Project Description

ALICE IN CHAINS

RAINIER FOG

(Album Review)

Reviewer: Jarrod Henry

 

Legendary Seattle rock quartet Alice In Chains have returned with their first new release since 2013’s The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, also the first to be part recorded in their home town since their 1995 self titled record, and prove that by honouring their Seattle comrades in song they can successfully move forward.

Alice In Chains are one of the true survivors of the 90’s alternative rock scene. Since their first release in 1990 the band have known the ecstatic highs and crushing lows of success, lost band mates and friends, and yet still manage to come back time and again to prove that even in today’s schizophrenic musical landscape they can still remain relevant.

Rainier Fog, their third album with vocalist/guitarist William DuVall is a reaffirmation of all the dark melodic glory the band became known for in the past. It’s also the first album upon which DuVall – who stepped in to front the band following the death of Layne Staley in 2002 – comes truly into his own instead of merely acting as a vocal foil for Cantrell. His vocals shine through everywhere on Rainier Fog, from the vicious stabbing sludgery of opener ‘Not The One You Know’ and there title track, DuVall has long since shed the label of ‘the new guy’ and firmly entrenches himself as an integral part of the band.

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Named after Mount Rainier in Seattle, and part recorded at Studio X, the band have managed to balance both light and shade over its ten songs, from the heavier rock of ‘Red Giant’ and ‘Drone’ to the more melodic stylings of ‘Fly’ and ‘Maybe’, Alice In Chains meld the grunge of yesteryear with a more mature outlook befitting them as they look forward beyond 2018. All the hallmarks of their iconic sound are present here, and no more so than on ‘Never Fade’. Penned by DuVall, his seamless vocal harmonies with Cantrell hark back to the bands heyday and songs like ‘Dirt’ and ‘Angry Chair’, giving old fans enough of the trademark AIC sound but in a fresh and updated context.

But honestly it’s a moot point trying to compare the Alice In Chains of old with this 21st century incarnation. It’s simply not the same band. And that’s a good thing. They’ve captured the essence of what they used to be and used it as a basis for what the band has become and built upon it. One of the key elements of this new Alice In Chains is definitely Cantrell’s guitar tones. Somehow they’re a thicker, richer, more satisfyingly collection of textures that perfectly compliments the rhythm section of Mike Inez and Sean Kinney, as evident on the huge dramatic album closer ‘All I Am’. A darkly melodic journey through six minutes of introspection, this is destined to become as iconic a part of their canon as ‘Rooster’, ‘No Excuses’ and ‘Man In The Box’ were back in 90’s.

In closing, on Rainier Fog Alice In Chains have successfully reconciled the ghosts of the past with the band of the future and given birth to a collections of songs that stand as some of the strongest, most focused and immediate compositions of their career.

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