Summer has always been a popular season for the deliverance of fresh songs and albums, but one band’s new release is standing out in the rock genre.
With more than two decades of musical experience under its members’ belts, Alice in Chains, the rock band known for its unique harmonies and emergence into the grunge scene in the ‘90s, recently put out its 5th studio album. “The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here” was released on iTunes on May 28. It features 12 songs and has been in the works since late 2011.
Overall, the album has fidelity to the band’s roots. The songs are still akin to the lengths of those on previous albums and definitely link to the band, but they feature some new elements. All of the songs were written by band members.
As lead singer Jerry Cantrell said in an interview with Rolling Stone, “We made a unique record that’s completely different from anything we ever did. It encapsulates a period of time, like all records do. You see growth and that the band is moving ahead in new territory that we haven’t been to before, but we haven’t lost our identity.”
The quartet’s collection of new music features the single “Hollow,” which was premiered via YouTube in December, showing a slideshow of pictures that fans sent in on Instagram. The song has “Man in the Box” potential, as do some of the others on the album. I would definitely recommend “Lab Monkey” despite the fact that it’s a less popular song, as it really delivers. “Stone,” the second single from the album, has also become a favorite of mine.
Alice in Chains will begin the U.S. leg of its tour in August. See the band’s website for dates and more album details. www.AliceinChains.com.
