ALICE IN CHAINS ‘Black Gives Way to Blue’ (Virgin) RATING: 10/10 Buy now

By GREG MAKI

Fourteen years after their last studio album, seven-and-a-half years after the drug-fueled death of singer Layne Staley, Alice in Chains—easily one of the best and most influential hard rock acts of the ‘90s—is back. And though there are some who will never even give themselves a chance to admit it, Black Gives Way to Blue is a stirring return.

In the words of guitarist/vocalist/band leader Jerry Cantrell, the disc has a “bunch of dark, slow, creepy tunes,” and the mood is set appropriately on the crawling opener “All Secrets Known.” As he does on most of the album, Cantrell handles lead vocal duties; in fact, William DuVall, who stepped in for Staley when the band reformed in 2006, is barely audible. Song two, “Check My Brain,” a more up-tempo number powered by Cantrell’s deep, bending riff, features Cantrell and DuVall harmonizing in a way that recalls vintage Alice. It’s not until track three, “Last of My Kind,” that DuVall takes center stage and shows he is doing a lot more than playing the role of Layne Staley. His vocals are full of fire and personality, virtually leaping out of the speakers—backed by a powerful sonic assault that makes one wonder why Alice got stuck with the grunge label early in its career.

“Your Decision” and “When the Sun Rose Again” show the other side of Alice in Chains—acoustic-based, haunting. Both songs feature beautiful, tasteful solos by Cantrell, and “Your Decision” has massive hit single written all over it. Sandwiched between these two is a return to the dark and creepy. “A Looking in View,” released as a single two months prior to the album’s release, is a hulking, seven-minute slab of metal that achieves a sort of majestic beauty without pulling any punches. “Acid Bubble” is like two songs in one, slowly building before taking off in a full-throttle chorus—a dynamic, unexpected event—then repeating the process. “Lessons Learned” and “Take Her Out” are mid-tempo rockers, each the kind of song that makes other bands all sound alike when they try pull it off—but not Alice in Chains. For those other acts, they would be the highest points of their careers; for Alice , they’re just two more of the dozens of superb songs they have written and recorded. “Private Hell,” with a heavier dose of DuVall (you might think it’s Layne singing if you didn’t know better), sounds like it could have come from Dirt—except for the keyboards, that is. The closing title track, featuring Elton John on piano, is the band’s tribute to Staley.

I would never minimize Staley’s contributions to this band or music in general, but to the many who are skeptical of this new Alice in Chains I say this: Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez have every right to continue doing what they love. Alice in Chains was—and still is—more than any one man. Alice fans who refuse to consider this new album are depriving themselves. If Jerry (always the main creative force in the band) and company wanted to merely milk the name and pull in some extra cash, they would have found a Layne clone and hit the road, playing nothing but the old hits on tour after tour after tour. Instead, they enlisted DuVall, who allows the band to sound like itself but also does his own thing. This is a band that is acknowledging and celebrating its past while never losing sight of the present and future.

Layne Staley is gone, but Alice in Chains did not die with him. Black Gives Way to Blue is a brilliant piece of music.

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