For so many reasons you have to admire Alice In Chains’ massive set of balls. Not only have the Seattle band made the doubters eat their words by reforming with their dignity intact, they’ve managed to pull off the near unthinkable and found a singer (William Duvall) who is up to the task of carrying on from where the dearly departed former frontman Layne Staley left off.
They’ve also done it all on their own terms and taken the time needed to make new music, rather than giving-in to the temptation of embarking on a nostalgia-riddled tour of the usual rock festivals. For that, we tip our collective caps in admiration.
The Devil Put The Dinosaurs Here is the band’s second record since their resurrection. It’s a typically dark and brooding opus, full of Jerry Cantrell’s trademark sludge-laden riffs and diabolically good harmonies. As with any Alice album post-their iconic ‘92 LP Dirt, the band’s fifth full-length opus is one that requires time to incubate.
A much more rewarding listen than ‘09’s Black Gives Way To Blue, this album is focused and confident. Opener ‘Hollow’ is vintage Alice, full of that primal power of old, while ‘Voices’ could be a relative of the Jar Of Flies classic ‘No Excuses’. There’s a few gambles too, with the band trying their hands at country (‘Scalpel’), poking fun at the moral majority (“The devil put the dinosaurs here/ Jesus don’t like a queer”) and at themselves (“Old Mr Fun is back/ Wonder where he’s been hiding at?”). Elsewhere, Duvall gets time to shine on the muscular ‘Phantom Limb’.
Granted, it’s impossible to fully cast off the spectre of Staley and they never match the sheer genius of the likes of ‘Man In The Box,’ but it’s good to have the ‘Sludge Factory’ back in business.

Rating: 7/10
Key Track: ‘Low Ceiling'