Week of Alice in Chains

With tons of great albums coming out every week I have to be picky on which ones I review for a weekly blog. However I think this album falls under almost everyone's most important albums of the year list. This week I will be reviewing Alice In Chains- The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here.

     Alice in Chains are an American band from Seattle, Washington in 1987. The original line up consisted of songwriter and lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell, Lead singer Layne Staley, Bassist Mike Star, and Drummer Sean Kinney. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell first met as struggling musicians while working at the Music Bank rehearsal studios. They became roommates living in a performance space, they were performing as Alice N' Chains to avoid the bondage criticism. The band broke up to form a funk band where they met Sean Kinney and Mike Star. The funk band fell apart and the went back to Jerry Cantrell's other band, changing names a bunch of times before going back to using Alice In Chains. Local promoter Randy Hauser became aware of the band at a concert, and offered to pay for the demo recordings. However the day before the band was due to record the demo, police shut down the studio during the biggest pot bust in the state's history. The Tree house Tapes fnally found their way to Columbia Records. The band released their first EP We Die Young in 1990. The band released their debut album Facelift in 1990. "Man in the Box" rocketed them to huge success giving them openings for Iggy Pop, Van Halen, Megadeth, Anthrax, and Slayer. After the release of an acoustic EP Sap, the band released their second album Dirt in 1992. This album went quadruple platinum since it's release.

     Alice in Chains have quite the history. So much so that they get two whole paragraphs dedicated to it. Following the release of Dirt and it's word tour, the band ended up back in the studio with acoustic guitars and created the EP Jar of Flies in 1993, and ended up with a new bassist Mike Inez. Soon after this singer Layne Staley entered rehab for heroin addiction. The band had planned a tour in 1994 but had to cancel it and put the band on hiatus when Layne Staley began using heroin again. While Alice in Chains were inactive during 1995 Layne Staley joined the grunge super group Mad Season. The group only had one album Above. In April 1995 Alice in Chains entered the Bad Animals Studio in Seattle with producer Toby Wright. Alice in Chains was released on November 7, 1995, and had been certified double platinum with four lead singles: "Grind", "Again", "Over Now", and "Heaven Beside You". No official tour followed this album but they performed a few shows opening for the KISS original lineup reunion. The band never disbanded singer Layne Staley just became a recluse never leaving the house and on April 19th, 2002 he was found dead in his condo. He had died from a combination of cocaine and heroin overdose. After a few reunion shows Willian DuVall became the official new lead singer and the band put out Black Gives Way to Blue in 2009. That leads us to The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here.
                                                      Alice in Chains- Man in a Box

           

     The label of Reunion album is a title that even the best bands and most dedicated fans cringe at, because everyone knows this is a label to be nervous for. Will they be the same band as before? That time has passed now for Alice in Chains, and finally the drama around that time is over. The band is back at it with grimy, dirty, grunge just like we like it. Alice is a dirty girl after all. Sorry I couldn't help myself. This album is true to everything classic and new Alice in Chains fans loved about the band. It has the harmonies, the grimy guitar licks, the powerful choruses, drawn out pounding base lines, and the dark emotional lyrics we have come to love from them. They even go as far as to expand on their usual sound on this album. The acoustic tracks or ballads for some are a few of the best tracks on the album. This album just has a very open life force of it's own, unlike Black Gives Way to Blue. That was a good record, but this one is a true Alice in Chains return to form.   

Alice in Chains- Stone

 

     The album's opener "Hollow" literally explodes into existence with huge grinding guitar and haunting choruses. This song is awesome, a huge hit on the album. "Pretty Done" keeps up the grinding guitar, tight harmonies, and big choruses but packs a little less punch while still remaining interesting. "Stone" kicks things off where "Hollow" left off driving home huge choruses. This is another huge song, DuVall kicks in the Alice in Chains signature snarl big time here. "Voices" is my 2nd favorite track on the album. They really know how to rock the slower songs too. This is a very strong ballad. "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" is a solid song, it doesn't really break new ground but it keeps the album going on a good note. "Lab Monkey" is one of the darker more grimy songs on the album. "Low Ceiling" is a little softer song but it still brings the signature punch and doesn't quite go ballad on us. "Breath on a Window" is one of the darker grimier songs really showing off DuVall on lead vocals. "Scalpel" is a very strong acoustically driven balled. Like I said they can rock the ballads too. "Phantom Limb" is my favorite song on here, it's a seven minute long jam and it rocks. "Hung on a Hook" features Jerry Cantrell on lead vocals and brings new flavor to it. "Choke" slows things back down again to end the alum on an acoustic jam. 

Alice in Chains- Hollow

 

      This album alternates between slow ballads and heavy rockers and they know how to bring both of them. This album really shows that William DuVall has really earned his rank as the new lead vocalist. Black Gives Way To Blue was not a fluke. Layne Staley will never be replaced, but I think he would like the direction the band is going. I would recommend this album to any grunge or hard rock fan. 

Recommended Songs: Hollow, Stone, Voices, and Phantom Limb.

4.5/5 Stars