ALICE IN CHAINS
Rainier Fog BMG
“We do make a racket, don’t we?” beamed Alice main-man Jerry Cantrell on the promotional trail for this sixth album – and it was a pleasure to hear it. From the brutal stabs of opener The One You Know – a riff inspired by the Psycho shower scene – Rainier Fog confirmed that the Seattle veterans are still the dons of aggressive, jagged-edged music.
There was familiarity in the grind-and-drone guitars, the jet-black harmonies and the lyrical desolation of moments like All I Am, but Rainier Fog was not just autopilot Alice. With late-period frontman William DuVall affirming his growing influence with the standout So Far Under, and a sliver of hope sweetening songs like Fly and Never Fade, this was a lesson in how to evolve without growing soft.
“There’s still darkness in this band,” noted Cantrell. “And light too. Just like there always has been.” HY
Killer Track: So Far Under