Black Gives Way to Blue

by Alice in Chains

Overview

It's hard not to feel for Alice in Chains -- all the guys in the band were lifers, all except lead singer Layne Staley, who never managed to exorcise his demons, succumbing to drug addiction in 2002. Alice in Chains stopped being a going concern long before that, all due to Staley's addictions, and it took guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney a long time to decide to regroup, finally hiring William DuVall as Staley's replacement and delivering Black Gives Way to Blue a full 14 years after the band's last album. To everybody's credit, Black Gives Way to Blue sounds like it could have been delivered a year after Alice in Chains: it's unconcerned with fashion; it's true to their dark, churning gloom rock; and if you're not paying attention too closely, it's easy to mistake DuVall for his predecessor. There's a difference between desperately attempting to recapture past glories and reconnecting with their roots, and Alice in Chains fall into the latter category. While they'll never be mistaken for a feel-good band, there is a palpable sense of relief that they get to play together again as a band, and what's remarkable is that they still sound like themselves, capturing that weird murk halfway between '80s metal and '90s northwestern sludge, reminding us that we were missing something in their absence. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/27/2024
Label:	Craft Recordings
UPC:	0888072615649
Rank:	122627

Tracks

Disc 1

1. All Secrets Known
2. Check My Brain
3. Last Of My Kind
4. Your Decision
5. A Looking In View

Disc 2

6. When The Sun Rose Again
7. Acid Bubble
8. Lesson Learned
9. Take Her Out
10. Private Hell
11. Black Gives Way To Blue

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Alice in Chains   Primary Artist
Jerry Cantrell   Primary Artist
Mike Inez   Primary Artist
Sean Kinney   Primary Artist
William Duvall   Primary Artist
Chris Armstrong   Tabla,Tabla
Lisa Coleman   Vibraphone
Stevie Blacke   Strings
Elton John   Piano

Technical Credits

Alice in Chains   Producer,Art Direction
Kevin Mills   Assistant,Assistant Engineer,Engineer
Mark Linett   Recording
Jerry Cantrell   Composer
Randy Staub   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Nick Raskulinecz   Engineer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Paul Fig   Engineer
Mike Inez   Composer
Stevie Blacke   Arranger,Recording,String Engineer,String Arrangements
William Duvall   Composer
Sean Kinney   Composer
John Lousteau   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Matt Taylor   Design,Art Direction
William DuVall   Composer
Martin Cooke   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
James Minchen, III   Band Photo
Chad Olech   Engineer
Emmanuel Polanco   Illustrations
Rocky Schenck   Photography
Sarah McNeilly   Model
Ted Jensen   Mastering,Mastering Engineer