When Vince and I saw Alice in Chains last month, there was a lot of hub-bub in the crowd ’cause Scott Ian and his wife, Pearl “Meatloaf’s Daughter” Aday, were very visibly sitting in the VIP section of the balcony. But seeing Scott Ian at a New York metal show isn’t really that unusual, so I didn’t think much of it at the time.

As it turns out, though, Ian and AIC’s Jerry Cantrell are, indeed, friends – and now business partners. So says a press release:

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Five heavy hitting heavy hitters — Alice in Chains, Hatebreed, Austrian Death Machine, Steel Panther and Dethklok — all released new records last week. Solid 2nd and 3rd week performances from Three Days Grace, Muse, Megadeth, Five Finger Death Punch and others made it an all-around big week for metal. Let’s see how everyone fared after the jump.

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Reader CB Mather e-mailed me over the weekend to assert that Alice in Chains’ new song, “Your Decision,” is “an obvious rip-off” of Nirvana’s “Polly.” Now, since I absolutely loved AIC’s new album, Black Gives Way to Blue, and really, really dig the song “Your Decision,” I immediately decided to investigate…

…and there are some undeniable similarities between the songs. The vocal lines are different and the choruses are not really similar at all, but the chord progression during the verse is… well… it’s not identical, but I can see a relationship there. I don’t know if I’d call it “an obvious rip-off,” but only the most die-hard AIC fan who can’t live with the thought of anyone saying anything even mildly insulting to the band would deny the similitude of the two songs.

Here they are side-by-side. I tend to think this is just one of those times when a song kinda-sorta sounds like another song, but the fact that they’re both Seattle bands from the same era makes the connection that much more relevant.

NIRVANA PERFORMING “POLLY” ON UNPLUGGED

ALICE IN CHAINS PERFORMING “YOUR DECISION” ON JIMMY KIMMEL

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Are you sick of hearing about the new Alice in Chains album, Black Gives Way to Blue, yet? I know we – and pretty much every other metal and heavy rock media outlet – have been talking about it non-stop, but that’s because it’s a great record, and very likely marks the comeback of the decade. (Although Christian Hoard at Rolling Stone only gave it 2 1/2 stars out of a possible five. Three cheers for Rolling Stone once again going out of its way to prove its irrelevance to anyone other than yuppies, old men who are nostalgic for a heyday that never really existed the way they say it did, and bored people in waiting rooms.)

Here’s the band performing the new track “Your Decision” on Jimmy Kimmel last night. It’s a beautiful performance of one my favorite songs on the album. It’s hard not to interpet the lyrics – to this or most of the other songs on Blue – as being about Layne Staley, but regardless of whatever Jerry Cantrell and the rest of the band intended, it’s an excellent tune.

Black Gives Way to Blue is out now, and is apparently selling very well, at least by current standards. That makes me very, very happy.

-AR

This video is from ’94, but still… I’d never seen it before and found it, well, not funny, but, uh, interesting? Let’s say interesting.

I guess Cantrell and company weren’t too offended, though, ’cause in 2006, they performed with Hetfield:

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I think that William DuVall is ready for his close-up. Black Gives Way to Blue kills, and proves that Alice in Chains have done what even the most cynical of us (namely, me) thought was impossible: this band can carry on without Layne Staley. And, yes, Jerry Cantrell deserves a BJ or twelve for that fact, but this would be just a glorified make-over for Cantrell’s solo band if DuVall wasn’t a killer front man.

So. MetalSucks Maniac Amanda Dobbs has tipped us off to the fact that DuVall has made a list of ten songs that “blow him away” for AOL. And while there’s a goodly amount of rock on the list, it’s probably not what you expect. I don’t wanna spoil it here, but… the most recent song on the list was recorded in 1971. So if you were hoping for some metal… stop.

But they’re all great songs, and give some real insight into where DuVall is coming from. Check out the list here.

-AR

It’s still a week away from release, but today you can stream Alice in Chains’ excellent new offering Black Gives Way to Blue in its entirety on Alice in Chains’ official website. In an autumn filled with fucking excellent metal albums, this one is definitely one of the records I’ve been spinning most over the past week or so; now you can check it out too. And best of all, the audio is high(ish) quality; no crappy MySpace player.

Those skeptical of the band with new lead singer William Duvall can now hear what we’ve been talking about. Inevitably there will still be haters who refuse to accept this new incarnation of the band, but if you’ve got a set of ears and a brain there’s no way you can deny that this is good music. Take a listen, and come back here and tell us what you think. Also be sure to check out the 12-minute short film the band put out last week in which all four members comment on Layne’s passing and the decision to get the band back together.

-VN

I finally got around to watching this 12-minute short film about Alice in Chains that was released last Friday, and I’m quite glad I did. The video [posted on SMNnews.com] features interviews with all four band members speaking about the tragedy of former singer Layne Staley’s death and the eventual return of the band with new singer William Duvall. Follow the band as they recount their first performance without Layne in the wake of the Tsunami tragedy, their introduction to William, and the creative processes that led to the birth of Black Gives Way to Blue.

I’m not sure why the guys are getting dolled up as members of KISS in this video, but perhaps a more knowledgeable AIC fan can fill us in. I also don’t understand the significance of the laundromat at the end…. is it a metaphor for cleaning up and dealing with the past? Not sure, but whatever it means this video is an excellent, personal look into the reformation of one of my favorite bands of all-time.

Black Gives Way To Blue drops everywhere September 29. It’s really good, folks.

-VN

The first words you hear on Facelift are “Scary’s on the wall/ Scary’s on his way.” The first words you hear on Dirt are “I believe them bones are me/Some say we’re born into the grave.”

The first words you’ll hear on Black Gives Way to Blue are “Hope, a new beginning/Time, time to start living.”

I’m saying this band has had a major shift in life-philosophy.

Here’s an album sampler. It’s a too-brief taste of what the band has in store for you when the record is released on September 29.

After the jump, check out Jerry Cantrell doing an acoustic performance of the title track, which is the last song on the album. I’d urge you to pay attention to the lyrics if you can. And don’t forget that Elton John plays piano on the studio version of the song.

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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.

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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?

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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:

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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.

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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:

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