Album Review — Alice In Chains

Alice In Chains — Rainier Fog

Alice In Chains somehow is still going strong. They were part of the faddy grunge scene in the early 90s, they’ve gone through multiple band member changes and their lead singer died from a drug overdose. Usually, all that adds up to the demise of a band, but somehow AiC keeps trucking along.

Rainier Fog is their 6th full-length studio record and third in the post Staley era. In many ways, the current band doesn’t sound that different from the original band. William DuVall has a similar voice to Staley. Cantrell was always a large part of the vocals but he’s a little more up front now. The two mesh well vocally and Cantrell is an underrated guitar player.

The overall mood and sound of the album is pretty dark. The album title, Rainier Fog, is very Seattle-y and the album reminds me of a cold, damp December Seattle day.

At some points on the record it sounds like Staley is still in the band. On “Red Giant” and “Deaf Ears Blind Eyes” Cantrell and DuVall sound eerily similar to the earlier records. “So Far Under” sounds like it could have been on “Facelift”.

“Fly” and “Maybe” have a more acoustic feel to them, although not quite to the point of “Jar of Flies” or “Sap” records. “Maybe” is a nice break from the grunginess as it’s a little lighter and one of the album highlights.

The album ends on a high note with two of the best songs on the record. “Never Fade” has a great chorus and is a little more melodic and little less grunge with some great guitar work by Cantrell. “All I Am” is the 7+ minute album closer and is the closest song on the record to something off the “Jar of Flies” record.

Overall, this is a good mood record. If I’m looking for something a little dark and moody, I’d definitely throw this record on.

Grade — 85 out of 100

Track Listing

01. The One You Know *
02. Rainier Fog
03. Red Giant
04. Fly *
05. Drone
06. Deaf Ears Blind Eyes
07. Maybe *
08. So Far Under
09. Never Fade *
10. All I Am *

*Best Songs