Virgin, 2009
10/10
Who would have thought that Alice In Chains could not only find a legitimate, suitable replacement for the late iconic frontman Layne Staley, but also compose their first album in 14 years that sounds relevant in today’s musical environment? Almost no one, myself included. Given these challenges, Black Gives Way To Blue is probably the greatest comeback history in rock, and certainly the best since Deep Purple’s Perfect Strangers. I was so scared about the Alice In Chains legacy being ruined that I couldn’t even bring myself to listen to this album immediately upon its release. What the surviving members of the band (Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, and Mike Inez) have accomplished with new vocalist William DuVall is nothing short of stunning. The first two singles, “A Looking In View” and “Check My Brain”, are classic-sounding AIC songs with slow, deliberate riffs and haunting vocal melodies. “Your Decision” and “When The Sun Rose Again” represent the acoustic side of the band. The remainder of the album mainly rotates between slow, heavy numbers such as “Last Of My Kind”, “All Secrets Known”, and “Take Her Out” and mellower tracks like “Private Hell” and “Acid Bubble”. The sad, beautiful piano ballad title track with Elton John ends the album and leaves the listeners pondering and reflecting upon how Alice In Chains have released the best album of their career. The power of Black Gives Way To Blue is immense, and the band sounds fresh and at the top of their game. William DuVall sounds uncannily like Layne Staley, but his voice sounds entirely natural and uncontrived. The songwriting (almost entirely by Jerry Cantrell) is consistent throughout and there’s not a single weak track. I have no doubt that Black Gives Way To Blue will go down as one of the greatest rock albums. The iTunes LP (ITLP) electronic version of the record contains two bonus songs, a remixed version of the title track and a live rendition of “Your Decision”, as well photos, artwork, liner notes, and two short videos (a tour documentary and studio footage). It’s a cool multimedia package, and the album can be set to play along with a neat photo slideshow. The ITLP version is well worth the couple extra bucks. Let’s hope the resounding success and universal praise for Black Gives Way To Blue will get Alice In Chains back into the studio soon.
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