“Alice In Chains is coming out with a new album?! They can’t do that without Layne Stanley! It’s not right and won’t be the same!” Those were more or less the first things that came to mind when I learned that Alice In Chains had reunited with a new vocalist and were in the process of writing a new full length. I’m sure that a lot of people thought the same thing. The more I thought about it though the more I realized that AIC is more or less Jerry Cantrell’s brainchild, as he writes all the music and the lion’s share of the lyrics. The fact that lead vocalist Layne Stanley passed away in 2002 from a drug overdose definitely hangs a dark cloud over the band, and the fact that he was hands down one of the best vocalists of the 90’s and even, dare I say, of all time, makes a comeback album quite a risky undertaking. Can the band continue on without such a unique and powerful talent? Can they make an album that stacks up against the rest of their discography? Who could they possibly get to fill Layne’s monstrous shoes?
The fact is, not only are these shoes filled, but they’re filled surprisingly well by new vocalist William Duvall. He sounds a lot like Layne, but not in a way that rips him off. He has his own style, despite the similarity of their voices, and more importantly he has SOUL, something that Layne Stanley had in spades. One thing that made AIC such a unique and awesome band was the dual vocal harmonies of him and Cantrell, which got more and more complex as the band progressed. These are definitely still present, and Duvall and Cantrell’s voices mesh quite nicely, which is good because without this aspect the album really wouldn’t work. Duvall is truly a gifted singer, and deserves a lot more credit than I feel he’s gotten so far from people who’s seen them live or heard their newest singles.
Alice In Chains truly have made a helluva comeback album, and while I’m not sure it’s as good as their previous albums, it definitely holds a candle to them. Tracks like “Check My Brain” and “Last of My Kind” are vintage AIC, while “A Looking In View” sounds not un-like something off their 1995 self-titled album. Indeed, the album as a whole has the feel of the self-titled album, which is definitely a good thing. It’s a well-balanced album, with heavier tracks like the aforementioned “Last of My Kind” and “A Looking in View,” coupled with softer, more acoustic-driven songs like “Your Decision” and the title track which are more along the lines of something you’d find on “Jar of Flies.” The album is definitely not perfect however, and there’s a few songs that are less than memorable. Despite this, it’s a great record and far better than the majority of what’s out in there today in more mainstream-oriented rock. Definitely worth checking out.
