Black Gives Way to Blue

Black Gives Way To Blue does more to satisfy everyone it comes in contact with. It acts as a beacon, luring those of all shapes and sizes to its beck and call. Alice In Chains were a band of yesterday, but already with this album did they prove that they could shatter the bands of today. Triumphant in the face of changing times, the band remain timeless, as this album will as the decade closes, within the coming decade, and thereafter. Much like Princes’ Purple Rain, I feel as though this album touched society, filling an impenetrable, emotional gap.

The album destroys with a monstrous tone: powerful, monolithic, towering – a colorful tsunami of passion blinding ignorance and igniting a revolution of reconstruction. This is much to take in all at once, and with an unshackled soul one must prepare for the tide. The album definitely has this oceanic, bulky tone to it – unlike anything they’ve done before. Like the ocean, it serves as a host to a good dose of different tracks, all bred with bitterness, buoyancy, resilience, and a multitude of sentiments conquered one by one.

Beginning with the very first track, you’ll come face to face with wave after wave of the melodiously crushing guitar, churning out a riff outshined only by the haunting vocal combination of Cantrell and DuVall. The duo pull off the signature sound masterfully, sounding just as good as Cantrell and Staley back in the day while still delivering their own harmonious touch. DuVall manages to make up the more melodic and clean of the two, while Cantrell still pulls off his conspicuous groan. Cantrell’s voice hasn’t given in at all; he still manages to brood along as the most hateful (but heartfelt) energy resonating through the chasm.

The mixing is fantastic, with the vocals embedded well amongst the rest of the instruments while still being the primary driving force – depth charges blasting with the aftershock of the riffs following suit in merciless eradication of all life in the euphotic, bathyal, and abyssal zones. Bass support fills all voids like the water used to sustain life: thriving, refreshing, invigorating, and moody with a jazzy touch. Layer upon layer can be heard, but the taste is unique and sweet, especially with the lighter songs such as “Your Decision” and the closing title track. The experience is heartwarming and true; no signs of falseness bear witness to what we face with this album. The drumming only capitalizes on the colossal tone, sounding very rich, lush, and deep; all marks are made at a primarily mid-paced yet always beckoning style. The drums actually have a life of their own, creating a persona based on each song: personalities range from uplifting, to aggressive, to comforting, and many others.

While polished, the album has this naturally squelchy tone,; we have a naturally flowing, naturally sounding album that knows what to accomplish without treading over the past. It looks forward into an orphic nothingness where the only destiny that awaits is the path it chooses to construct, rather than looking back to let destiny assemble the road of the future…

…and thus the octopus lurks forever more. As we see it thrash off into the endless abyss, we can only ponder henceforth at its enduring life. Man must endure struggles until man is no more, but this octopus will continue to live, feared by many without a fear of its own. Beyond its own lifespan are the octopi, continuing their unopposed lives until the earth itself cannot withstand time. Until then, this octopus will continue onward like every hero before it. Unopposed… unabated… into the abyss it roams…

…a new beginning… in the darkest slumber…