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Imserba Webstore - Black Gives Way To Blue
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List Price: $18.98
Our Price: $11.99
Your Save: $ 6.99 ( 37% )
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: Virgin Records
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 5099996715925
Label: Virgin Records
Manufacturer: Virgin Records
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Virgin Records
Release Date: 2009-09-29
Studio: Virgin Records
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Editorial Reviews:
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ALICE IN CHAINS Jerry Cantrell - guitars/vocals Sean Kinney - drums Mike Inez - bass William DuVall - guitars/vocals The new Alice In Chains album Black Gives Way To Blue is the sound of a new beginning of a legendary band returning to life. Right from the album's powerful and deeply meaningful opener "All Secrets Known" through its redemptive closing title track, Black Gives Way To Blue-the first new Alice In Chains album in more than 14 years-is not just another rock reunion, but something far more inspiring. Alice In Chains in the present tense. No replacements. No substitutions. It does no disrespect to the enduring memory of Alice In Chains' late, great lead singer Layne Staley, to say that for all that he brought to the group's music in his lifetime, Alice In Chains always was-and always will be-very much a band. So after taking a more than respectful break to mourn the loss of their brother and band mate-to heal and explore music individually-the surviving members of Alice In Chains-Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez-gradually began to make music again. The band came together for the first time in 2005 to take part in a benefit for the victims of the tsunami in Indonesia. The following year, Cantrell, Kinney and Inez decided that the time was right for Alice In Chains to reclaim its legacy again on tour. They did so with the help of a new guitarist and vocalist William DuVall, a gifted singer and player in his own right from Atlanta who previously worked with Neon Christ, Comes with the Fall, and as part of Jerry Cantrell's touring band. As live audiences discovered, DuVall brings a sound and stage presence all his own. Yet when DuVall and Cantrell blend their voices-as Cantrell and Staley did so often-there could be little doubt that the spirit of Alice In Chains was once again alive and well. Black Gives Way To Blue is the next step for a group that over the course of their career earned multiple Grammy nominations and sold more than 19 million albums worldwide and achieved 11 Top Ten singles. At the same time, the album offers the full, bracing impact of Alice In Chains-a band that kept heavy rock exciting at the dawn of the Nineties and helped set the stage for an even grungier Seattle sound-still clearly firing on all cylinders. Recording on Black Gives Way To Blue began in October of 2008 at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge and finished at Henson Studios in Hollywood. The band produced the album with Nick Raskulinecz, whose past credits include Foo Fighters and Rush. Black Gives Way To Blue combines some classic Alice In Chain textures with a renewed sense of energy and possibility,from the epic and fantastically electric rocker "A Looking In View" to the exquisite and romantic ballad "Your Decision" to the album's stunning first single "Check My Brain," a throbbing rocker in which a band associated with the Pacific Northwest makes a wry and witty observation on working and living in California. Through Black Gives Way To Blue, there is a deep sense of the unique life that this band haslived, of "Lesson Learned," to borrow the title of another standout track. In the end, the album offers a kind of shared group autobiography by a band that has survived so much. Together, they are in a way "Last Of My Kind," to use the title of another album highlight penned by Jerry Cantrell-long a dominant songwriter within Alice In Chains-with lyrics from DuVall. "Imitations are pale," DuVall and Cantrell sing together on "Black Gives Way To Blue," a brand new Alice In Chain classic that really has it all-the brooding hurt, the brute force and the beautiful introspection. Listen closely to Black Gives Way To Blue, and you'll know right away this is Alice In Chains.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: 4 1/2 Stars, Alice Un Chained Once More
Comment: Fourteen years ago Alice in Chains released there self entitled album. A few years went by and no new material surfaced aside from a live recording or the occasional members effort outside of the grunge groups reign. April 5th, 2002 the fateful date that marked the end of any hope towards a new Alice in Chains album... and more importantly the death of lead singer Layne Staley.
Out of the dark and into the light Alice in Chains have reunited after searchlights hit a beacon of hope with new singer William DuVall. Tours with Velvet Revolver marked a chance for the band to begin writing new material, soon word began of a more `cathartic' album in the makeshift. Septembers jewel "Black Gives Way to Blue".
Eleven tracks spanning a little under an hour, is what we have to take a look at. Thick guitar airwaves buffet "All Secrets Known", truth be told the real secret for many was how good is Duvall? Rest assure he's quality cut, and avoids using his intensely electrifying Layne mimicry. Opting for what he calls a `guitar players vocal style' which he later defines as less flamboyant, and more rhythmic.
Alice in Chains never expired just never updated there record collection, we find real rocking tunes with accessibility and technicality. Rock bouncers include "Check My Brain" and "Lesson Learned" both flaking similarities onto one another. Jerry Cantrell assured fans musically it was going to be a heavy hitter, "A Looking in View" (first single) shown us he wasn't kidding. AiC, dark for their time compared to grunge titans they leaned more to doom ridden themes, and metallic tendencies. "Last of My Kind" anthemia, brutal, knows when to interject and feed distortion pedals, it's the kinda song when listened to on headphones you seek speakers asap.
Funny thing is how different the following track "Your Decision" is, chimes of high performance acoustic, hovers over there final days with Layne and his fatigued style. Cantrell's knack for his G&L electric guitar is great and all but his acoustic tunes are worth acknowledgment as well. The drums smack instead of pound.
Once more titanic tune "A Looking View" precedes the soft sandy acoustic galloping tune "When the Sun Rose Again". This remains my pick off the album since its initial release, plays off as an oasis in the intensity of other tracks. Though Cantrell is firing off frets, many may miss on first listen the nuances of his labor, if you miss it on this track try focusing less on solos and more on the texture.
"Acid Bubble" has a blistered corrosive intro pinging the sour notes with melancholy. At the half way mark as the acidic bubble surfaces to the top it chisels a rough rocking groove (we'll call this the painfully pleasurable ulcer of the album).
Humbuckers don't razor notes, they chug em' thicken em' and muddy em' up a bit, "Take Her Out" grit in your system you don't wish to clean out right away. Trend here is the emphasis on past sorrows which is easily understandable and times feels untreatable on a multitude of levels "Private Hell" peaks the level of intimacy.
Nothing on this album can peg a mourning soul more then the title track ("Black Gives Way to Blue is also the closing song). Weeping guitar slides, minor chords, and the groups first signature piano tune (thanks to yes Sir Elton John), exhaust the listener to a final vocal halt. Alice in Chains wrote polar opposite songs usually dealing with two sides of the coin, heart ache and rage. "Black Gives Way to Blue" sheds this depiction for the finally, giving us an instantly recognizable feeling a haunting that wont cease.
No youthful boyish charm left from the groups early "Facelift" days, trace amounts of anger similar to "Dirt" scuff here and there, the fading star that was there self entitled album now has a second wind.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Of Black and Blue...
Comment: Hope... A new beginning...
Right from the first notes of the new album Alice in Chains let us know this is the right time for the new beginning. And it is clear this is not the AIC that we used to know but it feels quite similar. Both musically and graphically the approach for the new album seems to flow right from where the Tripod was left off. Instead of focusing on either the amplified or the acoustic sound they blend them both into one versatile collection of songs mostly speaking of rebirth and fighting personal demons. Of note is the cover art elaborating on the medical theme already present on Tripod however here it is to serve more of the emotion painted by the ripped out heart. The singles up to now are: Looking in View - about the feeling of being locked up within your own self; Check My Brain - Jerry Cantrell's feelings about moving to L. A.; Your Decision - fighting the fear. Other significant tracks on the album are IMHO When the Sun Rose Again, Private Hell and the haunting Black Gives Way to Blue... for me the beautiful refrain of the song alone justifies this band to have a future long and prosperous career. The only song I dig less is Lesson Learned.
It has been said by many that the new frontman is not so upfront on this album and I tend to agree with that. However as also was mentioned this could be to introduce him to the fans with Jerry serving as a backbone on which William would eventually build his own place to dwell. He does however step up in Last of My Kind and does so quite well. I can't help myself to finish this with the final lyrics:
Lay down black gives way to blue
Lay down I'll remember you...
Customer Rating:
Summary: My new favorite rock CD
Comment: Buy it. but only if you like AIC music. Great guitar, both acoustic and electric. Great vocals.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Shocking Comeback
Comment: Have the past 13 years just been a nightmare? Did Layne finally pull it together and kick the drug addiction that was tearing this band apart?
Of course the answers to both questions are no. An uninspired unplugged album that left the very talented Sean Kinney practically incapacitated as a musician, an obligatory greatest hits album, two Jerry Cantrell solo albums, and the tragic death of Layne Staley left this band as good as dead.
Roaring back like it is 1996 all over again, it's like Alice in Chains never missed a beat. This album is a true Alice in Chains album that none of its long time fans could have ever dreamed of hearing after Layne passed away.
Time and location seemed to lead this band to getting pigeon holed into a genre that included such bands as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and the Stone Temple Pilots. The palm muted 'E' guitar riffing confused those of us who could detect the speed metal influence that nodded back to the humble beginnings. That, along with the untimely bus crash of Death Angel led to their rather bizarre invitation to open for Clash of the Titans, where they were nightly tormented during their 20 minute sets by metal heads who just wanted to see Slayer rip into Raining Blood. This left music fans scratching their heads as to how to classify the great Alice in Chains.
This album, with its diversity of well written songs, shows the music world that they couldn't and still can't be pigeon holed into any genre. They are simply Alice in Chains, and this album shows the music world what we had the misfortune of missing for the past 13 years. Well done and welcome back!
Customer Rating:
Summary: a true Alice in Chains album
Comment: when this great band reappeared after 13 years, i was very hesitant buying this CD. bottom line, this is a true AIC album and it matches all their great previous releases. highly recommended
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