… or… whatever.

Actually, it seems like the band has some kind of heart-fetish for awhile now; a couple of years back, Vince bought this shirt:

Click to read more…

According to Blabbermouth, Elton John plays on the title track to Alice in Chains’ forthcoming Black Gives Way to Blue, which is described as “a heart-stirring tribute” to late vocalist Layne Staley.

Apparently John’s contribution comes solely in the form of piano playing and not vocals, which must be why Vince made no note of it when he reported on the album’s listening party (although he did make note of the “melancholy piano” and the lyrics “I remember you,” which he suspected at the time was a tribute to Staley); at the same time, I can’t believe they’ve kept the collaboration with John a secret this long.

So… anyone wanna get pissy about this? Honestly, like our friend Eyal Levi, I need some non-metal sometimes, and vintage Elton John often hits the spot. Plus, this isn’t the first time he’s worked with a near-metal band:

Black Gives Way to Blue comes out September 29.

-AR

Emphasis on “somewhat.”

This one is called “Acid Bubble.”

“Check My Brain” after the jump.

Click to read more…

I’m told that the below is footage of Alice in Chains performing another new song, “Check My Brain,” in Dublin this past weekend. I say “I’m told” because the quality of said footage is so piss-poor that I can’t even make it all the way through the song. This is not the way I want to experience new Alice in Chains for the first time.

That being said, if you’re dying for a fix, feel free to tough it out. And make sure you read Vince’s track-by-track preview of Alice in Chains’ new album, Black Gives Way to Blue, which comes out September 29.

-AR

[via Blabbermouth]

Last week, Elise at Reign in Blonde wrote a piece entitled “TOP 5 SONGS I WOULD PROBABLY USE AS MY STRIPPER SONG.”

Improbably enough, this led to a stoned think-session where I came up with a list of the top five songs I would probably use as my own stripper song. ‘Cause I know you all wanna see me strip so badly.

Okay, here we go:

Click to read more…

This is Alice in Chains performing “A Looking in View” live in Detroit last week. Note that not only does the band sound great, but that William DuVall and Jerry Cantrell both sound more or less the way they do on the recording of the track. In other words: they can actually sing. Without autotune. Amazing, right?

And the moral of the story is: if you can’t do it live, don’t do it on record. Because I’ll just make fun of you later. I’m talking to you, Brandon Saller. Get it together.

If you haven’t already read Vince’s track-by-track breakdown of the new AIC album, Black Gives Way to Blue, well, you should really check it out now.

-AR

[via Blabbermouth]

I’ve gotten a few e-mails today from people asking me where Vince is. Well, the truth is, Vince can’t write because he’s ill. And he’s quitting the site. No, really, he quit. We didn’t fire him. Swear it. We stand by that statement.

Here’s some other shit that happened in the world of metal this week:

• We’ve heard the new Alice in Chains album, and it is good.
• Gwar’s Oderus Urungus answered some of your questions, and will answer more in the future.
• John Bush is coming back to Anthrax because Dan Nelson quit. Oh, wait, no he didn’t. Yes he did. He probably didn’t, though.
• We spoke with Poison the Well’s Ryan Primack and Sunn O)))’s Greg Anderson.
• We checked out the latest releases from He Is Legend, Magrudergrind, Novembers Doom, and Clutch.
• Unfortunately, the 10th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos really is a real thing.
• Baby-eater Dino Cazares must be stopped!!!

Alright. Time to go buy a vaporizer of my very own. See ya Monday.

-AR

Last night’s “listening party” in NYC for Alice in Chains’ new record Black Gives Way to Blue was one of the most bizarre such events I’ve ever attended. In the metal world, “listening party” usually means the label or PR firm invites us out to a divey bar where we all drink heavily and chat while the new record plays on repeat. Sometimes the band plays a few songs… sometimes there’s an open bar or drink tickets (aka a makeshift piece of paper that entitles the bearer to a free drink). But all in all, they’re pretty laid back affairs.

Not this one. The event was at a theater in the brand new New York Times building in Times Square. Attendees had to check in with someone at the door, then hand in any and all mobile phones / ipods / computers that could possibly be used as recording devices. Serious! Everyone gathered in a cavernous, wood-paneled lobby area where there were no fewer than 10 waiters in fancy black shirts walking around with platters of hour d’oeuvres — mini kobe beef burgers, samosas, and some other mysterious but delicious cooked treat — and as much wine or beer as our little hearts desired. A certain “Metal Insider” who shall remain nameless took full advantage of the free wine, and I’d imagine was in quite the right frame of mind for the album listening. Also striking: the makeup of the audience was at least 75% stripey-shirt dudes. Us normal shorts-and-t-shirt dudes felt kind of awkward in comparison — this was a listening party for ALICE IN FUCKING CHAINS???

At 7:30 we were all let into a big movie-style theater with speakers set up on the stage and a small screen across the middle that would later display images presumably from the album artwork. Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney came out for a quick speech, the lights dimmed, and the music began… LOUD.

Interestingly, I was the only person I could see that was taking notes with pen and paper, the good old-fashioned way. Rather than give you guys some faux mumbo-jumbo about what the album sounds like and what it represents in the evolution blah blah blah FUCK, I’d like to give you my notes. Having only heard the album once I don’t feel like I’m in a position to make any grand judgments, but what I wrote down was in the moment and what I was thinking at the time. My hope is that these notes give you some idea of what you’re in for. But I will say this… the new Alice in Chains record is heavy, deep, and it’s fucking GOOD.

My notes, track by track (sorta), minimally edited for clarity, after the jump.

Click to read more…

This is Phil Anselmo performing Alice in Chains’ “Nutshell” in Tel Aviv.

And… that’s all I have to say about this.

-AR

[via Metal Injection]

This video harkens back to the days of weird, enigmatic, “creepy” alt-metal videos, but guess what? I still dig it.

Alice in Chains’ big comeback album, Black Gives Way to Blue, comes out September 29 on Virgin.

-AR

For those of you not from the U.S. and somehow completely unaware of this, the Fourth of July is a pretty big deal here in America. On that day, we celebrate winning our freedom by kicking the British’s ass. Of course, they later gave us Hugh Grant, so I guess they had their revenge in the end.

So there won’t be any posts tomorrow; on Monday, we’ll unveil the last albums on the list. In the meantime, here’s some things that happened this week in the world of MetalSucks:

• We continued to countdown the 21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century… So Far. You continued to engage in, um, intelligent debate. Yeah, let’s call it intelligent debate.
• We spoke with Goatwhore’s Ben Falgoust and Black Math Horseman’s Sera Timms.
• We checked out new releases from Killswitch Engage and Havok.
• Daath’s Eyal Levi took a break from worrying about dying in fiery plane or car crash to worry about getting shot.
• We debated the merits of the new Alice in Chains song.
• We laughed at high school year book photos of past and present members of Metallica.

I plan to not be sober for the next 72 hours. See ya Monday!

-AR

So there’s this new Alice in Chains song, and this morning I wrote and posted this whole long critique, and now shitty computer issue mean it’s gone forever, and I’m way too lazy to re-write it all. So here are the highlights of that now-departed piece:

• No one will ever be able to replace Layne Staley, but William DuVall does a good job and his harmonies Jerry Cantrell are great.
• The band brought the heavy, which makes me happy.
• At seven-plus minutes, I think it’s too long, especially since it’s kind of redundant.
• I’m excited to hear the whole record.
• Fuck Godsmack.
• Download the whole song for free here.
• Weigh in with your thoughts below.

-AR

Here’s another teaser for the new Alice in Chains single/video “A Looking in View.” We get to hear significantly more music than we did in the initial teaser, and all I can say is, holy SHIT does this sound heavy. I kind of assumed that for their comeback album, AIC would play it safe and make a very middle of the road hard rock record; if they actually made a full-on metal album, well, good for them.

The full video will apparently be released tomorrow. The album, Black Gives Way to Blue, will come out on Virgin on September 29.

-AR

As I’ve said before, I usually steer clear of posting “trailers” for upcoming music videos, but the below, for a new Alice in Chains song called “A Looking In View,” obviously deserves to be an exception. Besides the fact that the imagery is pretty kooky, it gives us our first taste, however brief, of the first new AIC music in fourteen (!!!) years. The full song will appear on the band’s forthcoming album, Black Gives Way to Blue, which Virgin will release September 29.

Of course, I can’t make any judgements based on what in this teeny tiny little clip, but if you’re an AIC nerd like me, you crave a listen to this new album like Layne Staley craved smack.

[crickets]

What? Too soon?

Alice in Chains – A Looking In View (Trailer)

-AR