Alice In Chains Return. It's Official

antiMusic reports: the admin of Jerry Cantrell's official website posted an update about the Alice In Chains reunion. Although he doesn't spill the beans about who will be taking over vocal duties for the late Layne Staley, he does confirm that the band will reunite for the Nova Rock Festival and drops a hint that more shows may be booked. Here's his posting:

"I hate to keep on saying, this but as most of you have heard Alice will be performing at Nova Rock in Austria. This is true. Alice is back.

"Europe is a long way to go for just one show, so I feel that we are going to have a lot more to do.

"Because this is Europe and a big festival don't count on any special Alice tickets but you never know what the future brings.

"Let me explain why things went down the way they went down. It was not the way we wanted it to happen. The festival promoter secured a bunch of really big bands like Metallica, Guns N' Roses and Alice. The promoter decided to have a big press conference on Monday. We had not finished securing the 'business side' of the show by the time Monday rolled around. Because Monday was President's Day, our office was closed and we could not make a decission regarding releasing the info to you guys. Our European agent, because our office was closed made an executive decision to release the show info. We fully support his choice but could not say anything untill we spoke to him to get the full stroy and due to the time difference and travel we could not make the announcement untill just now.

"Guys, please remember that nothing is official unless it comes from our office. We like to surprise you but sometimes that is not always possible.

Jerry [Cantrell, guitar], Mike [Inez, bass], Sean [Kinney, drums] and the managment team are doing our best to keep you guys informed. You mean a lot to the guys and they want you to know that.

"I feel the rumblings of more stuff coming down the road."

Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley died on Apr. 5, 2002 from a mixture of heroin and cocaine. Staley was found dead two weeks later, surrounded by intravenous drug paraphernalia in his Seattle apartment. The death certificate reads Staley's death resulted from "an acute intoxication due to the combined effects of opiate (heroin) and cocaine." The death was classified as "accidental."

As previously reported, Comes With The Fall vocalist/guitarist and member of Jerry Cantrell's touring band William DuVall has been tapped to sing lead vocals with Alice In Chains at the taping of an episode of VH1 Classic's "Decades Rock Live!", a tribute to Heart that will take place March 10 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. It is not presently clear if DuVall will be joining the group on any of the other dates that are currently being scheduled.

Comments

[rockontilludie]

holly ****ing shit

kick ass

wish i could go man.

[#_of_the_beast]

OMG, but who can replace Layne

[b]#_of_the_beast[
/b] wrote:

OMG, but who can replace Layne

Probably William DuVall. read on the last article's paragraph...

[im_atheist]

you cant do that, they are the most amazing band ever but it'll be like the Queen tour, YOU CANT REPLACE LAYNE STALEY

[FaceTomorrow]

I dont think its that hard to replace Layne´s voice. The hard part is to find someone who can sing Layne´s lyrics in a proper way. I mean they need someone who can transfer the emotion.

[matattack05]

oh my ****ing god.....i wish i could go see um.....damn europe lol

[kjb]

I love seein old bands reunite

[controlfreak]

holy flurking schnit!!

can't wait, i've been waiting for this day for so long, now all we need is for soundgarden to reform and support them!

[judgeyourself]

will they be at download this year?
lets hope

[Alex101]

Since Alice in Chains have reformed, who's the new singer now?

[mustiebalzak]

maybe they should get the guy from godsmack.

just joking.

[SuperAnalytical]

I think a kick ass super band would be Jerry Cantrell, Dave Grohl, Chris Cornell, and Flea. This Alice In Chains reunion gives me hope that Krist Novoselic will want to come out of his political state and try his hand at music again.

Alice In Chains \m/

[joyful womble]

please no, not another ressurected dinosaur...

[squidB1440]

Its not the same band w/ the new dude.

[mrknugget13]

First Guns and roses, now this, cant you people leave the bands alone! At least change the name of the group.

[Metalbass]

It's not gonna be the same without Staley...his signature vocals were a huge part of AIC. Unless they find a guy that can match his style exactly, or somebody who's vocal style compliments the music the way Layne's did, I think they're going to have a hard time recapturing their old fan base.

[MudhoneyCreep]

That is going to be amazing, but it won't be the same without Layne.

[toolmns]

SuperAnalytical wrote:

I think a kick ass super band would be Jerry Cantrell, Dave Grohl, Chris Cornell, and Flea. This Alice In Chains reunion gives me hope that Krist Novoselic will want to come out of his political state and try his hand at music again.

Alice In Chains \m/

awesome lineup!!! but krist would have to wear a wig!

seriously best news in a while! (long live layne)

[Scourge441]

They're reuniting for one show, guys. Quit bitching. It's not like they're gonna release a new album or anything.

[aic_rooster]

Yea for AIC!! I'm really happy they are getting back into it...since i was living in the Philippines I was unable to enjoy any of their shows back in the 90's through the new milenium. So hopefully they'll schedule some tour dates in the US of A! However, i sincerly hope that if they do start to make records again it will not be as Alice in Chains. That bands singer was Layne Staley and no one else.

[thefinalcut]

Yes, Layne is irreplacable and the band would be the same but WTF man, it's lke one show! I don't think Layne would've disowned his bandmate after ONE SHOW! I guess you'd rather not see an AIC reunion because Layne isn't around, eh boyo?

[gunner83]

i miss jerry cantrell's guitars man...

[SoundofSeattle]

Yeah, layne had a signature sound alright, but i say anything with cantrell in it will be welcome, and he did alot of the vocals with layne too. Im undecided about a name change...

[Green_Day_Rock]

im_atheist wrote:

you cant do that, they are the most amazing band ever but it'll be like the Queen tour, YOU CANT REPLACE LAYNE STALEY

Didn't AC/DC get a new frontman and then recorded Back In Black? In that case they found someone who could replace the original frontman.

[Kalakala]

What made Layne's voice stand apart was the way Jerry complimented it. Seemed like Jerry was always in a "minor" mode while Layne was taking the "major". Together, it came out with a very ethereal, eerie touch at times.

As far as the reunion, I guess I'm in the Zep camp. Once a key element is gone, so is the band..forever. A AIC reunion is fine, just don't call it AIC.

[guitarplr10]

i would like to hear how Pat Lachman (Damageplan) sounds, his voice during the verse is close to Layne but the chorus no one can get out the emotion like Layne...and Maynard James Keenan (tool, a perfect circle) didnt sound too bad when he sang with them.

[wabusy33]

Good news, that's all i have to say.

[the1]

YEEEEES!

[sunkiller]

It'll never be the same without Layne... But I'm still hoping for a Soundgarden reunion, Dinosaur Jr did it, so why not Soundgarden, and Rage...

[Andy___]

It'll never be the same without Layne... But I'm still hoping for a Soundgarden reunion, Dinosaur Jr did it, so why not Soundgarden, and Rage...

.. i can't see rage or soundgarden coming back.. audioslave are too big for that to happen.. to be fair they cover all thier old stuff anyway.. (sorry.. bit off topic)


but yea, i don't see what peoples problem is.. of course it wont be nearly as good as alice in chains were.. but surely them doing a few shows with a new singer will be better than nothing..!

[Mr.Awesome]

im psyched about the Alice in Chains reunion and i know it wont be the same without Layne but i think its only fair if we judge them after they play, it may be great. (but never Layne Staley great)

[cap'nkirk]

Oh man, AinC is one of my top bands of all times, I only wish Layne were still around. But, Jerry's still rockin', so I'll take it. Great News.

[Meths]

Fuck yeah. Alice in chains own. Layne Staley was a dude though .

[Guns N Roses]

yeah he was way more charismatic and better at singing but this new guys alright (sucks in concert though).

[Lukeisonfire]

Please say maynard will lead! Yes!

[Kaervek]

w00t! This made my day!

[fadetoblack89]

this is great news, rock in roll hall of famers in my book

[wingedgopher]

cool news although a little unnerving

[chrismacker]

SoundofSeattle wrote:

Yeah, layne had a signature sound alright, but i say anything with cantrell in it will be welcome, and he did alot of the vocals with layne too. Im undecided about a name change...

yeah, and cantrell has a great voice as well, but it still wont be the same without layne, but alice in chains wouldnt be alice in chains if cantrell was gone and layne wasnt though
so i think its good that they are giving it a shot and hope they will tour somewhere by me

[Harmonius]

Smashing Pumpkins and AIC reuniting, new studio albums from Mudhoney and Pearl Jam...all we're missing is a Soundgarden reunion.

[DaddyTwoFoot]

Fuck that. Alice in Chains is my favorite band, and I would love you see them live, but fuck that. Without Layne, it's barely worth it.

[PlugOfDoom]

love alice in chains, but without Layne, it just won't be the same.

[Guitar_Dude777]

Swwet A.I.C. rocks!

[Eric 666]

FaceTomorrow wrote:

I dont think its that hard to replace Layne´s voice. The hard part is to find someone who can sing Layne´s lyrics in a proper way. I mean they need someone who can transfer the emotion.

I can do it myself, i sing Alice In Chains pretty much every day. i'm serious, it ain treally that hard...just wake up in the morning and dont do anything, just sing. it's that simple, i'm serious.

[Eric 666]

cantrell looks ****ed up though.

[GlabrioBelienus]

jerry looks.....bad

[mer_der_noms]

Yes Yes Yes! Fuck Yes! I'm so psyched about them returning... To bad it's without Layne though..but still Rock on!

[Griffin]

Think Jerry should do the vocals, No chance of replacing Layne

[thembones16]

Lukeisonfire wrote:

Please say maynard will lead! Yes!

That would be great but i doubt it.Hes busy with tool right now.

[MorbidAngel333]

i really don't think they'll do that great without Layne..

[hard_rock101]

did it say that they had secured GNR for the show?

[Emenius Sleepus]

oh my ****ing god! that put the biggest smile on my face I agree, Jerry should do vox, he wrote heaps of AIC stuff, including some of the darkest material they put out, plus he was doing a lot of vocals too

[Inimical]

This is either very good, or very bad. I'll decide when I hear the new singer.

[AliceInChainz]

it's so amazing their reforming.. i just hope they don't blow it by getting some lame ass singer

[RadioBart]

Layne or not, this really kicks ass. Alice In Chains was one of THE best bands of the 90's. I think they'll still be able to put on an awesome show, but certainly nothing like when Layne was still alive.

Spam deleted.

[Synectics]

[quote=mrknugget13]
First Guns and roses, now this, cant you people leave the bands alone! At least change the name of the group.[/quote]
Dude... imagine being in a legendary band... and then your singer dying. What would you like to do? Stop playing?! Come on now. I definitely support the rest of the band in coming back; they're back to doing what they do best, and what they love to do, even with the tragic loss of their frontman.

[INDUSTRIALMETAL]

I think the band members woudn't go ahead with it if they didn't think the replacment could do the job. It's their band, so I trust their judgment.

[chokehold488]

They were great, but Alice in Chains is Alice in Chains. Without Layne, its a whole new sound.

[SGRocker0791]

Awesome.

[forty-six_and_2]

OMGOMGOMG. This is superamazing but no one can be like Layne.

[X.Y.U]

cool!!!!!
too bad layne isnt with us...
RIP

[SGRocker0791]

Nice. IMO it will not be the same without Staley, but I interested.

[nirvana4lf]

wow. im excited, that is if they get together and tour. of course its not gonna be the same w/o layne, and they all know it, but still, thats amazing. to be able to see them in concert, its a privilege.

LPIndin wrote:
Now im sitting on a F***** Angry Chair. I hate grunge music with a passion and we dont need a bunch of s**** bands like these **** and GNR and all that s*** coming back. These bands should stay dead.

cant u just say u dont like something without gay bashing?

[RHcPinkFloyd818]

it would be so ****in awesome if they got chris cornell to do it. or if soundgarden did a reunion.

[MetalheadBuddha]

It just won't be the same, but I'm up for listening to the new AiC stuff.

[Clarkinator]

This is cool, I dig AIC. Cant Cantrell sing really well though, or am I insane?

[ISuk@Guitar]

they gotta come to US...

[CamelToeJoe]

They'll be more successful if they change the band name. Laynes voice is the Alice In Chains trademark.

[oddling8]

OMFG I AM GOING TO DIE THIS IS BETTER THAN KILLING OSAMA! SWEET JESUS YES!

[Outshined]

AiC has had more influence over hard rock than almost any single band since maybe Led Zep...I can't wait to see them, hopefully they can record some new stuff !!

[Andrew Zara]

Jerry looks really old looking in that picture.

[Hoponpop]

ive been waiting ten years for this to happen.

[ZeppelinFan29]

With more shows possible?! FUCK YEAH!

[erotic sweaters]

****ing awesome, Alice In Chains kicks ass.

[guitar_player20]

sully erna could the lead singer of godsmack

[garagerocker69]

daaaayum. wish i could go. but why is cantrell holding an EVH Kramer signature model??

[LEDCHAINS]

This band was smart enough to have Layne as their lead singer.People should only think that they will hold tryouts and pick who they think is the best fit.If there is anybody I trust to figure it out it is these awesome players.SHOW THEM WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF AND BUILD A BETTER BAND BOYS!!!

[Phoenixblade]

Nothing I can really say would be appropriate. Good luck, Do it Justice, Move forwards, and a ton of other stuff I'm too shocked to say. Nice.

[X.Y.U]

why does cantrell look high in that photo is the reall issue

*spam deleted*

[count forstula]

this is great, although id kinda prefer it if they didnt have a new full-time lead singer, but maybe jerry doing most of it and then having an occasional guest vocalist. but if this new guy can do layne justice, i say more power to him. at least this gets rid of all that crap about them doing rockstar.

[rageandlove04]

AIC is ****ing sick. This should be good assuming they find a good singer.

[iammetal]

oh god.

Wow.

Too bad about Layne's death...it would be the shit if they got somebad ass singer, like a hard rock singer to replace him.....idk,maybe well be expecting a different AIC

hahah i wore my AIC shirt today.....yea

[ryanzigzag]

it would be pretty nice if jerry sang a lot of it, hes a good singer

[killing_inc]

sorry, no reunion without Layne!!! AIC should never even consider destroying their reputation like this.

[ryanzigzag]

umm i still think its a good thing that they reunite, it will probly make them have a better rep. so u must not like A.I.C.

[tommythecat00]

layne is king, but come on, jerry wrote a majority of the aic's music, and half the time he and layne were harmonising so it wont be atrain wreck or anything

[JesusSlap]

That is freakin' smurf!!!! alice in chains owns. if they want someone to replace layne for just a few shows..i say sully erna...just my opinion cuz he sounds a lot like layne.

[JarOfFlies]

Look at my name.

It's my favourite AIC album.

It's only for one night, so it's awesome. I think Jerry should sing everything.

[grunger1805]

how bout travis meeks, music prodigy, days of the new was a wanna be acoustic aic, i think its a good fit

[Green_Fox]

ok thats cool

[JesusandZepRule]

Jerry Cantrell could do vocals think about it, he was the backing vocal.He and Layne Staley did hamozied so good it was scary.All in all it great that this is happening.

[iammetal]

hopefully they will get someone good, and have a new album of soon.....

i pray

[amy_gail]

does anybody know if they will come to Holland??

[DreamTheater16]

I am not exactly happy about this...I have a feeling Jerry's money supply is going dry because of his not so great solo career...I don't want to see a Layne-less AIC...but then again a few shows would be kinda cool! I just dont want a full fledged tour destroying all of Layne's hard work
and the guy that said Layne wont be hard to imitate needs to sit down with a 12 gauge and think about his life for a little bit

[DreamTheater16]

yeah they picked the singer i think his last name is duvall or something

[AliceinChains20]

No one can replace Layne. No matter how good he is, Alice in Chains went to the grave with Staley.

[Suikojowy]

They're playing at the same festival as Tool (which i'm travelling to Germany to see) so hopefully Maynard will come out and sing for them. =)

[GeetarsAreRock]

Has anyone heard anything about the rumor that these guys are playing at the Sasquatch Music Festival in may? It'd be in the NW, which would be dieal for re-debuting themselves. It's just a rumor as far as I know, but it'd be pretty awesome if true cuz i already got my tickets.

[GunShark0]

JesusSlap wrote:

That is freakin' smurf!!!! alice in chains owns. if they want someone to replace layne for just a few shows..i say sully erna...just my opinion cuz he sounds a lot like layne.

naw sully cant do near what layne could with his voice... Layne was a few of a kind... not many people can match his voice...