Description

I've never really overlooked Alice In Chains, when I was 17, I bought "Dirt" when it was released in 1992 and was immediately struck by how different they sounded, but as you do, being into so much different music, I never really gave Alice In Chains the full and prolonged attention that they deserve...and how that has changed these last few weeks...

I was fortunate enough to see them for the first time at this year's Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth (sadly, I never managed to see them with Layne Stayley) - man, I was blown away by how good they are. It was like reeling in the years (Steelymore… Dan) listening to their monster riffs and haunting vocals. William DuVall has taken lead vocals and occasionally plays rhythm guitar. Somehow, he is the perfect fit and exactly the type of character Alice In Chains needed to fill Stayley's gargantuan boots, DuVall even sounds like Stayley, his towering vocals on tracks like "Man In The Box" and "Rooster" were incredible. I was blown away by them, I think they only performed one or two tracks from the new album, but they sounded really well put together and Jerry Cantrell has not steered away from the guitar work that has become almost instantly recognisable.

They were so good, that a mate of mine informed me a day later that his friend had dropped out of a gig and he had a spare ticket - "Which gig is it?" I asked..."Alice In Chains at the Scala in Kings Cross" he replied. I was there like a rat up a drainpipe. There were probably no more than 3 or 4 hundred in the crowd. Now, I've been to hundreds of gigs in my time all over London and all over the world, but believe me, this performance smashed into my top ten. It was utterly incredible. I was just feet away from Cantrell and he soared through the riffs of so many of what are now truely classic, timeless cuts including "Angry Chair," "Down In A Hole," "We Die Young, "No Excuses, "Grind" and a brilliant "Rain When I Die." These guys are the real deal; if AC/DC can replace Bon Scott as successfully as they did, there is no reason why Alice In Chains can not do the same. Alice In Chains are back with a vengeance.

The Scala gig was absolutely phenomenal; I still shudder with passion every time I think about it. There is just something so differnent about Alice In Chains, is it in their chord structure and arrangements or did they just have this ability to sound effortlessly breathtaking all the time? I haven't made my mind up completely yet, but I tell you what, for me, they blow bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam clean out of the water, they are wholesomely original and completely unpretentious. It's the crescendos in the vocal parts, the power that Stayley and Duvall drive throughout the choruses; the way Cantrell lets an evil smile cut across his face as he slowy tilts his head back letting his long blonde locks fall behind him, striking riffs which shake you to the bones. Being in the crowd that night made me feel like part of a family, it was so intimate and everyone in there was just fists in the air and going for it like it would be the last gig they'd see before they died!

As well as playing a long, captivating set which comprised mainly their well known material, they played three or four tracks from the new album and quite honestly, none of them would've sounded out of place on any of their past albums from the early 1990s...and you know what a new album means don't you? A tour...Come on Alice In Chains, get yourself out on the road and hammer the UK with your bone crunchingly spectacular performances!

I can't wait for this album to come out. They are such a huge breath of fresh air in a contemporary music scene which I don't get a lot of feeling from. Alice In Chains sort of restore you faith in humanity...ironic really when you consider that so many of their songs tackle the themes of death, loss and addiction. Isn't it strange how some of the darkest lyrics in music can drive so much positivity in you - that, surely is the trademark of great songwriters isn't it?

Tracks

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Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

Comments:

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Cover Info:

Title:

Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue (2009) Retail CD

Part:

Back

Dimensions:

2354 x 1826 px

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1,248 KB

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29/09/09 by pontiacc

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