Columbia/Legacy will be reissuing the Alice in Chains "MTV Unplugged" performance from April 1996. This reissue will include three previous unreleased songs, "Angry Chair," "Frogs" and "The Killer Is Me."

 

Alice in Chains are touring with Velvet Revolver this summer. The tour kicks into full gear tomorrow with a show in Montreal. AIC is also working on a new album. New singer William DuVall issued the following statement:

 

As it says on the Alice in Chains website, we've been working on new AIC material. The first in over 10 years. It's been deeply rewarding and the stuff is insane.


Back to AIC again, many of you know by now that we're gearing up for this late summer tour around North America with Velvet Revolver. What you may not know is how fucking ravenous we are to get out there and rock your faces again. We are coming (like a pack of wild dogs) to an amphitheater/arena near you. There will be no quarter asked. And none given. You've been duly warned.

 

 

If you're an AIC fan (like me), you're probably wary of this comeback attempt. When I first heard that Alice in Chains was attempting a comeback, I assumed it was some Doors-type tribute, where they would have a couple special shows and use a bunch of different singers. Then I found out that they had chosen a full-time replacement singer, and they were touring and working on a new album. I was extremely skeptical. Like many, I believe that Layne Staley was a critical part of Alice in Chains, and he just couldn't be replaced. I always said they should change the band's name or just call it a day.

 

But earlier this week, my friend directed me to a few YouTube clips. The three videos below show AIC performing live with the new singer William DuVall. These clips totally changed my mind. For starters, did anyone know that William DuVall is black? He looks a little like Lenny Kravitz. I guess I was picturing Robert DuVall. Anyway, his voice is really impressive. He sounds a lot like Layne Staley, but he also does his own thing at times, so it doesn't sound like he's doing some forced Layne impression.

 

Jerry Cantrell will be handling most of the writing duties on the new AIC album. With DuVall singing... maybe this thing could be decent after all. At the very least, this new lineup is worth seeing live.

 

Take a look at the videos. "Nutshell" is the one that really changed my mind. It's outstanding.

 

 

"Man in the Box"

 

 

 

 

"Dam That River"

 

 

 

 

"Nutshell"