MetalSucks

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

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…

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

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]

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

Alice in Chains have officially announced Black Gives Way to Blue as the title of their new, Layne Staley-less album. It will be released on September 29.

I know a lot of people – myself included – are really, really, REALLY cynical about this record, but if done right, it really could be their Back in Black. For now, let’s just say that there is 200% no album I’m more curious to hear this year, for better or worse.

Here they are doing “Again” with their new vocalist, William DuVall, at Rock am Ring in 2006. Vince and I have seen this DuVall fellow live in concert twice, and I think he’s at least worth giving a shot.

-AR

So, yes, Alice in Chains are recording a new album with new singer William DuVall. And, yes, it’s hard to accept the idea of AIC without Layne Staley. But in DuVall’s defense, Vince and I have seen him perform with the Men in the Box not once, not twice, but three times, and while he’s no Staley, he’s pretty frickin’ cool.

So. It would have been nice to see the band reunited with Dave Jerden, who produced their first two (and, in my not so humble opinion, their two best) albums, Facelift and Dirt. But they’ve gone with Nick Raskulinecz instead. Raskulinecz is “in” right now (he’s produced the Foo Fighters, Shadows Fall, Trivium, Death Angel, Velvet Relover, etc.), which is not to say he’s bad; in point of fact, the only thing I have against the dude is that I have to look up the proper way to spell his name each and every time I wanna write about him. If only this was the Sunset Strip in ‘86 and he’d changed his name to Nikki Rakkett, life would be so much easier. Sigh.

And if these guys can still muster even an ounce of the magic they captured in their heyday, a 2009 Alice in Chains record could be this generation’s Back in Black.

Then again, it will probably suck.

-AR