Monday, July 14, 2014

Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013)

Following 2009's Black Gives Way to Blue, Alice in Chains returns with their second album post-Layne Staley.  I was pretty sure after the first listen that this was a major disappointment, possibly even Pile of Death material.  But with multiple listens and a good set of headphones, the album slowly began to unfold to me.  This slow progression does not happen often with me these days -- a good comparison may be Bob Mould's 1990 album Black Sheets of Rain, which is the only other album I can think of that I appreciate more and more each year.

The gritty guitar riffs paired with vocal harmonies are excellent.  It's pretty much formulaic Alice in Chains, but it does not seem stale or repetitive.  A very solid offering.  It's not Dirt, but then again, what is?

Alice in Chains - "Stone"

It's classic grunge (can I start calling classic rock from the 90s "classic grunge" yet?  too soon?) and very listenable if you like Alice in Chains.  Of course, if you never liked them in the first place, you'll hate this.


CD Placement rating: Portable CD Case.

- Snilch

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