The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
It's no real surprise that Alice in Chains are still around-- there's always money in the reunion rounds-- but it is a surprise that the band's latest album actually sounds like they're trying to move forward. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is more inventive than it needs to be, and less self-congratulatory than past efforts.
For all of his musical abilities, the late Layne Staley had less of an influence on Alice In Chains’ overall aesthetic than many might realize. Sure, he was an incomparable vocalist with significant range—from his nasally enunciation and pop-metal roars on “Man In The Box” and his agonizing howls on 1992’s Dirt, to…
Check out our album review of Artist's The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here on Rolling Stone.com.
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.
If 2009’s Black Gives Way to Blue was about legitimising the resurgence of Alice In Chains whilst eulogising the irreplaceable Layne Staley, this fifth album from the Seattle survivors arrives with the hard-fought conviction of a band still capable of greatness. Once at metal’s vanguard in the early nineties, time might have nudged Jerry Cantrell’s outfit in to the realm of classic rock statesmen, but status hasn't hindered them from reaching for higher ground.
With Black Gives Way to Blue, Alice in Chains proved all the faux-elitists and skeptics completely wrong. They managed to avoid the anticlimactic self-parody that plagues most other bands who "make a comeback". Not only did they stage an awesome comeback, but with the entry of a new lead singer and
Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here review: The new Alice in Chains effort bursts with enough vitality to make a lasting impression on the quartet's fans.