Few bands survive the reboot Alice In Chains launched in 2008, six years after the death of its troubled powerhouse singer, Layne Staley. Guitarist Jerry Cantrell admits the idea of reemerging from stasis with a new vocalist, William DuVall, felt like a gamble. The result was Black Gives Way To Blue, a work worthy of standing alongside the band’s masterpiece, 1992’s Dirt. Though few would have predicted such a return to form, the album was certified gold, topped scads of best-of lists and launched two full tours. The new The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here stays true to the Alice In Chains sound, a dense shroud of gloom occasionally lifted by soaring harmonies and delicate riffs. For every dirge stomp like “Pretty Done” and the menacing creep of “Lab Monkey,” there are echoes of Jar Of Flies’ haunted acoustic beauty (“Voices,” “Choke”) or the filthy groove of “Stone,” the album’s second single. DuVall will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Alice In Chains feature.
DuVall: One of the first boutique film companies and, in my view, still the best. Between the quality of presentation (and restoration, where needed), the often-fascinating bonus material, the liner notes, packaging and the overall level of care and scholarship applied to every film they take on, Criterion remains the state of the art. I will take a chance on a film I’ve never heard of simply by virtue of it being given the Criterion treatment. It’s introduced me to dozens of incredible movies I would have otherwise never experienced and made me look at many of my old favorites in a whole new way. I can’t think of a stronger endorsement than that.
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