Report: ALICE IN CHAINS' New Album Encompasses Both Extremes Of Band's Sound

The Pulse of Radio reports: ALICE IN CHAINS fans and members of the press heard the band's upcoming album, "Black Gives Way To Blue", in its entirety at a private listening party in Los Angeles on Tuesday night (July 14). Following the playback over a PA system, the band itself performed a three-song acoustic set, opening with 1992's "Down In A Hole" before playing two songs from the new album — "Your Decision" and the title track — live for the first time ever. Guitarist Jerry Cantrell thanked the audience for coming, saying, "It's been a long road to get here, man. There's a lot of miles to go."

On first listen at Hollywood's Montalban Theatre, ALICE IN CHAINS' first new record in 14 years seemed to encompass both extremes of the band's sound. Monster rockers like "A Looking In View" and the psychedelic "Check My Brain" were balanced out by softer numbers like the melancholy title track and "Your Decision", which could have easily found its way onto one of the band's acoustic EPs such as "Jar Of Flies".

The song "Black Gives Way To Blue" is an emotional tribute to original singer Layne Staley, who died in 2002 after a long struggle with drugs.

Cantrell told The Pulse of Radio that coming back together as a band was made easier by taking it one step at a time. "Losing Layne was such a huge thing, without a doubt, and such a challenge to even consider this, and if we had looked at the big picture early on, it never would have happened," he said. "We just kept looking a little bit down the road and a little bit down the road and here we are. And it's kind of like I don't even want to turn around and look behind us and see how far we've come, man. We've come a long way in the last couple of years, you know. I just want to keep looking ahead at the next step."

Singer and guitarist William DuVall joined ALICE IN CHAINS when they officially regrouped for a 2006 tour and now shares lead vocals with Cantrell. He makes his recording debut with the band on this album.

ALICE IN CHAINS will release "Black Gives Way To Blue" on September 29.

Cell phones and cameras were not allowed into the listening party to avoid any leaks of the album.

ALICE IN CHAINS will play this Saturday (July 18) in Detroit as guests of KID ROCK, and at California's new Epicenter festival on August 22, before starting a round of North American tour dates on September 4 in Washington D.C.