Alice in Chains – The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here

It says a lot that the latest Alice in Chains release will not be getting compared to their classic material, but instead their latest release Black Gives Way to Blue.  The seemingly impossible task of replacing Layne Staley has been done ably by William DuVall and The Devil Puts Dinosaurs Here has a lot of expectation resting on it’s shoulders.

The first thing many will be struck by as “Hollow” comes in, is just how heavy Alice in Chains really are.  With that rumbling bass, distorted guitars and catchy vocals it’s hard not to realise exactly why this band have had such a massive influence on the alt-rock scene.  That Seattle sound rarely sounds better than when being distorted through the wail of Jerry Cantrell’s guitar and he is on form on this release with some fantastically catchy riffs on tracks like “Stone” and “Low Ceiling”.

It’s not all full blown Seattle distortion however, and on cuts like “Voices”, which opens with an acoustic guitar and grows to become a more melodic, pop constructed track that actually has a bit of a country edge to it, you see a more fragile side to the band.  DuVall’s voice can do both powerful and fragile and he rarely puts a foot wrong as he continues to prove exactly why he got this job.  Meanwhile, the title track is bound to have offended some people with it’s very provocative lyrics “the devil put dinosaurs here, Jesus don’t like a queer… the problem with faith just fear.”  Controversy aside, this album shows that AIC can still craft a song and as “Breath on the Window” fades out you can’t help but sing along and wave your arms in the air.

While Alice in Chains can’t claim to have rewritten the formula on The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here they have continued to do exactly what they do and they are doing it incredibly well.  If alternative rock and distorted guitars are your thing, you would be a fool to miss out on this album.

For fans of: Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots

Choice cuts: “Lab Monkey”, “Stone”