http://www.nme.com/news/alice-in-chains/39594



Alice In Chains to record first album in 13 years

Sep 9, 2008

Alice In Chains are set to record a new album this year, their first in 13 years.

The sessions will also be the band's first since frontman Layne Staley suffered a fatal drug overdose in 2002.

The band, joined by their new singer William DuVall, will head into the studio in the autumn.

Writing on the band's website, band associate Baldy said: "October will arrive and Alice In Chains will reconvene to record the new album.

"So, as 2008, winds down, band activity will be gearing up, and at some point in 2009 you'll finally hear what I've been raving about for the last several months."

The band's previous, self-titled, album was released in 1995.

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Product Description
ALICE IN CHAINS Jerry Cantrell - guitars/vocals Sean Kinney - drums Mike Inez - bass William DuVall - guitars/vocals

The new Alice In Chains album Black Gives Way To Blue is the sound of a new beginning of a legendary band returning to life. Right from the album's powerful and deeply meaningful opener "All Secrets Known" through its redemptive closing title track, Black Gives Way To Blue-the first new Alice In Chains album in more than 14 years-is not just another rock reunion, but something far more inspiring. Alice In Chains in the present tense. No replacements. No substitutions. It does no disrespect to the enduring memory of Alice In Chains' late, great lead singer Layne Staley, to say that for all that he brought to the group's music in his lifetime, Alice In Chains always was-and always will be-very much a band. So after taking a more than respectful break to mourn the loss of their brother and band mate-to heal and explore music individually-the surviving members of Alice In Chains-Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez-gradually began to make music again. The band came together for the first time in 2005 to take part in a benefit for the victims of the tsunami in Indonesia. The following year, Cantrell, Kinney and Inez decided that the time was right for Alice In Chains to reclaim its legacy again on tour. They did so with the help of a new guitarist and vocalist William DuVall, a gifted singer and player in his own right from Atlanta who previously worked with Neon Christ, Comes with the Fall, and as part of Jerry Cantrell's touring band. As live audiences discovered, DuVall brings a sound and stage presence all his own. Yet when DuVall and Cantrell blend their voices-as Cantrell and Staley did so often-there could be little doubt that the spirit of Alice In Chains was once again alive and well. Black Gives Way To Blue is the next step for a group that over the course of their career earned multiple Grammy nominations and sold more than 19 million albums worldwide and achieved 11 Top Ten singles. At the same time, the album offers the full, bracing impact of Alice In Chains-a band that kept heavy rock exciting at the dawn of the Nineties and helped set the stage for an even grungier Seattle sound-still clearly firing on all cylinders. Recording on Black Gives Way To Blue began in October of 2008 at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge and finished at Henson Studios in Hollywood. The band produced the album with Nick Raskulinecz, whose past credits include Foo Fighters and Rush. Black Gives Way To Blue combines some classic Alice In Chain textures with a renewed sense of energy and possibility,from the epic and fantastically electric rocker "A Looking In View" to the exquisite and romantic ballad "Your Decision" to the album's stunning first single "Check My Brain," a throbbing rocker in which a band associated with the Pacific Northwest makes a wry and witty observation on working and living in California. Through Black Gives Way To Blue, there is a deep sense of the unique life that this band haslived, of "Lesson Learned," to borrow the title of another standout track. In the end, the album offers a kind of shared group autobiography by a band that has survived so much. Together, they are in a way "Last Of My Kind," to use the title of another album highlight penned by Jerry Cantrell-long a dominant songwriter within Alice In Chains-with lyrics from DuVall. "Imitations are pale," DuVall and Cantrell sing together on "Black Gives Way To Blue," a brand new Alice In Chain classic that really has it all-the brooding hurt, the brute force and the beautiful introspection. Listen closely to Black Gives Way To Blue, and you'll know right away this is Alice In Chains.

1. All Secrets Known 4:42
2. Check My Brain 3:57
3. Last Of My Kind 5:52
4. Your Decision 4:43
5. A Looking In View 7:06
6. When The Sun Rose Again 4:00
7. Acid Bubble 6:56
8. Lesson Learned 4:16
9. Take Her Out 4:00
10. Private Hell 5:38
11. Black Gives Way To Blue 3:03

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029LHW4U/?tag=imwan-20

No Layne...me no care.

Me care. I've seen them twice since they reformed in 2006 and 2007 and they sound amazing. DuVall is a damn good singer and let's face it AIC is Jerry Cantrell-he wrote so many songs and sang on them and he's an outstanding guitarist. It's not the same without Layne Stayley but it's not their fault he was a druggie. I can't wait to hear the album

I don't care what they do, but this crosses the fine line between "change the band name"/"don't change the band name" territory. I doubt I'll hear any of this as I'm not too moved to seek it out.

I will go back and play "Would?" over and over again though.

IP, I agree that Cantrall is a huge part of the band; but with that said his solo cd's just haven't grabbed me.

Geff:
I agree with ya there-his solo albums aren't that good, but writing again for AIC I believe will bring out the best in him.
As for anyone saying this isn't AIC, how come AC/DC were allowed to replace a dead singer but nobody else can? On top of that, Cantrell is such a significant part of the band with his writing, playing and voice, it's still Alice In Chains. Again, not the same and it never will be without Layne-that I will never dispute. But how about hearing the music first?

Speaking for myself, I have two reasons:
The band already replaced their bass player, and the band broke up.
So:
1) Only half the members are original.
2) This is a "reunion" with a new lead singer (I assume with the original drummer and the 2nd bass player in addition to Cantrell).

As I said in my earlier post, I take the same name/use a different name thing almost on a case-by-case basis. In this case, the band split up before the frontman died, and now they are "reuniting" with a new lead singer. Too much for me.

Throw in the fact that they released a career-spanning box set that was supposed to tie-up the entire career according to promotional material at the time, and you may get my drift.

Are you serious about the bass player? First off-who cares? MIke Starr was booted out for drug problems anyway-(he's also my friend Neale's cousin), and he's had lots of other issues with the law. Not that that matters. Secondly, Mike Inez has been the bassist since 1993-safe to say he's a real member.
If you want to get that technical about "original members", vritually no band has original members if you want to include club dates/garage performances/dinner parties/college gigs etc.
That would mean Steven Tyler is the original drummer of Aerosmith since when they were a three piece playing BBQs, biker rallies and wet t-shirt contests and therefore Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer aren't orignal members, and since ZZ Top recorded one single in 1970 with Billy Gibbons and 2 other dudes that means that the "original" ZZ Top still together in fact aren't original-I mean, c'mon now. If you're using a bass player who has been a band member for 16 years as not being legit, I can't help you there. The singer thing-fine, I understand that part.
That AIC boxset was a record company thing-not the band closing their career (no matter what the promotion stated)-in fact they recorded new songs that year. AIC never officially broke up anyway, just went on hiatus hoping Layne would get his shit together. He didn't.
Look, you aren't the only one who is against AIC being back together, but there are plenty of fans who are excited and glad they are-I'm one of them. I saw them in 1993 and they were awesome. Simply awesome. But they're still a really good band and I look forward to the new material. I guess if you don't care and don't want to listen you'll never hear it. The singer thing will forever be a touchy issue in music, so I do understand your feelings-I just see it a different way in this case.

I think the reason why AC/DC replacing a singer was so readily accepted is that Back In Black is the album that put them on the map in the US. Highway To Hell opened the door a little bit, but Back In Black kicked it down with a vengeance. I had never heard of them prior to BIB, so that was my first exposure to them. It was the right album ad the right time and it sold a gazillion copies.

As a result of their massive popularity, people became aware of Bon Scott's time in the band. In fact, AC/DC was so popular, that when Atlantic issued Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap for the first time in America in 1981 -- five years after being issued in other parts of the world -- it sold like it was a new album. Even though a sticker on the shrinkwrap clearly indicated the songs had been recorded in 1976 with Bon Scott on vocals, fans didn't care. They ate it up. "Big Balls" and the title track were rock radio hits back when those things existed.

Do we agree to disagree? I do.

Deep Purple is another exception; While i don't like the Joe Lynn Turner version I really like Mk 3 with Coverdale & Hughes.

If Layne's mother is OK with the band moving on, does anyone else really have much of a leg to stand on?



http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_b ... hains.html

Trevor Horn will be the next vocalistist in AIC.

No, really, haven't heard the reincarnation yet, so I shall reserve judgement till I do.

Miss Layne, tho, of course.

DW

Well that settles that for once and for all. Long live Alice In Chains! Thanks for quoting the blog that mentioned Layne Staley's mom's approval!

If a member of the band feels like changing the name, does everyone else blow him off?



http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1524813/20060223/alice_in_chains.jhtml

Because that's exactly what I was saying.

Whatever. You don't want to listen to it, then don't. You don't think they should use the name, big deal. You quoted a 3 year old article. If Sean Kinney still feels that way, I doubt anyone's holding a gun to his head.

Steve From KY:
I don't understand why we need to keep beating this into the ground. You act as though Kinney was shot down by the others from this ancient quote before they even reformed. There is abolutely zero proof he was "shot down" by the others. They started off doing benefit shows with guests before DuVall came along and they became a band again, which is when this old quote was from. What is the point of posting something so old? Plus, all you did was speculate without any proof that there was a problem with Kinney.
The band exists whether you like it or not. Obviously, you won't support it and that's fine, but they sound great live and hopefully the album will be good. No guarantee an album with Layne would've been good either by the way-the dude was a frickin' mess at the end. If you don't support them why bother posting so many times about this?
So, should the Red Sox change their name because they traded Manny? Should M*A*S*H* have been called something else when McLean Stephenson left? Where does it end? A band is just a collection of people, and almost always the collection of people will change. For whatever reason-if it's the singer that just cannot happen. I don't get it personally, but many people subscribe to it even though many bands have continued to be successful anyway after a singer change.

This one doesn't bug me nearly as much as Journey......... but either way I agree with IP the band has the right to exist, & I have the right to decide whether to spend my $'s on them. There MAY be a truth in advertising issue, hard to say.

Yeah, it's really up to the fans to decide if they're happy with any personnel moves. Ultimately the fans will judge and with Journey it was a huge success. There will always be some fans attached to a certain lineup who just choose not to continue with a band and that's their right. 3/4 of AIC is still on board including their most important writer, so it's legit. Just up to the fans whether they like the new music or not. I just don't get when people bash it without even hearing it!
But it's also the right of the band to carry on. Where I have a problem is with situations like Molly Hatchet, Foghat, CCR-bogus versions of the band with either no key members or just one. Unless it's the main writer of the music, it's lame and deceptive, although most people know it's a joke.
Some states now have a law that at least one actual member of a band must be in the group or they can't play any venues in the state.

yes, some of the 60's touring bands can get especially confusing. If my fading memory serves, there was a version of Fleetwood Mac touring before the Buckingham Nicks days with no actual FM members at all. Goldy mcJohn at one time called himself Steppenwolf...... & on and on.........

Actually, at one point, Molly Hatchet had no original members.

Yeah, both Molly and Hatchet went on to lukewarm solo careers...