ALICE IN CHAINS Announces 15th-Anniversary Vinyl Reissue Of 'Black Gives Way To Blue'

Craft Recordings celebrates the 15th anniversary of ALICE IN CHAINS' seminal 2009 album "Black Gives Way To Blue" with a special vinyl reissue. The LP, out of print since its original release and a long-sought treasure for hard rock devotees, will arrive on September 27 and is available for pre-order today. In addition to the wide 2-LP release, fans can also pick up the album on three limited-edition color pressings: Black Widow (available exclusively through the ALICE IN CHAINS store),Black Smoke (via the Craft Recordings store),and Electric Smoke (available at Revolver).

"Black Gives Way To Blue" is ALICE IN CHAINS' fourth studio album, first released on September 29, 2009. The project marks a significant moment in the band's history, being their first record to feature William DuVall sharing vocal and guitar duties with founding member Jerry Cantrell, alongside bassist Mike Inez and drummer/founding member Sean Kinney.

Upon release, "Black Gives Way To Blue" was an instant smash hit, debuting at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and achieving gold certification from the RIAA by May 2010. It includes singles "Your Decision", "Lesson Learned", "Check My Brain" and "A Looking In View", plus the poignant title track "Black Gives Way To Blue", which features a guest performance from Elton John on piano. This song, a heartfelt tribute to late frontman Layne Staley, captures the band's process in coming to terms with their loss while finding a path forward. Both "A Looking In View" and "Check My Brain" were Grammy Award nominated for "Best Hard Rock Performance" in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Additionally, "Black Gives Way To Blue" won a Revolver Golden Gods Award for "Album Of The Year" in 2010.

Consequence praised "Black Gives Way To Blue" as "11 songs that will remind listeners of why ALICE was and is so vital to the hard rock scene," while BLABBERMOUTH.NET described the album as achieving "a newfound level of clarity and humanity that only comes from putting everything [in] the past where it belongs; this could mark the beginning of a new era of stellar music from the band that broke through the grunge barrier and redefined modern rock."

Despite the near unanimous acclaim, the band felt apprehension in pursuing new music after the tragic death of founding frontman Layne Staley. In a 2009 interview with Billboard, the band discussed the delicate balance between honoring their beloved band member and continuing to evolve the group's sound in new directions. "It took a lot to get through this process and to even take the chance, and stand-up and risk," Cantrell said.

DuVall added: "I think initially people came [with] arms crossed, sort of hoping against hope. I hear that a lot. I'm not trying to do a Layne. One of the things I loved about him was how individual he was. He was just being himself, so that's what I do."

Cantrell also reflected on that era in a 2024 interview with Metal Hammer, sharing details about the recording process, which took place at Studio 606 in Los Angeles, owned by the band's friend Dave Grohl. Cantrell explained that the new chapter of ALICE IN CHAINS was a pure artistic pursuit of creating excellent music: "There was no master plan, despite what people think," he said. "This felt right, so we did the next thing, and then the next thing… It's more than just making music and it always has been. We've been friends a long time. We're not doing this to please anybody. It had to be okay from here," he said, pointing to his chest.

Now, 15 years on, the band still feels deeply connected to "Black Gives Way To Blue", which signaled a significant turning point in their legendary career. All these years later, the album remains an important touchstone for the group and their millions of devoted fans. Blending heavy grunge with pummeling, unrelenting hard rock, the album was both a tribute to Staley's impact on the band and a map for moving forward.

Track listing:

Side A:

01. All Secrets Known
02. Check My Brain
03. Last Of My Kind

Side B:

01. Your Decision
02. A Looking In View

Side C:

01. When The Sun Rose Again
02. Acid Bubble
03. Lesson Learned

Side D:

01. Take Her Out
02. Private Hell
03. Black Gives Way To Blue

Over the course of their remarkable career, seminal rock band ALICE IN CHAINS (vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and vocalist/guitarist William DuVall) have garnered multiple Grammy nominations, sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, and amassed a diehard international fanbase whose members number in the millions. Their discography features some of the biggest and most important albums in rock history, including 1990's triple-platinum certified "Facelift", 1992's quadruple-platinum-certified "Dirt", 1994's triple-platinum-certified EP "Jar Of Flies", which was the first EP in music history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and 1995's self-titled double-platinum-certified "Alice In Chains", which also entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1. They returned in grand style in 2009 with the critically acclaimed "Black Gives Way To Blue", which hit No. 1 across the rock and alternative charts, was certified gold, and was hailed by Vice as "a record that's as powerful as anything the band has done." ALICE IN CHAINS remains one of the most successful and influential American rock bands of all time.

Photo credit: James Minchin