Alice in Chains To Record New Album With William DuVall
Feared this I did.
Rolling Stone is reporting that Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, Sean Kinney, and William DuVall are entering the studio to produce a new album of music that will likely be released under the Alice in Chains moniker.
I’m sorry. This isn’t Alice in Chains.
Before you start pointing out the obvious, let me acknowledge a few things. First, I am quite well fucking aware that Jerry Cantrell wrote/co-wrote a massive amount of that material. I’m also quite aware of Jerry’s vocal contributions to the band and the role his guitar played in the band’s overall sound.
Second, I would never dream of telling Jerry, Sean, and Mike that they shouldn’t continue to record and perform together and with other musicians. Hell, I even understand touring with DuVall because touring is one thing Alice in Chains didn’t get to do a hell of a lot of. Ask me how I know. Twice I had near misses when I was supposed to fucking see them in concert! I can see how a tour might help them sum up the years that were and pay tribute to their fallen friend. This new album goes to far.
I won’t be surprised if I like the new music and reserve the right to love it. That changes nothing. It still won’t be Alice in Chains. Alice in Chains is Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell, first and foremost. This isn’t meant as a slight to the other two guys. Mike Inez was a nice find and has filled in nicely and in some ways exceeded the long since departed Mike Starr. Sean Kinney is a sound drummer and has been with them on every album.
William DuVall might be a gifted vocalist. He might be a strong writer. He’s not Layne Staley. It’s that simple. He’s not Layne Staley, and that means this new music - regardless of how good or bad it is - won’t be Alice.
I know this isn’t unprecedented, but rarely does it work well. AC/DC was able to replace Bon Scott with Brian Johnson and they’ve only grown in popularity. Is the Johnson era better than the Scott? Debatable. Van Halen had significant success with Sammy Hagar after David Lee Roth left. There are many VH fans who never embraced the Sammy era but it’s hard to deny they did achieve success and many fans did enjoy that lineup. No one liked Gary Cherone’s stint, but that’s not entirely his fault. Black Sabbath is another example. I’m not especially knowledgeable about the Osbourne or Dio eras of the band, so I won’t weigh in there; I’m just pointing to it and either way, these are all exceptions, not the rule.
I do not want this.
Filed under: Tags: A Day Late and a Dollar Short, Alice in Chains
I predict that the new album will suck worse than the three-legged dog album.
But come on dude, it’s just a name… you’d probably be sick if you saw what all of the Josh Hathaways of the world were doing with your name.
I loved the Tripod album. And if we’re talking purity, then anything without Mike Starr and without leggings, glam-rock cross-over and blues riffs aint Alice either.
I reckon this will be a great album - merely because they are good musicians. The name - pah - they could call themselves Nirvana if they wanted to, I’d still wanna hear the offering.
Caught the DuVall line up on their only UK date in 2006 - loved ever minute.
I didn’t love the Tripod record but I liked it. I love a couple songs on it, like a few more. It doesn’t have the total impact of Dirt or the unity of Jar of Flies, but it has some great moments.
It’s not just a name, though. It’s not. Alice in Chains was a band with a sound and an identity based on the collaborative efforts primarily of two men. With one of them gone, it isn’t AiC anymore. That doesn’t mean it can’t be good, just that it can’t be what it was.
People can differ on how far to take this sort of line of thinking. I certainly get that. I don’t think it’s overboard purist thinking to see Staley and Cantrell as the creative forces behind the band. I am glad you enjoyed the DuVall show you saw.
Oh, and Sahm, no one can out disgrace my name. I’m the world title holder there.
You are missing the clear fact that even if you had the exact same members recording now, they WOULDN’T BE THE SAME. You would hope that they would have changed and their music would have grown over time - because (you’d hope) they have.
But Josh, you are right - it can’t be what it was. But in reality, it probably wouldn’t have been what it was either way. If people want AiC music like it was, they should just keep replaying their old music and live in the past.
I don’t think that’s how I feel, Katie. I’m sure it’s true for some people, but I don’t think it is for me. There’s a significant progression from Facelift to Alice in Chains and I like those albums and their corresponding EPs. I have no problem with Layne and Jerry taking the band in whatever direction they would have.
Maybe I’d have liked where they went, maybe I’d have preferred their past. We’ll never know. I guess my “definition” of what Alice in Chains is is broader than one song or one album but isn’t quite elastic enough to encompass a band that doesn’t include Layne.
To another of your points, even if they stayed the same I know I haven’t. I might have moved on, too. What I’m sure of is I didn’t want this to happen.
I don’t agree Josh. Katie has a point, bands should progress and mature into their style. In some cases its worked for a bit before bottoming out as in the case of Metallica. Other bands made it work like Green Day and Motley Crue.
Also, towards the end of his years, Staley was losing his voice and would have eventually disappeared ad left the band. He was maybe just above 100 pounds at their last performance with him in the Unplugged set. You can hear his voice was weak and did not carry the same sound at all.
If they do put out new material in ‘08 and ‘09, I will listen with interest because like you, I don’t know if it will be the same. AiC is by far my favorite band and I don’t know if I can appreciate Duvall like I do Staley. Staley was one of the best Metal Singers in history in my opinion but I am willing to put Duvall into good grace if I can enjoy new AiC