Alice in Chains fans: What do you guys think of the new album and/or singer?

Last I heard Phillip Anselmo was gonna be the singer and that was an upset even though I am a huge Pantera fan. I thought it was a horrible idea for Alice in Chains. Though, I haven’t heard anything about this and will check it out.

I haven’t heard the new CD, but I went to an AIC show with William DuVall in place of Layne a few years ago. It was good. He does a good job. But it’s not great. It was more like watching a really good AIC cover band. I wonder if the album will be the same.

DuVall does a pretty good job at being a grunge singer..

I was stunned at how much of the AIC sound seemed to have nothing to do with Staley. You listen to Check My Brain off Black Gives Way to Blue and you honestly wouldn’t know it wasn’t the exact same band. Cantrell is really the driving force behind that band, and DuVall sounds enough like Staley to pull off the old material and forge forward. I was VERY skeptical at first, but I say DuVall sounds at least as much like Staley as Brian Johnson sounds like Bon Scott, perhaps the only band in rock and roll history to become more popular after the original lead singer died…I won’t be surprised it the slightest if new Alice in Chains ends up selling more records than old Alice in the long run.

@dalepetrie: I haven’t heard the new stuff, but I always had the sense that Jerry was the backbone of the band.

@hearkat – you can check out two of their new songs on their website, the aforementioned “Check My Brain” (which is already a staple of the hard rock radio station in my area), and “A Looking in View”

@dalepetrie: Thanks!

I think the new album is great. “Private Hell” reminds me a lot of “Down In A Hole,” though I couldn’t say exactly why. It’s an instant classic, as is the title track, “Black Gives Way to Blue.” The latter track is a tribute to Layne, and it makes me tear up every time I hear it. Check out the acoustic performance of it on YouTube—you can tell how near and dear it is to Jerry.

I think this is one of the most honest bands out there, and as such they would never have released this album if it didn’t meet their own high standards. I’m so glad they did, and so glad they did it right.