Alice In Chains

[ben]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-gkE7mdW8Q

album sampler.  sounds like an incredible album.

[theis]

Shiiiit. Tempting.

Will wait patiently!

[Jacob]

just put the album on. first song is already getting me thrilled as fuck. I might've been very wrong about AIC's return.

[theis]

Fuck it. I need to listen to this.

EDIT: I'll wait for the release. Ahh, so hard.

[Jacob]

I don't know wether to cry out of joy or sadness when I think I hear Layne's voice on this record.

either way, they've made sure his spirit lives on in the music. god, I miss him.

[ben]

Jerry never let's people down.  It is terrible that Layne is not on this album, but the album is pure magic.  Not one bad song on the whole thing.  My favorite songs are All Secrets Known, Acid Bubble, Private Hell, and Last of My Kind

[theis]

Sounds awesome. You guys are definitely getting my hopes up. Sep 28 can't come soon enough.

[ben]

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=63256219

Black Gives Way To Blue EPK

[Jacob]

haha, that was hilarious. true AIC style.

[Deftones-argentina]

The album is way better than expected, a comeback as AIC deserved. My only critic is that they were a bit repetivive on melody aspects. Many songs share the same chord progression.

[Vesanic]

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W1VQZO5D


Here's the proshot of AIC at Epicenter festival. I didn't start recording at the beginning of their set 'cause I was away. The kroq stream service was a plain shit. Bad sound, image lagging every 20seconds...

Anyway, that's all I can bring, sorry guys. Enjoy anyway.

[Jacob]

still better than nothing. thanks, mate.

[ben]

What's your full opinion of  the album , Jacob?

[Jacob]

I've been hesitating to say anything about it because I honestly haven't made up my mind yet.

I'll give you a more detailed opinion tomorrow, but so far I like it a lot more than I thought I would.

[defsteve]

Having been around for the first incarnation of Alice and getting all their albums when they were actually released I was really looking forward to this album.

Have it on pre-order, so downloaded anyway.

On first listen, not as immediate as previous albums and I was initially disappointed that not many real heavy rockers on it.

However, after repeated listens it is definitely a grower.

Looking forward to seeing them live in November.

The last time I saw Alice In Chains 'proper' (apart from Download Festival 2006 with William DuVall) was in 1993 at the Camden Underworld in London....

Have seen them many times with Layne...he was truely exceptional. RIP.

1991
Alice In Chains              Friday 8th March     London Marquee Club
Alice In Chains             Saturday 23rd March     Birmingham NEC
Alice In Chains             Monday 25th March     London Hammersmith Odeon
Alice In Chains             Tuesday 26th March     London Hammersmith Odeon
Alice In Chains             Wednesday 27th MarchCambridge Corn Exchange
Alice In Chains             Thursday 28th March     Manchester Apollo

1993
Alice In Chains              Wednesday 27th January     London Camden Underworld

[Jacob]

omg, I hate you.

[theis]

Damn that awesome, defsteve.

I've been having everything AiC on repeat, for the last 4 days, just to calm my nerves. 1 more week!

[defskull]

So as someone else mentioned here I heard the new Alice in Chains song on the radio and I just assumed it was one of their old songs (not the biggest fan so I don't know all of their material).  I was blown away to find out that it was in fact their new song.  I really thought this new album deal was sort of a cop out, like Guns N Roses coming back but no, this sounds legit.  Well done Alice in Chains.

[tarkil]

omg, I hate you.

+1

[Jacob]

ok, so here are my thoughts on the new album...

first of all, it's a great album and I like every song. some more than others. and it sounds classic AIC, that's for sure. but I miss Layne and without him it doesn't matter how much AIC the music sounds. because he had something neither William nor Jerry have... let's just call it soul. Jerry is amazing and I really love him. and yes, he is often underrated by people who don't realize that he actually wrote more of the lyrics than Layne did. and people don't give him enough credit for his voice. but what made AIC so amazing for me was the combination of Jerry and Layne. Layne's voice brought Jerry's material to an entirely different level, not to mention the stuff he wrote himself. and while William does an impressive job immitating Layne, he is not Layne and he totally lacks the "soul" Layne brought to the music.

I like Williams voice a lot. especially when he sing together with Jerry. but I don't like seeing him on stage. he just doesn't fit in. he's too much of your typical "rockstar" if you ask me. he goes up on stage and does an awesome job, his voice sounds amazing, he connects with the audience and so on. but that's never really what AIC was about to me. I like how introverted (can I use that word like this?) Layne was, it was part of the whole act. and even in the later years when his voice got worse and he barely moved, he still brought so much more personality and flavor to the band. so yeah, I'm having a bit of a tough time with William. I like him and I accept him as their new singer, but he doesn't come close to filling Layne's shoes and even though that might not be what he or anyone else wants, it still leaves a huge gaping hole.

as for the music itself, it's impressive how much of their old sound they've been able to keep. in fact, it almost sounds as if they've really gone back and found parts that you can consider "typical AIC". while this is great because it's something reuniting bands rarely do, it also feels a bit weird and sometimes it creates sort of a "forced" sound. take Private Hell for example - it's probably my favorite song on the album, but to be truthful it sounds like a rehashed/reworked version of Down In A Hole. the same could be said for several other songs or part of songs. this also leaves me a bit split up over what to feel when I listen to the album - on the one hand, I really feel like I'm listening to a brand new AIC album and I'm really happy and excited about that. on the other hand, I keep thinking back on their old work and thinking stuff like "oh, that part they got from that song" and "hmm, they've done this before".

all in all, I'm glad to have them back and I'm really happy for the guys because they seem to be enjoying themselves and finally coping with the loss of their brother. and I'm really enjoying the album. bu it's not t the AIC that has been a huge part of my life (basically all I listened to when I was 13-15 and has been a top 5 favorite ever since). granted, they had already split up when I started listening to them, but before Layne passed away there was still hope for him to come back. and after he passed I still had a reunited AIC to look forward to. now that the day is here the "true" AIC only feels even farther away.

sorry for the essay, but you asked what I thought and I answered