Alice In Chains
Black Gives Way to Blue
***** out of *****
Black Gives Way to Blue is more than just another Alice In Chains album — it is the continuation of longtime guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell’s struggle to come to terms with the death of vocalist Layne Staley.
Cantrell spent much of the recording sessions for 2002’s Degradation Trip depressed and locked inside of his house. Just two months before the album’s release, Staley was found dead after he overdosed on cocaine and heroin. Cantrell was devastated, but started touring again to promote his solo album.
In 2005, Alice In Chains took on some shows and were eventually joined by longtime friend and vocalist William Duvall. Skeptics immediately took to criticizing the move, arguing that Staley could never be replaced.
Now Alice In Chains is finally unleashing the sound of Black Gives Way to Blue onto the world. Haters should step aside, because this album is as career defining as Dirt was for the Seattle hard rock/metal band. No one can argue against the amazing legacy that Staley left on the world, but the addition of Duvall marks a new era for the band that is just as inspiring.
The album starts off with a haunting song called “All Secrets Known,” which talks about the band’s need to move forward and leave the past behind: “Hope/A new beginning/Time/Time to start living/like just before we died/there’s no going back to the place/we started from.”
The classic Alice In Chains vocal harmonies fill the chorus and Cantrell rounds out the song with a short, but captivating guitar solo.
“Check My Brain” has been all over rock radio recently and starts off with a trippy winding guitar riff that grooves once the drums and bass kick in. Duvall takes on more of the major vocal duties for this song, although Cantrell’s vocal appearance is still heavy.
The next track, “Last of My Kind” starts off with a slow grungy riff and morphs into a full blown rocker with Duvall singing “Take what I wanted/and break all the lies/that they feed the fuckin’ liars.”
“Your Decision” sounds comparable to an acoustic track on Cantrell’s solo material — which is boosted by Duvall’s harmonies. “A Looking in View” is the heaviest track on the album, featuring dark guitar riffs and some excellent rhythms from bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney. The track will satisfy metal heads who have always held a place for Alice in Chains in their hearts.
“When the Sun Rose Again” takes the sound of previous Alice In Chains albums like Sap and Jar of Flies and expands on them in a modern sounding acoustic rock track.
“Acid Bubble” is pure sludge-rock — chock full of down-tuned guitars and brooding vocals. The remaining tracks “Lesson Learned,” “Take Her Out,” and “Private Hell” are all catchy and fit in well with the band’s back catalog.
The album ends with the title track. Featuring piano work from Elton John, the song closes the disc with a note of hope. It seems like Cantrell and the rest of the band is finally at one with their personal demons of the past and Duvall proves himself to be an extraordinary vocalist that is more than capable of holding his own.
Black Gives Way to Blue is a great rock album and may even be the best release of 2009.
—by Eric Andersen
Eric’s Picks: “All Secrets Known,” “Check My Brain,” “Last of My Kind,” “When the Sun Rose Again”
Not for Melvins fans, nor the faint of heart
Melvins
Chicken Switch
**** out of *****
Don’t expect a Melvins’ album. Chicken Switch, Melvins’ newest release, is anything but.
Obscure noise masters have done a job on the sludge rockers’ discography. With over 15 full-length releases since the late ‘80s, Melvins have been one of the most prolific grunge/stoner/sludge bands in recorded history, not to mention one of the strangest. While other bands of similar maturity might go for a “best-of” in order to put some more green in the bank, Melvins have opted for a remix album that will probably lose the group money. Though it’s doubtful the Melvins will take offense — there isn’t a single genuine Melvins song on the recording.
Chicken Switch is a collection of songs created by a range of noise artists and electronic musicians that will appeal more to fans of Aphex Twin, maybe even Moby, than to those of Mastodon or Nirvana. The 15 tracks range from ambient, liquid soundscapes to some of the most abrasive, cosmic, minutes-long jolts to ever reach your ears (especially if you’re expecting anything like Melvins’ (A) Senile Animal, 2006’s hard-hitting stoner-rock collection).
The textures in Chicken Switch go absolutely crazy. The first track, “Washmachine Sk8tronics” by Eye Yamatsuka, is just over five minutes long and contains only one distinguishable, continuous guitar/drum riff as far as traditional instrumentation goes. Sopping with synthesized statics that come in and out of phase with sounds flanging from deep mutes to cosmic highs and back again, this track is a master’s exercise in audio manipulation. It sets the tone and the theme well for the rest of the album, as there is hardly a single moment where anyone would ask “Hey, is that the Melvins?”
Honorable mention goes to artist John Duncan, the soundcrafter behind “AAHHH…”, track four. After a solid three and a half minutes of looped drums and finely tweaked feedback, a monotonously oscillating heart-beat synth comes in along with an ear-splitting high-pitched tone. For the first time on Chicken Switch, a distinctly human sound breaches the speakers as King Buzzo’s eternally recognizable whisper comes pouring from both sides. Only, the whispers are out of phase and time with each other, making the words unintelligible. At this point, any listener will cling desperately to that organic sound amidst all the cold, metallic space, and try to crank the volume, vying for just one understandable word. Duncan’s aforementioned high-pitched tone, however, is still going strong, ready to rip apart any listener with the nerve to test it.
Chicken Switch is a hellacious, noisy ride into the endless, blazing abyss of electronic music. Not for the faint of heart, this album provides Melvins with a fresh supply of audience — noise fanatics, audiophiles, and masochists.
— by Ryan Fosmark
