Music of the Moment: Jerry Cantrell — “Psychotic Breakdown”
A sick, unsettling feeling grips you within the opening seconds of “Psychotic Break,†the first song from Jerry Cantrell’s first post-Alice in Chains solo album, Degradation Trip. The song was written prior to former Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley’s fatal overdose, but it is chilling to hear Cantrell sing of dead friends whose voices ring on.
Droning, and overdubbed vocals sing like a chorus of the damned, creating the same eerie, hallucinogenic feeling that “Sickman†and “Hate to Feel†from Alice’s classic Dirt created 15 years ago. An ominous, siren-like guitar line repeats itself throughout the song, playing like a warning destined to be ignored.
The effects of the guitar work, played in this sinister key, are a lot more interesting than the guitar work itself. As a player, Cantrell is in a league by himself. He lacked the flash and chops of some of his more metal-minded comrades, yet he was a bit more interested in playing guitar solos than some of his “grunge†compatriots. His best work then were songs that balanced his alt-rock and metal instincts, and “Psychotic Break†is one of them.
At just more than four minutes, this is also one of the more efficient tracks on Degradation. Many of the songs stretch on well past six and seven minutes, and in many cases the ideas just weren’t good enough to go quite that long. With “Psychotic Break,†Cantrell keeps this nightmarish track lean and powerful.
It is a shame the Degradation Trip set is the only post-Alice music Cantrell has released. Many AiC fans thought we were safe in assuming the main reason the band released music so sporadically was Staley’s deteriorating condition. While that likely was the driving force, it is interesting and disappointing to see Cantrell has released exactly one album since Staley’s death. Granted, it became a 2-CD set, but one gets the feeling Cantrell was bottled up for an awfully long time.
It can’t be emphasized enough that no one takes any delight in Staley’s passing. It was truly one of the more painful declines for fans (and God knows it was worse for his loved ones) to witness. That such a tragedy might lead to more frequent releases of music from Cantrell is about the only thing to cling to- that and the great music Cantrell and Staley made together and that Jerry has thus far made on his own.
Filed under: Alice in Chains, Music of the Moment
I thought Boggy Depot was his first? I guess since Layne was still around when it was released and there was no official “this is it,” that it could still be considered pre post-AIC.
Good album, either way, though! And I love Degradation Trip (especially the 2cd version).. one of my fave albums of the past 10 years.
Yeah, Michael, I’m dancing on the razor’s edge of a technicality. I believe Boggy came out before AiC’s self-titled release. It’s a thin, thin line because Boggy does pre-date Degradation.
I prefer the 2-CD version, too. There is some really great music on that set.