The very first question the whole world asked was "How is the new guy?". Well lets see. William Duvall certainly aint no Layne Staley. But I must admit. He is pretty darn good! Cantrell and he have worked on several smaller projects before and they seem to have a good understanding. In fact, it is claimed that Duvall was Cantrell's go to guy when AoC needed creative help in the past. Duvall seems like a obvious choice if AoC is to maintain their sound.
Now coming to the album, both Duvall and Cantrell have done their best to maintain the whole grunge image that AoC is famous for. Both should get credit for some really great riffs. Throughout the album, you will hear some pretty creative riffs that makes you head bang your head in a big sign of approval. They also seem to have the whole harmonization of vocals pretty nicely thus maintaining once of Alice in Chains most distinct identity. The lyrics continue to be dark but the guitaring has heavier by a notch on some of the heavy songs. Sean Kinney continues to hammer the drum as hard as before. As one of the original members of the band, he definitely should be credited for maintaining the old AoC sound. The bass is also a notch heavier than before.
The first song I heard from it was "Check my brain". I dint like it at first but from the second time onwards, I was instantly hooked! The thing that caught my attention was the chorus. You have to hear it to believe what I am saying. In the title song "Black gives way to blue", AoC rope in Sir Elton John to play on the pianos. A beautiful song I must say. Pianos, lyrics, acoustic guitars work their magic to give us this nice soft song. One of my personal favorite songs is "Last of my kind". The lyrics are simply marvelous. It is one of the songs where AoC unleash Duvall and one can see that this guy is very talented. The guitars work their magic over the lyrics to give us this one of a kind song. A sure grammy nominee! The song "Acid bubble" It starts off with a dark theme and then suddenly Cantrell and Duvall bring in the heavy guitars. It hits you with such a surprise that it makes you feel a little disoriented at first. But then when you get used to it, total bliss! AoC is one of the only bands out there that can pull off this kind of up and down in heaviness during the song with perfection. One song that I really like is "Take her out". Some people say that it is a song about Cantrell's ex girlfriend. Well it definitely sounds like it and he does have a history of writing songs about her. A really nice song. Good chorus and you cant help but playing the song over and over again. Some of the other songs worth hearing are "All secrets known", a deep dark themed song and "A looking in view", one of the longest songs AoC has ever composed.
So thats that. An awesome album ladies and gentlemen and definitely worth purchasing. Cantrell and co stuck with the same old formula and the magic continues. Most people were skeptical before the album came out. Some even said that there was no way AoC could work without Staley. But man did they prove the cynics wrong. Alice in Chains is back and it is here to stay. Get me my flannel shirt. Grunge is coming back! Staley will definitely be proud.
Rating : 4.5/5
Check my brain : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eXfuAbKzQI&feature=related
Last of my kind : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EWcqrYV77U&feature=related
Take her out : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eXfuAbKzQI&feature=related
