Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue Review

When Layne Staley of Alice in Chains died, I was only 8 years old and not even close to becoming a rock music enthusiast. So I didn’t understand until last year how much of an impact he had on the rock, but especially grunge, movement. And I first started listening to them when William DuVall became the lead vocalist of the band, then I tapped into the original Alice in Chains and realized that the music is completely different with DuVall. He isn’t Layne, nor does he want to be, but I still appreciate his efforts with the band, especially since Jerry, Mike, and Sean picked him.

So now that I finished that rant, onto their new album Black Gives Way to Blue, it is an excellent album by far, even though it’s not that classic Alice sound. It seemed to me that this album was much heavier than what most Alice fans are used to, but I liked it a lot. This heaviness might have been found when Jerry Cantrell, the lead guitarist, went on his solo career with Sean and Robert Trujillo from Ozzy Osborne. I found plenty of great songs on this album which is surprising for most bands these days. Check My Brain and Your Decision were the two singles off of the album, and as with other bands these two songs weren’t overplayed so they still hold a place in the album to be recognized. Also the song Black Gives Way to Blue holds its own with the rest of these songs, and this song may or may not be related to the late Layne Staley… but my favorite is Last of My Kind. The eerie opening to the song makes it unique and interesting compared to the rest of the songs, but the guitar riff that comes afterwards works well with DuVall’s voice. Also with almost all Alice in Chains songs, the harmonization is truly amazing between Cantrell and DuVall.

Overall this album displays many classic AIC trademarks, but now with a new twist. I wouldn’t say that this album beats Facelift or Dirt but nonetheless it is an excellent album, but I still recommend listening to old AIC before listening to the new AIC.

Next up is AC/DC’s Black Ice.