Alice in Chains Unveils Black Gives Way to Blue
By Laura Aguirre
It’s been nearly 14 years since Alice In Chains released their last self-titled album, but both the band’s singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, say that their upcoming album Black Gives Way to Blue “doesn’t stray too far from [their] influential catalog.”
According to Billboard, Kinney says the 11-track album continues in the Alice in Chains tradition and will measure up to some of their previous record hits like Dirt and Jar of Flies. The new album is set to be released on September 29. A lead single hasn’t been announced yet, but their new track A Looking in View can be heard at aliceinchains.com.
So far, both Kinney and Cantrell are very pleased with their new album. Kinney says, “It’s nice to sound like yourself.” Cantrell adds:
“We were just hoping to make the best record we possibly could, and we did that. Sean and I talk a lot about (how) when you do a record, you’ve been working on it a long time and you’re pretty sick of it by the time somebody else hears it. You’re already thinking of the next thing. And we’re still listening to this. It’s still like really exciting to listen to, and that’s really good.”
The band doesn’t plan to stop touring when the record comes out later on in September because “that would be like an old pattern we’re trying not to do again,” says Cantrell.
This is also the first album since the death of original singer Layne Stanley, who died of a heroin/cocaine overdose in 2002. But according to Alice in Chains, the spirit of Stanley remains with the band.
Kinney adds that much of what has happened in their lives since 1995 is addressed in Black Gives Way to Blue saying, “A lot has happened,” and “It’s basically what’s happened in life . . . And it’s on this record.”
For Alice in Chain fans, this is a reunion that shouldn’t be missed, especially if something similar to the “acoustic-minded” Jar of Flies is being added to the mix. This legendary band has booked a brief European run next month, and is looking to add more destinations and dates to their tour.
