How much you enjoy, or if you enjoy
at all, the newest album from Alice in Chains will probably have to do with if
you view this as an actual Alice in Chains record more than anything else. Musically, the band is still as good as they
were in their Untitled (the one with
the three-legged dog) days. The sound is
slow and plodding, while also being catchy and just quick enough to get a toe
or two tapping along.
In preparing to write this review,
I listened to not only the album prior to this one, Black
Gives Way to Blue, but also Cantrell’s two solo albums Boggy Depot and Degradation
Trip. I knew that this version of
Alice in Chains couldn’t stack up with one of my favorite bands from the ‘90’s,
so I decided to measure it against something a little closer in makeup and
artistic direction.
The
Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is unfortunately an Alice in Chains album in name
only. What it really is, is a Jerry
Cantrell solo album with some extra heaviness thrown in. This is not a bad thing as I thoroughly
enjoyed it from beginning to end it’s just that label that gets in the way and
makes you expect something…different. It
picks up where Black Gives Way to Blue
left off in terms of its tone which definitely adds to the 90’s grunge
resurgence that Soundgarden contributed heavily to with their release of King Animal months ago. If you were to listen to Cantrell’s solo
albums you can hear a huge similarity here, and one that set his solo work
apart from that of Alice in Chains as a whole.
I like Cantrell’s solo work for the most part, I don’t like it as much
as Alice in Chains, but I have accepted it as a separate entity. This is hands down one of the best Jerry
Cantrell solo albums I have ever heard.
It is incredibly hard to judge this
as an actual Alice in Chains record.
With no Layne Staley it just doesn’t have the same feel that those
earlier records did. This is not to say
that it can’t, because new vocalist William DuVall is more than up to the
task. I saw the band live a few years
ago, right around the release of Black
Gives Way to Blue, their first album with DuVall, and he did an incredible
job of filling the monolithic shoes left by Staley’s unfortunate demise. There were times within the set, if you were
to close your eyes you would swear that Staley’s slight, heroin-addled frame
was up on stage with his old band-mates.
The big question here then, is why
is DuVall not being utilized as any more than a second guitar/vocalist? I realize that lead guitarist Cantrell is
basically driving the bus here, and that’s fine, he has earned that right as
one of the most iconic musicians and songwriters of his generation. The thing is, if you want to make an Alice in
Chains record, and not just a Jerry Cantrell record, you should utilize the
whole band, including the guy that sounds like your former lead singer. This album is good, but it feels like it has
the propensity for greatness if Cantrell just took off the training
wheels. Very rarely do you not hear
Cantrell’s voice, and not just figuratively.
Nearly every time DuVall sings, Cantrell is there on the harmony, or
vice versa. This was fine in spurts when
it was Cantrell and Staley, but Staley was obviously able to “take the stage”
so to speak and really put a piece of himself into the music. DuVall doesn’t get that opportunity at
all.
That’s what holds this record back
from realizing its full potential, the fact that Cantrell is preventing DuVall
from really being a part of Alice in Chains.
It almost feels as if DuVall is there to sing the hits at concerts
because he has a similar voice to Staley, but when it comes to new music,
Cantrell is still either unsure, or downright unwilling to give up some of the
power. Now this may not be for any
selfish reasons, Cantrell may be trying to protect DuVall from the hostility
that comes with replacing a lead singer, especially one that became the
identity of the band like Staley did.
While his motivations are unknown, it is definitely what is holding this
album back from being a return to greatness for the band. They will never be the Dirt or Jar of Flies
Alice in Chains, but at this point they are little more than a vehicle for
Cantrell’s solo material.
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