New song out there Vilified
Dreadful stuff all together. The last two Alice in Chains records have been awful too, this sounds like more of the same with a few more complex drum fills.
Never thought I'd be tired of the voice or sound but he's done it. All the material is delivered in the same key and tempo.
His solo stuff has always been weak as fuck. He's a great harmoniser, because his voice is bland as fuck so doesn't take the focus off the good singers he has been with, but he's not a lead singer himself. Black Gives Way To Blue is starting to look like his Stench, the quality late career fluke.
Quote from: Bürggermeister on July 27, 2024, 09:25:44 PMHis solo stuff has always been weak as fuck. He's a great harmoniser, because his voice is bland as fuck so doesn't take the focus off the good singers he has been with, but he's not a lead singer himself. Black Gives Way To Blue is starting to look like his Stench, the quality late career fluke.
I hate to agree with this but it's pretty spot on. Boggy Depot was abysmally poor, Degradation Trip had about 4 good songs and the rest was filler. The last few AIC albums have had about 2 or 3 songs that aren't snooze fests.... almost forgot his recent solo album so that says it all about that one.
Even the last AIC album with Staley was a serious step down in quality IMO.
Everything else has been mediocre to fair.
Black Gives Way To Blue is still amazing. The trio of Facelift, Dirt and Jar Of Flies are why people still rave about then as a band all these years later.
Black Gives Way To Blue is grand, but I really didn't take to it as much as everyone else seemed to.
I rarely listen to Jar Of Flies/Sap/Unplugged now, they were so overplayed in my circle of friends I don't feel like I need to hear them again for a long time. Not that I mind when I hear those songs in passing, I just wouldn't bother playing them myself.
Facelift and Dirt are the business, obviously.
Boggy/Degradation could have been a solid single album. His solo stuff is far too samey. New song is awful.
Boggy Depot was shite, but I thought Degradation Trip (the double disc version) for me contained some of his best material that isn't on Dirt.
Both his solo and AiC material has been rubbish since BGWtB. Hate to agree, but yeah, that album appears to have been a later career fluke akin to Stench for sure.
Quote from: Bürggermeister on July 27, 2024, 09:25:44 PMHis solo stuff has always been weak as fuck. He's a great harmoniser, because his voice is bland as fuck so doesn't take the focus off the good singers he has been with, but he's not a lead singer himself. Black Gives Way To Blue is starting to look like his Stench, the quality late career fluke.
I just don't get the Black Gives Way... worship at all. Played it when it came out and thought it had nothing going for it but then tried again years later after reading some effusive praise on here but no still no feelings at all. What am I missing?
Same here. It's grand like, but I really don't understand the hoopla.
No Layne, No Chain! :P
Indeed, but I realy like BGWTB. It's not AIC to my ears but it's a mighty album in its own right.
His solo stuff is of a one with the s/t AIC album - without Staley's input it's just dull.
The self titled is hard work alright. But how do we account for the dullness of Mad Season? Layne present and correct but no Jerry! I think Jerry is a great riff-smith but relatively healthy Layne took his ideas to even greater heights. Layne was too far gone by the self titled and maybe Jerry was uninspired and struggling with dealing with a junkie.
Cantrell had his own issues with that too didn't he? Although I assumed he was mostly clean by that stage, but still, it had to have some effect.
Mad Season is another one I never need to hear again really. "my painn is self choooozeeeyeeen" Ugh.
Self titled had its charms but I believe all bar Inez were fucked up on drugs at that point. Despite Layne looking like death in the video, the audio for Unplugged is magic. Mad Season is indeed a snooze fest
Quote from: The Wretch on July 28, 2024, 04:58:23 AMCantrell had his own issues with that too didn't he? Although I assumed he was mostly clean by that stage, but still, it had to have some effect.
Coke was a big thing with Cantrell. Apparently he'd turn up to Dimebags Christmas party with enough to cause a blizzard in Texas most years.
Kinney was a boozer for the most part.
Quote from: Eoin McLove on July 28, 2024, 01:46:33 AMNo Layne, No Chain! :P
This is it. I take Black Gives Way effectively as a Cantrell solo jobby, except with an extra bloke who can sing better than him and facilitates some decent harmonising, but AiC it ain't.
I like his vocals but they always worked nicely in conjunction with Layne's.
Quote from: Ducky on July 28, 2024, 08:46:07 AMQuote from: Eoin McLove on July 28, 2024, 01:46:33 AMNo Layne, No Chain! :P
This is it. I take Black Gives Way effectively as a Cantrell solo jobby, except with an extra bloke who can sing better than him and facilitates some decent harmonising, but AiC it ain't.
Some bands just need the drugs!
Quotethe dullness of Mad Season
We don't. That's an amazing record. Just needs to find it's moment, late night listening.
Quote from: Sworntothecans on July 28, 2024, 09:14:59 AMQuote from: Ducky on July 28, 2024, 08:46:07 AMQuote from: Eoin McLove on July 28, 2024, 01:46:33 AMNo Layne, No Chain! :P
This is it. I take Black Gives Way effectively as a Cantrell solo jobby, except with an extra bloke who can sing better than him and facilitates some decent harmonising, but AiC it ain't.
Some bands just need the drugs!
Drugs are good, m'kay!
I like the Mad Season one as well, but you'd need to be in the mood for it alright.
Yeah Mad Season need a time and place, and it's usually being a mopey bollocks late at night.
At the same time, I Don't Know Anything is a better AiC tune than a whole bunch of actual AiC tunes.
I've tried multiple times to get into the Mad Season album since it came out and it's never clicked.
I hear you, sat on the shelf for ages and dug it out one night and it's become a firm favourite.
Mad Season is worth spending some time with
Quite a relaxed album with solid song-writing
Can never get bored with Layne's voice, & McCready's playing sounds great (both rhythmically & lead-wise)
EDIT: I think the album could benefit from being sped up slightly
But then again, the slowness does add to the morosity :)
With the best will in the world, time has not been kind to Vanessa Warwick.
Quote from: Carnage on November 20, 2024, 05:00:43 PM
With the best will in the world, time has not been kind to Vanessa Warwick.
Well she's in property nowadays She was posting some absolutely cringe LinkedIn Landlord shite on Twitter a while back
Yeah, she was involved in a feud with another landlord type, they had a web company together and fell out. Woeful stuff from each side.
She was a rough enough looking creature in her prime. Now she looks like she's turned into a spider. She has that skeletal gin alco look.
Quote from: Eoin McLove on November 20, 2024, 09:57:55 PMShe was a rough enough looking creature in her prime. Now she looks like she's turned into a spider. She has that skeletal gin alco look.
With a house full of crystals and leftover The Almighty merch😂
Mad Season is one of my favourite albums, but it is as others have said a time and place kind of record. I have paid absolutely no heed to anything Cantrell has released since degradation trip (which I love) been listening to this and the Duvall era chains stuff lately, there's some really great stuff, lots of the riffs are heavy as hell BUT there really was something otherworldly about Laynes voice and vocals. Apart from maybe John Bonham I can't think of someone who was that irreplaceable to a bands sound