Alice in Chains
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here

"We wish to make it known that the loss of our dear friend and the profound respect we have for his family have led us to decide, in full harmony among ourselves and with our manager, that we cannot continue as we were"… With this announcement, Led Zeppelin put an end to the band. No other group in history has had the guts to make such a decision. Nirvana and the Doors come to mind, but those cases are different… Nirvana was Kurt Cobain, it wasn’t possible to continue without him, while Jim Morrison was an irreplaceable frontman (in fact, the two albums post-Morrison had no success and the Doors were forced to disband)… How many bands, on the other hand, decided to continue despite the loss of a member?? Well, the list is very long. Surely, the Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers need to be mentioned, but also Metallica, Queen, and the more recent Avenged Sevenfold. They too must be added to the list: "Alice in Chains"… The greatest band (in the opinion of the author) that came out of Seattle. They became great with timeless albums like “Dirt” and the self-titled, but also thanks to “Facelift,” “Jar of Flies,” and the unforgettable “Unplugged.” They became great especially thanks to Layne Staley. The voice of suffering, of melancholy, the voice of GRUNGE. Too soon he was snatched from life, that cursed April 5, 2002 (exactly 8 years after the other icon of Seattle, Kurt Cobain). Jerry Cantrell never actually disbanded the band, and so in 2006, William DuVall joined, with the difficult task of replacing Staley. In 2009, the group came back strongly on the music scene thanks to an amazing album. Yes, because “Black Gives Way To Blue” is a formidable album, mainly thanks to Cantrell, but also to William DuVall who managed to be appreciated even by the most skeptical. The first test was successfully passed, but repeating is never easy. Expectations are high and there is a risk of making a poor impression. But not them. Not Alice in Chains. They didn’t write unforgettable pages of rock just by chance. And so, in 2013, comes the second post-Layne recording effort, “The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here.” And here, one should really take off the hat to these musicians, to these artists. The album is something sublime. A wonderful record, more than “Black Gives,” which was also beautiful. 12 beautiful tracks, no filler. More than 60 minutes of great music. You get a little angry at the end of the album because with Layne here, we would be talking about a masterpiece, like with “Black.” But unfortunately, Layne is no more and no one will ever give us his immense voice back.

“Hollow” opens the dance. First note and you immediately think: "Yes, it's them... their style remains unchanged"… A tremendously heavy and obsessive riff as Cantrell has accustomed us over time… “Stone” is the best piece of the album. Opened by a sensational bass line by Mike Inez. The piece doesn’t slow down for a second. A riff repeated endlessly by the immense Cantrell and a superb performance by DuVall… “Voices” is the gem that was missing in the immense discography of the group. A ballad with almost pop nuances in the chorus (I repeat almost). A piece that is the most immediate of the album and soon gets into your head. It’s practically impossible not to sing the chorus “Everybody listen Voices in my Head Everybody listen Does yours say what mine says?” The title track takes us back to the times of Facelift (Love, Hate, Love), with the voices of DuVall and Cantrell fitting perfectly. “Lab Monkey” starts and here you’d want to pull DuVall’s ears a bit for trying to imitate Staley. Despite this small slip by the singer, the piece keeps the album on very high levels. "Scalpel" is a piece in full “Jar” style where everyone gives their best. “Phantom Limb,” despite its 7 minutes, is perhaps the most successful piece after “Stone.” A devastating riff accompanies us in this metal ride, where there is also room for a beautiful solo by Cantrell. The album closes with “Choke,” a heartbreaking ballad that enters by right in the ranking of the most beautiful ballads written by the band.

In conclusion, the album keeps the name "Alice In Chains" high. It’s not a simple album released just to make some bucks, but it’s a beautiful album that enriches the superb discography of the Seattle group. Staley would be proud of these Alices!

P.S. rating 4.5