New Singer, Same Grunge - From Skidmore News, 10/9/09
Grunge was more of a fashion statement and promotional label than a bona fide rock genre. Sure, the bands that composed the "movement" typically hailed from the Pacific Northwest, wore flannel and shared a dirty guitar sound. And their lead singers sang angst-ridden songs dealing with such uplifting topics as death, broken homes and drug abuse. Nevertheless, in a musical sense the bands associated with the label found their inspiration from very different sources.
If any band merits the title of "quintessential grunge band," it is Alice in Chains. They may not have invented the aesthetic, that distinction goes to Green River, Mudhoney, Soundgarden and the Seattle music press, or propelled it into the mainstream like Nirvana and, to an extent, Pearl Jam, but they embodied the idea better than any of their contemporaries: a pure, unpretentious combination of classic rock, punk and metal (in AIC's case, emphasis on metal) with unflinchingly honest, introspective and dark lyrics.
Like most other "grunge" bands, AIC disintegrated - sorry, went on hiatus" - in the mid-1990s to be supplanted by vastly inferior "post-grunge" imitators. In April 2002, after years of isolated addiction, lead singer Layne Staley, whose tortured rasp and morbid lyrics gave the band its most distinctive quality, died of a drug overdose in his Seattle home.
Years later, in the wake of a highly successful reunion tour, AIC announced that they were working on a new album with a new lead singer. Many fans were worried that, sans their charismatic front man, AIC would not live up to their name. As it turns out, William Duvall is more than adequate in Staley's place on new release "Black Gives Way to Blue."
In fact, all but the most hardcore fans would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two. It is also clear that guitarist and primary songwriter, Jerry Cantrell, has not lost his knack for penning sludgy metal riffs and vaguely middle-eastern melodies that almost never fail to stick in one's head. It turns out that fans had no cause for worry. But do others have any reason to sit up and take notice? It all depends on their musical interests.
In the years since AIC bit the dust, countless other vastly inferior bands have perfected the art of plagiarizing them. It would, of course, be unfair to blame Cantrell, Staley, bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney for coming up with a winning formula, no matter how awful their imitators. It is, however, legitimate to criticize them for putting out a new album that is little more than a rehash of that now too-familiar style.
Despite considerable sales, reputable rock critics have not been kind to AIC in recent years when compared to their contemporaries. While playing it safe on their reunion album certainly does not do their critical reputation any favors, there is something to be said for the lack of filler in "Black Gives Way to Blue."
It is no coincidence that the best songs happen to be soft and acoustic, as it is an element of the band's sound that their lesser followers have been unable to imitate. "Your Decision," which deals with loss of Staley, is the highlight, with "When the Sun Rose Again" and the title track coming in close second. It is great to hear AIC showcase their more subdued side that first surfaced on the penultimate release of their first run, the EP "Jar of Flies."
The heavier songs hold up well when compared to earlier material, even if they are not particularly revealing or adventurous. In fact, that description fits the album as a whole. Alice in Chains does not make any artistic breakthroughs 14 years after their previous release, not surprising, coming from a band that never seemed particularly concerned with making "artistic breakthroughs" in the first place. But, it is clear that the years have done nothing to temper the biting emotional intensity and undeniable catchiness of their songs.
For many, that should be enough to make "Black Gives Way to Blue" a worthy purchase.
If any band merits the title of "quintessential grunge band," it is Alice in Chains. They may not have invented the aesthetic, that distinction goes to Green River, Mudhoney, Soundgarden and the Seattle music press, or propelled it into the mainstream like Nirvana and, to an extent, Pearl Jam, but they embodied the idea better than any of their contemporaries: a pure, unpretentious combination of classic rock, punk and metal (in AIC's case, emphasis on metal) with unflinchingly honest, introspective and dark lyrics.
Like most other "grunge" bands, AIC disintegrated - sorry, went on hiatus" - in the mid-1990s to be supplanted by vastly inferior "post-grunge" imitators. In April 2002, after years of isolated addiction, lead singer Layne Staley, whose tortured rasp and morbid lyrics gave the band its most distinctive quality, died of a drug overdose in his Seattle home.
Years later, in the wake of a highly successful reunion tour, AIC announced that they were working on a new album with a new lead singer. Many fans were worried that, sans their charismatic front man, AIC would not live up to their name. As it turns out, William Duvall is more than adequate in Staley's place on new release "Black Gives Way to Blue."
In fact, all but the most hardcore fans would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two. It is also clear that guitarist and primary songwriter, Jerry Cantrell, has not lost his knack for penning sludgy metal riffs and vaguely middle-eastern melodies that almost never fail to stick in one's head. It turns out that fans had no cause for worry. But do others have any reason to sit up and take notice? It all depends on their musical interests.
In the years since AIC bit the dust, countless other vastly inferior bands have perfected the art of plagiarizing them. It would, of course, be unfair to blame Cantrell, Staley, bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney for coming up with a winning formula, no matter how awful their imitators. It is, however, legitimate to criticize them for putting out a new album that is little more than a rehash of that now too-familiar style.
Despite considerable sales, reputable rock critics have not been kind to AIC in recent years when compared to their contemporaries. While playing it safe on their reunion album certainly does not do their critical reputation any favors, there is something to be said for the lack of filler in "Black Gives Way to Blue."
It is no coincidence that the best songs happen to be soft and acoustic, as it is an element of the band's sound that their lesser followers have been unable to imitate. "Your Decision," which deals with loss of Staley, is the highlight, with "When the Sun Rose Again" and the title track coming in close second. It is great to hear AIC showcase their more subdued side that first surfaced on the penultimate release of their first run, the EP "Jar of Flies."
The heavier songs hold up well when compared to earlier material, even if they are not particularly revealing or adventurous. In fact, that description fits the album as a whole. Alice in Chains does not make any artistic breakthroughs 14 years after their previous release, not surprising, coming from a band that never seemed particularly concerned with making "artistic breakthroughs" in the first place. But, it is clear that the years have done nothing to temper the biting emotional intensity and undeniable catchiness of their songs.
For many, that should be enough to make "Black Gives Way to Blue" a worthy purchase.