If you haven’t listened to Alice in Chains since Layne Staley’s death, you might be surprised how good they sound with their new singer. I think Layne was one of those singers that was almost irreplaceable, but William DuVall does a great job. He sounds kind of similar to Staley, but is clearly not trying to imitate him.
Personally, I think it was the right move for Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, and Sean Kinney to continue without Staley. I mean, all three of the other guys are still in the band and Staley was mostly just a singer for the last few years of his time in the band.
They have released two albums with DuVall, the third one coming out in about 3 weeks. Both of their two albums with him are excellent and well worth a listen. Much better than any Jerry Cantrell solo stuff and they still sound like the Alice in Chains from 89-95.
Anyone excited for the new album? I actually think the first two singles released are only OK, but Alice in Chains is still the same band as they were before and I am glad they are still going.