Ok, I retracted my 'it's terrible'. Jerry needs money just like the rest of us. I won't rip him for that. But yes, I'm a layne elitist. The band should've died with him. Titles like this wouldn't have happened then.
After releasing Black Gives Way to Blue to much fanfare in 2009, Alice in Chains allowed a lengthy gestation period of four years before putting out a follow-up to their much-beloved first reunion album. And there is one burning question for tons of Alice fans everywhere: is it as good as that album?
The answer: yes. But not just as good; no, that would be too simple (and, for AiC, not that difficult). Oh no, guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and god amongst men Jerry Cantrell has crafted an album that is so good that it simply invalidates the existence of Black Gives Way to Blue.
Now, that sounds harsh, but what The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here does is it takes all of the good elements of its immediate predecessor and pushes them right to the forefront, and what we're left with is nothing short of a modern metal masterpiece.
This album, quite simply, sounds fucking HUGE. Drums and bass add a depth to the lower end roughly equivalent to the depth of the Pacific Ocean, and just sound, well, booming. Mike Inez's bass work on tracks like 'Stone' is a force of nature and every hit on Sean Kinney's drums can be felt right through the listener's speakers. I have nothing but praise for Nick Raskulinecz for producing this album and capturing such an enormous sound so well. This album avoids getting involved in the so-called 'loudness war,' and yet the effect achieved is that of pure sonic force.
Another thing I love about this album is Cantrell's trademark sludgy, deliberate riffing. There's nothing uptempo here, which means it could be easy to lose the listener among a sea of downtempo songs, but the riffs are so engaging throughout that one remains interested through the entire (lengthy, too) duration. I'm sure that a contributing factor to these huge, simplistic mammoths of riffs are aided by the fact that William DuVall is more of a second guitarist than vocalist, and definitely more of a second guitarist than Layne Staley, and so his backing just gives these riffs a thick, sludgy sound which is simply brilliant.
Notably, Jerry Cantrell is pretty much the primary singer here; DuVall is mainly responsible for harmonies and stuff (and Alice's strong vocal harmonies are, as ever, intact, with DuVall providing a perfect complement to Cantrell's voice), and what he lacks in range, he makes up for in emotion and the fact his voice is literally a perfect fit for the music. Case in point: listen to 'Hollow' and tell me it'd work with any other vocalist, even Layne.
One last thing I gotta praise is the amazing consistency of this album. I mean, at 67 minutes long, I'm sure many a potential listener shuddered at the thought of the amount of filler on here. But rest assured, reader, listener, whatever you are, the quality from song to song is remarkably high. Sure, there's maybe a couple of tracks that are pretty 'eh,' but they don't hurt the album overall, and don't negatively affect the listening experience.
A final thing I want to note is that I have not directly compared this in terms of quality with any original-era albums. This is because I consider the two incarnations of the band essentially separate. This is not to rag on the talented William DuVall, but because neither this nor its predecessor sounds much like anything the '90s band would put out. Therefore, I consider stacking this up against, say, the self-titled, would be unfair, although I love both albums for what they are. And it's worth mentioning that I think the worst thing AiC could have possibly done would have been to continue on with the '90s sound was continue on in the same vein. People would have tired of that shit real quick. But, as it is, this is everything you could want from an Alice in Chains reunion and more. Find this album and buy it.
The answer: yes. But not just as good; no, that would be too simple (and, for AiC, not that difficult). Oh no, guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and god amongst men Jerry Cantrell has crafted an album that is so good that it simply invalidates the existence of Black Gives Way to Blue.
Now, that sounds harsh, but what The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here does is it takes all of the good elements of its immediate predecessor and pushes them right to the forefront, and what we're left with is nothing short of a modern metal masterpiece.
This album, quite simply, sounds fucking HUGE. Drums and bass add a depth to the lower end roughly equivalent to the depth of the Pacific Ocean, and just sound, well, booming. Mike Inez's bass work on tracks like 'Stone' is a force of nature and every hit on Sean Kinney's drums can be felt right through the listener's speakers. I have nothing but praise for Nick Raskulinecz for producing this album and capturing such an enormous sound so well. This album avoids getting involved in the so-called 'loudness war,' and yet the effect achieved is that of pure sonic force.
Another thing I love about this album is Cantrell's trademark sludgy, deliberate riffing. There's nothing uptempo here, which means it could be easy to lose the listener among a sea of downtempo songs, but the riffs are so engaging throughout that one remains interested through the entire (lengthy, too) duration. I'm sure that a contributing factor to these huge, simplistic mammoths of riffs are aided by the fact that William DuVall is more of a second guitarist than vocalist, and definitely more of a second guitarist than Layne Staley, and so his backing just gives these riffs a thick, sludgy sound which is simply brilliant.
Notably, Jerry Cantrell is pretty much the primary singer here; DuVall is mainly responsible for harmonies and stuff (and Alice's strong vocal harmonies are, as ever, intact, with DuVall providing a perfect complement to Cantrell's voice), and what he lacks in range, he makes up for in emotion and the fact his voice is literally a perfect fit for the music. Case in point: listen to 'Hollow' and tell me it'd work with any other vocalist, even Layne.
One last thing I gotta praise is the amazing consistency of this album. I mean, at 67 minutes long, I'm sure many a potential listener shuddered at the thought of the amount of filler on here. But rest assured, reader, listener, whatever you are, the quality from song to song is remarkably high. Sure, there's maybe a couple of tracks that are pretty 'eh,' but they don't hurt the album overall, and don't negatively affect the listening experience.
A final thing I want to note is that I have not directly compared this in terms of quality with any original-era albums. This is because I consider the two incarnations of the band essentially separate. This is not to rag on the talented William DuVall, but because neither this nor its predecessor sounds much like anything the '90s band would put out. Therefore, I consider stacking this up against, say, the self-titled, would be unfair, although I love both albums for what they are. And it's worth mentioning that I think the worst thing AiC could have possibly done would have been to continue on with the '90s sound was continue on in the same vein. People would have tired of that shit real quick. But, as it is, this is everything you could want from an Alice in Chains reunion and more. Find this album and buy it.
Alice in Chains – The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013/2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:07:14 minutes | 1,39 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Virgin Catalog (V81)
“The big task for Alice in Chains on their 2009 comeback Black Gives Way to Blue was to prove they could carry on battered and bruised, missing Layne Staley but still in touch with their core. They had to demonstrate the band had a reason to exist, and Black Gives Way to Blue achieved this goal, paving the way for another record just like it. Enter The Devil Put the Dinosaurs Here, a record that is pretty close to identical to Black Gives Way to Blue in its sound, attack, and feel. Where it differs is in the latter, as the overall album feels lighter and, at times, the individual songs do, too. “Scalpel” flirts with the acoustic bones of Jar of Flies and also has perhaps the richest melody here, working as a song, not a grind. That said, there is an appeal to that monochromatic churn, the kind AIC created on Dirt and haven’t let go of since. The lightness comes not from the songs – the tempos still drag their feet, the guitars mine a minor key, the harmonies are in fifths so they sound like power chords – but rather from the precision of the band’s attack and, especially, the production. This has a digital sheen that was missing even from Black Gives Way to Blue, and it gives the album an expansive feel, so the patented churn doesn’t seem quite so claustrophobic as before. Then again, perhaps that expansiveness is just a sign of age: Alice in Chains are now firmly entrenched in their middle age and settling into what they do best: retaining their signature without pandering and, tellingly, without succumbing to the darkness that otherwise defines them.”
Tracklist:
1. Hollow 05:41
2. Pretty Done 04:35
3. Stone 04:22
4. Voices 05:42
5. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here 06:38
6. Lab Monkey 05:58
7. Low Ceiling 05:15
8. Breath On A Window 05:19
9. Scalpel 05:21
10. Phantom Limb 07:07
11. Hung On A Hook 05:34
12. Choke 05:44
1. Hollow 05:41
2. Pretty Done 04:35
3. Stone 04:22
4. Voices 05:42
5. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here 06:38
6. Lab Monkey 05:58
7. Low Ceiling 05:15
8. Breath On A Window 05:19
9. Scalpel 05:21
10. Phantom Limb 07:07
11. Hung On A Hook 05:34
12. Choke 05:44
Personnel:
William DuVall, lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Jerry Cantrell, lead guitar, vocals
Mike Inez, bass, backing vocals
Sean Kinney, drums, percussion
William DuVall, lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Jerry Cantrell, lead guitar, vocals
Mike Inez, bass, backing vocals
Sean Kinney, drums, percussion
Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, Alice in Chains
Digitally remastered
Download:
mqs.link_AliceinChainsTheDevilPutDinsaursHere201320182496.part1.rar
mqs.link_AliceinChainsTheDevilPutDinsaursHere201320182496.part2.rar
mqs.link_AliceinChainsTheDevilPutDinsaursHere201320182496.part2.rar