Alice In Chains

While most '90s grunge bands seemed content to enjoy their moment in the sun over the decade and then call it a day, there’s a smaller contingent that are now on their victory laps, with varying degrees of success. Alice In Chains was always an odd fit for the genre, more fond of heavy metal and wah-wah pedals than its peers, so it follows that its trajectory differs. With William DuVall now in for deceased frontman Layne Staley, the group is sure to get its fair share of detractors after a markedly lengthy hiatus, but 2009's Black Gives Way To Blue—AIC’s first album in 14 years—shows that after all these years the Seattle band hasn’t given up the ghost or lost its way.

Updated 09/23/2010