Pull out your plaid shirts and 20-hole Doc Martens. The grunge revival is nigh because according to the Los Angeles Times, genre luminaries Alice In Chains have completed their as-yet untitled fourth album. This marks the band's first new music in 14 years as well as the debut of new vocalist William DuVall who joined in 2006 as replacement for notorious singer Layne Staley, who succumbed to drug abuse in 2002.
Scheduled for release in mid-September via EMI, the album was actually underway in October 2008 at Foo Fighters/Nirvana's Dave Grohl's private Studio 606 before moving to Hollywood's Henson Recording Studio in December.
"We've been working toward this for over a year now," said guitarist Jerry Cantrell. "It's a long haul."
According to band managers David Benveniste and Susan Silver, the entire process of realizing this album - from gaining the blessing of Staley's mother in regards to continuing and working with DuVall to securing a new recording contract that saw Alice In Chains as a new, viable act as opposed to old horses - has been the aforementioned "long haul." But it has been positive.
"It was really important that it was OK with them," says Silver in regards to receiving the green light from Staley's mother. "There were a lot of baby steps. The first year especially was such a profound healing for everybody."
As for the record deal, Benveniste notes, "The response has been amazing. We got massive offers off of four or five songs. The most important thing to me was that we position this as a new band moving forward. The band is not a heritage act. This band is a new act and we're going to market it as such. It's a double-headed monster."
Scheduled for release in mid-September via EMI, the album was actually underway in October 2008 at Foo Fighters/Nirvana's Dave Grohl's private Studio 606 before moving to Hollywood's Henson Recording Studio in December.
"We've been working toward this for over a year now," said guitarist Jerry Cantrell. "It's a long haul."
According to band managers David Benveniste and Susan Silver, the entire process of realizing this album - from gaining the blessing of Staley's mother in regards to continuing and working with DuVall to securing a new recording contract that saw Alice In Chains as a new, viable act as opposed to old horses - has been the aforementioned "long haul." But it has been positive.
"It was really important that it was OK with them," says Silver in regards to receiving the green light from Staley's mother. "There were a lot of baby steps. The first year especially was such a profound healing for everybody."
As for the record deal, Benveniste notes, "The response has been amazing. We got massive offers off of four or five songs. The most important thing to me was that we position this as a new band moving forward. The band is not a heritage act. This band is a new act and we're going to market it as such. It's a double-headed monster."
