Black Gives Way to Blue
Encyclopedia
Black Gives Way to Blue is the fourth studio album
by the American rock
band Alice in Chains
, released in September 2009. The first Alice in Chains album in nearly fourteen years, Black Gives Way to Blue is their first release with new vocalist/guitarist William DuVall
, who took over from the late Layne Staley
. This is the first Alice in Chains album released on Virgin Records
and their first venture away from Columbia
, who handled all of their previous releases. The album has been certified gold by the RIAA
on May 26, 2010, with shipments exceeding 500,000 copies.
The span of nearly fourteen years between the self-titled album and Black Gives Way to Blue marks the longest gap between studio albums in Alice in Chains' career. The band had been working on new material since early 2006, shortly before hiring DuVall as their new singer. By April 2007, Alice in Chains had been writing and demoing songs for the album, but the band did not show further signs of progress until October 2008, when they announced that they had begun recording with producer Nick Raskulinecz
in the studio. The writing and recording process was completed on March 18, 2009, guitarist Jerry Cantrell
's 43rd birthday.
, and drummer Sean Kinney
reunited to perform a benefit concert
in Seattle for victims of the tsunami disaster that struck South Asia
. On March 10, 2006, the surviving members performed at VH1
's Decades Rock Live
concert, honoring fellow Seattle musicians Ann
and Nancy Wilson of Heart
. The band followed the concert with a short United States club tour, several festival dates in Europe, and a brief tour in Japan. Comes with the Fall
vocalist DuVall joined Alice in Chains as lead singer during the band's reunion concerts.
Kinney mentioned in a February 2006 interview that he would be interested in writing new material, but not as Alice in Chains. He explained, "If we found some other dude, I'd love to move on, write some cool tunes and change the name and go on like that. I don't see continuing as Alice and replacing somebody. ... We're not trying to replace Layne. We want to play these songs one more time, and if it seems like the right thing to do, it'll happen. I don't know how long it will go or where it will take us. It's kind of a tribute to Layne and our fans, the people who love these songs. It's not some 'I'm broke and I need the money' situation. We love playing together."
In April 2007, the band's "official blogger", Baldy, posted an update on progress towards the writing of the album, saying that Alice in Chains had been in Los Angeles, California
for five days, "sat through three rehearsals and one demo recording session, listened to several other demos" and the new material was "kicking his ass right out of his pants." In September 2008, it was reported that Alice in Chains would enter the studio that October to begin recording a new album for a summer 2009 release. Recording began on October 23, 2008 at the Foo Fighters
' Studio 606 in Northridge, California with producer Nick Raskulinecz
(Foo Fighters
, Rush
, Stone Sour
, Trivium
, Shadows Fall
, Death Angel
). In mid-2009, Cantrell told Revolver Golden God Awards that Alice in Chains had finished recording the album on March 18 (his 43rd birthday) and were in the process of mixing it for a September 29 release.
as well as acoustic
songs featured on the album. In addition, Elton John
appears on the album's title track.
Kinney said that there are lyrics on the album that deal with original vocalist Layne Staley
. He elaborated, "There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him. And there's a lot to address, with all of that stuff coming to the forefront. A lot has happened since 1995, a lot has happened in our lives and we've never talked about it or discussed it publicly. So some of that is what's addressed here. That's the way we operate, it's about what really happened in life. We're not really the fast cars and chicks songs. It's basically what's happened in life, but a lot has happened since the last record. And it's on this record." The title track "Black Gives Way to Blue" was written as a tribute to Staley. Regarding the lyrics to other specific songs, Cantrell said the first single from the album, "A Looking in View
", "basically speaks to any number of things that keep you balled up inside." The second single, "Check My Brain
", features lyrics dealing with Cantrell's move from Seattle to Los Angeles in 2003. The third single, "Your Decision
", contains lyrics about "surviving pain and choosing to live."
/EMI
, making it the band's first label change in their 20-plus year career. Alice in Chains revealed parts of their new album at a listening party on July 14, 2009 at the Ricardo Montalbán Theater in Los Angeles. They played the entire album over the PA system and performed an acoustic set including versions of songs "Your Decision
" and "Black Gives Way to Blue". Keyboardist Derek Sherinian
guested with the band on this event. Another listening event took place on July 21, 2009 in New York. The UK magazine Classic Rock
awarded the album nine out of ten stars in its review section in September 2009. Metal Hammer magazine awarded the album 10/10 in September while Nigel Britto of The Times of India
lauded the album as a "stunner", later going on to describe it as a "huge, huge success".
On June 30, 2009, one of the album's songs, "A Looking in View
", was released as the first single from the album. It was made available for a limited time as a free download through the official Alice in Chains website in early July. The music video
for "A Looking in View" debuted via Alice in Chains' official website on July 7, 2009. The second single "Check My Brain
" was released to radio stations on August 14, 2009, and was made available for purchase on August 17, 2009. The music video for "Check My Brain" premiered on September 14, 2009. As of late-September "A Looking in View" has peaked at number 12 on the Billboard
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and at number 27 on the Billboard Rock Songs
chart and "Check My Brain" has peaked at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100
, at number 75 on the Hot 100 Airplay
chart, at number one on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Billboard Rock Songs charts, and at number one on the Billboard Hot Alternative Rock Tracks chart.
Black Gives Way to Blue debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200
, selling 126,000 in its first week, and entered the UK charts at number 19 on October 5, 2009.
To coincide with the band's European tour, Alice in Chains released its next single, "Your Decision", on November 16 in the UK
and in the US on December 1. The album's third single debuted on the US Rock Songs
chart at #32,
and has since charted at #1 in the US Rock Songs
, at #1 the US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and at #4 in the US Alternative Songs charts.
The fourth single, "Lesson Learned", went to radio on June 22 and reached #1 in the US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.
Black Gives Way to Blue received Gold certification by the Canadian Recording Industry Association in February 2010, signifying sales of over 40,000 units. The album was certified Gold in the by the RIAA
, in May 2010.
Black Gives Way to Blue was voted number 2 in Kerrang!'s top twenty albums of 2010 and in Metal Hammer's Top 50 albums of the year. The album won the 2010 Revolver Golden Gods Award in the category Album of the Year, beating out Slayer
, Mastodon
, Megadeth
and Heaven and Hell
.
Popdose.com reviewed the album as the newest victim of the heavy distortion and digital clipping practices known as the loudness war
that are present in many popular releases. "This CD probably has hit new loudness thresholds in the volume wars. It is beyond jarring, and I found myself turning the car stereo down to half the usual volume level just to listen at all." The site noted that the band released Black Gives Way to Blue in vinyl format, as vinyls require the maximum volume levels to be half as much as a CD.
, except where noted.
Additional performers
Production
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, released in September 2009. The first Alice in Chains album in nearly fourteen years, Black Gives Way to Blue is their first release with new vocalist/guitarist William DuVall
William DuVall
thumb|200px|right|William DuVall performing with [[Alice In Chains]] at Roskilde Festival 2010William DuVall is an American musician, best known as current lead singer for Alice In Chains, following the death of the band's original lead singer Layne Staley.DuVall is also co-founder, lead singer,...
, who took over from the late Layne Staley
Layne Staley
Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
. This is the first Alice in Chains album released on Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
and their first venture away from Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, who handled all of their previous releases. The album has been certified gold by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on May 26, 2010, with shipments exceeding 500,000 copies.
The span of nearly fourteen years between the self-titled album and Black Gives Way to Blue marks the longest gap between studio albums in Alice in Chains' career. The band had been working on new material since early 2006, shortly before hiring DuVall as their new singer. By April 2007, Alice in Chains had been writing and demoing songs for the album, but the band did not show further signs of progress until October 2008, when they announced that they had begun recording with producer Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz is a Grammy-winning American record producer. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.-Production career:Raskulinecz is from the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. He first produced and recorded bands in Knoxville on a 8-track recorder that his grandfather bought for him...
in the studio. The writing and recording process was completed on March 18, 2009, guitarist Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains, as lead guitarist, backing and co-lead vocalist, and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing...
's 43rd birthday.
Background and recording
In 2005, Cantrell, bassist Mike InezMike Inez
Mike Inez is a rock musician best known for his role as the bassist of Alice in Chains. Inez has also worked with other popular musical acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, and Heart. Inez is of Filipino ancestry.-Career:...
, and drummer Sean Kinney
Sean Kinney
Sean Howard Kinney is an American musician best known for being the drummer of the influential grunge band Alice in Chains....
reunited to perform a benefit concert
Benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
in Seattle for victims of the tsunami disaster that struck South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. On March 10, 2006, the surviving members performed at VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Decades Rock Live
Decades Rock Live
Decades Rock Live! was a TV series of live concerts. The program premiered on VH1 Classic in the Winter of 2006.It "featured performances by celebrated artists from rock to soul who have influenced popular music over the last 50 years, as well as performances from some of today’s hottest recording...
concert, honoring fellow Seattle musicians Ann
Ann Wilson
Ann Dustin Wilson is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, flute player, songwriter, and occasional guitar player of the rock band Heart.-Personal life:...
and Nancy Wilson of Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
. The band followed the concert with a short United States club tour, several festival dates in Europe, and a brief tour in Japan. Comes with the Fall
Comes With The Fall
Comes with the Fall is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. Since 2001, the line-up has been composed of William DuVall , Adam Stanger and Bevan Davies . Nico Constantine was the band's second guitarist before departing in 2001...
vocalist DuVall joined Alice in Chains as lead singer during the band's reunion concerts.
Kinney mentioned in a February 2006 interview that he would be interested in writing new material, but not as Alice in Chains. He explained, "If we found some other dude, I'd love to move on, write some cool tunes and change the name and go on like that. I don't see continuing as Alice and replacing somebody. ... We're not trying to replace Layne. We want to play these songs one more time, and if it seems like the right thing to do, it'll happen. I don't know how long it will go or where it will take us. It's kind of a tribute to Layne and our fans, the people who love these songs. It's not some 'I'm broke and I need the money' situation. We love playing together."
In April 2007, the band's "official blogger", Baldy, posted an update on progress towards the writing of the album, saying that Alice in Chains had been in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
for five days, "sat through three rehearsals and one demo recording session, listened to several other demos" and the new material was "kicking his ass right out of his pants." In September 2008, it was reported that Alice in Chains would enter the studio that October to begin recording a new album for a summer 2009 release. Recording began on October 23, 2008 at the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
' Studio 606 in Northridge, California with producer Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz is a Grammy-winning American record producer. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.-Production career:Raskulinecz is from the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. He first produced and recorded bands in Knoxville on a 8-track recorder that his grandfather bought for him...
(Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, Stone Sour
Stone Sour
Stone Sour is an American rock band from Des Moines, Iowa. Since 2006, the group has been composed of Corey Taylor , Jim Root , Josh Rand, , Shawn Economaki and Roy Mayorga . Original drummer Joel Ekman left the group in 2006...
, Trivium
Trivium (band)
Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Signed to Roadrunner Records, the band has released five studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...
, Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. They are one of the few contemporary metal bands who take their lyrical influence from Eastern philosophy and some references to the Rastafari culture...
, Death Angel
Death Angel
Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....
). In mid-2009, Cantrell told Revolver Golden God Awards that Alice in Chains had finished recording the album on March 18 (his 43rd birthday) and were in the process of mixing it for a September 29 release.
Music and lyrics
In April 2009, a blog post from the band expressed the hope that "these songs will strike a chord and make a similar impact on all of you out there that were moved by this band in the first place." Kinney said that the music on the album doesn't deviate too far from the band's past music, adding, "It's nice to sound like yourself...It's not really that hard, actually. I know people are blown away that we really sound like ourselves, and I understand the apprehension, but it's not really that big a stretch to sound the way that you sound." There are hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
as well as acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
songs featured on the album. In addition, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
appears on the album's title track.
Kinney said that there are lyrics on the album that deal with original vocalist Layne Staley
Layne Staley
Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
. He elaborated, "There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him. And there's a lot to address, with all of that stuff coming to the forefront. A lot has happened since 1995, a lot has happened in our lives and we've never talked about it or discussed it publicly. So some of that is what's addressed here. That's the way we operate, it's about what really happened in life. We're not really the fast cars and chicks songs. It's basically what's happened in life, but a lot has happened since the last record. And it's on this record." The title track "Black Gives Way to Blue" was written as a tribute to Staley. Regarding the lyrics to other specific songs, Cantrell said the first single from the album, "A Looking in View
A Looking in View
"A Looking in View" is a song by Alice in Chains, featured on their fourth studio album Black Gives Way to Blue . It was released as the first single from the album on June 30, 2009, marking it as the band's first single since the previous decade. The song was the band's first release with vocalist...
", "basically speaks to any number of things that keep you balled up inside." The second single, "Check My Brain
Check My Brain
"Check My Brain" is a song by Alice in Chains, featured on their fourth studio album Black Gives Way to Blue . It was released as the second single from the album on August 17, 2009. The single topped the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Billboard Rock Songs charts in September 2009...
", features lyrics dealing with Cantrell's move from Seattle to Los Angeles in 2003. The third single, "Your Decision
Your Decision
"Your Decision" is a song by Alice in Chains, featured on their fourth studio album Black Gives Way to Blue . It was released as the third single from the album on November 16, 2009 in the UK, and was released in the US on December 1, 2009...
", contains lyrics about "surviving pain and choosing to live."
Release and reception
On April 25, 2009, it was reported that the new Alice in Chains album would be released on their new label VirginVirgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
/EMI
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
, making it the band's first label change in their 20-plus year career. Alice in Chains revealed parts of their new album at a listening party on July 14, 2009 at the Ricardo Montalbán Theater in Los Angeles. They played the entire album over the PA system and performed an acoustic set including versions of songs "Your Decision
Your Decision
"Your Decision" is a song by Alice in Chains, featured on their fourth studio album Black Gives Way to Blue . It was released as the third single from the album on November 16, 2009 in the UK, and was released in the US on December 1, 2009...
" and "Black Gives Way to Blue". Keyboardist Derek Sherinian
Derek Sherinian
Derek Sherinian is a rock keyboardist who has toured and recorded for Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Yngwie Malmsteen, Kiss, and Alice In Chains. He was also a member of Dream Theater and is the founder of the instrumental metal-fusion band Planet X...
guested with the band on this event. Another listening event took place on July 21, 2009 in New York. The UK magazine Classic Rock
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
awarded the album nine out of ten stars in its review section in September 2009. Metal Hammer magazine awarded the album 10/10 in September while Nigel Britto of The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
lauded the album as a "stunner", later going on to describe it as a "huge, huge success".
On June 30, 2009, one of the album's songs, "A Looking in View
A Looking in View
"A Looking in View" is a song by Alice in Chains, featured on their fourth studio album Black Gives Way to Blue . It was released as the first single from the album on June 30, 2009, marking it as the band's first single since the previous decade. The song was the band's first release with vocalist...
", was released as the first single from the album. It was made available for a limited time as a free download through the official Alice in Chains website in early July. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "A Looking in View" debuted via Alice in Chains' official website on July 7, 2009. The second single "Check My Brain
Check My Brain
"Check My Brain" is a song by Alice in Chains, featured on their fourth studio album Black Gives Way to Blue . It was released as the second single from the album on August 17, 2009. The single topped the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Billboard Rock Songs charts in September 2009...
" was released to radio stations on August 14, 2009, and was made available for purchase on August 17, 2009. The music video for "Check My Brain" premiered on September 14, 2009. As of late-September "A Looking in View" has peaked at number 12 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and at number 27 on the Billboard Rock Songs
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
chart and "Check My Brain" has peaked at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, at number 75 on the Hot 100 Airplay
Hot 100 Airplay
The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard...
chart, at number one on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Billboard Rock Songs charts, and at number one on the Billboard Hot Alternative Rock Tracks chart.
Black Gives Way to Blue debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 126,000 in its first week, and entered the UK charts at number 19 on October 5, 2009.
To coincide with the band's European tour, Alice in Chains released its next single, "Your Decision", on November 16 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and in the US on December 1. The album's third single debuted on the US Rock Songs
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
chart at #32,
and has since charted at #1 in the US Rock Songs
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
, at #1 the US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and at #4 in the US Alternative Songs charts.
The fourth single, "Lesson Learned", went to radio on June 22 and reached #1 in the US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.
Black Gives Way to Blue received Gold certification by the Canadian Recording Industry Association in February 2010, signifying sales of over 40,000 units. The album was certified Gold in the by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, in May 2010.
Black Gives Way to Blue was voted number 2 in Kerrang!'s top twenty albums of 2010 and in Metal Hammer's Top 50 albums of the year. The album won the 2010 Revolver Golden Gods Award in the category Album of the Year, beating out Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Mastodon
Mastodon (band)
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
, Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
and Heaven and Hell
Heaven and Hell (band)
Heaven & Hell were an English and American heavy metal supergroup active from 2006 to 2010. The band was a collaboration featuring Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler along with former members Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice....
.
Music videos
More music videos have been released in support of Black Gives Way to Blue than for any previous Alice in Chains release. Videos were released for "A Looking in View", "Check My Brain", "Your Decision", "Acid Bubble" (which is available as an interactive video on Alice In Chains.com), "Lesson Learned", and "Last of My Kind", which highlighted performances from the entire fall 2010 tour. Three of the videos ("A Looking in View", "Acid Bubble", and "Lesson Learned") do not feature the band in any way, which is a first. (The music video for "Get Born Again" featured glimpses of the band.)Loudness war
Popdose.com reviewed the album as the newest victim of the heavy distortion and digital clipping practices known as the loudness war
Loudness war
The loudness war or loudness race is a pejorative term for the apparent competition to digitally master and release recordings with increasing loudness.The phenomenon was first reported with respect to mastering practices for 7" singles...
that are present in many popular releases. "This CD probably has hit new loudness thresholds in the volume wars. It is beyond jarring, and I found myself turning the car stereo down to half the usual volume level just to listen at all." The site noted that the band released Black Gives Way to Blue in vinyl format, as vinyls require the maximum volume levels to be half as much as a CD.
Track listing
All songs written by Jerry CantrellJerry Cantrell
Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains, as lead guitarist, backing and co-lead vocalist, and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing...
, except where noted.
Personnel
Alice in Chains- Jerry CantrellJerry CantrellJerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains, as lead guitarist, backing and co-lead vocalist, and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing...
– Lead and backing vocals, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - William DuVallWilliam DuVallthumb|200px|right|William DuVall performing with [[Alice In Chains]] at Roskilde Festival 2010William DuVall is an American musician, best known as current lead singer for Alice In Chains, following the death of the band's original lead singer Layne Staley.DuVall is also co-founder, lead singer,...
– Backing and lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Mike InezMike InezMike Inez is a rock musician best known for his role as the bassist of Alice in Chains. Inez has also worked with other popular musical acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, and Heart. Inez is of Filipino ancestry.-Career:...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, additional backing vocals - Sean KinneySean KinneySean Howard Kinney is an American musician best known for being the drummer of the influential grunge band Alice in Chains....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion
Additional performers
- Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
on "Black Gives Way to Blue" - Lisa ColemanLisa Coleman (musician)Lisa Coleman is an American Emmy® Award winning musician and composer. Coleman plays piano and keyboards. She was a member of Prince's backing band The Revolution from 1980-1986. She is currently one half of the musical duo Wendy & Lisa, formed with Wendy Melvoin in 1986.-Early life:Coleman's...
– vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
on "Black Gives Way to Blue" - Chris Armstrong – tablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
on "When the Sun Rose Again" - Stevie Black – stringString sectionThe string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, performance, and engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
on "Your Decision" and "Private Hell"
Production
- ProducedRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Nick RaskulineczNick RaskulineczNick Raskulinecz is a Grammy-winning American record producer. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.-Production career:Raskulinecz is from the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. He first produced and recorded bands in Knoxville on a 8-track recorder that his grandfather bought for him...
and Alice in Chains - Recorded by Paul Figueroa with additional engineering by Nick Raskulinecz, assisted by John Lousteau, Martin Cooke, and Kevin Mills
- MixedAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
by Randy StaubRandy StaubRandy Staub is a Canadian recording engineer. He has been nominated for the Juno Awards' "Recording Engineer of the Year" award nine times. He won in 2002 for the songs "How You Remind Me" and "Too Bad" by Nickelback. Staub also mixed Alice in Chains' fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to... - MasteredAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
by Ted JensenTed JensenTed Jensen is an American recording engineer. Jensen is the chief mastering engineer at Sterling Sound. He started his career as a mastering engineer in 1976 and is currently the most active Mastering Engineer in the industry...
Album
| Chart | Peak | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
5 | 500,000 Gold |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 11 | |
| UK Albums Chart | 19 | |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
4 | 40,000 Gold |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 21 | |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 14 | |
| French Albums Chart | 46 | |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 34 | |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 20 | |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 9 | |
| Danish Albums Chart | 13 | |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 54 | |
| Australian Albums Chart | 12 | |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 7 | |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 88 | |
| Croatian Albums Chart | 17 | |
| Belgium (Vl) Albums Chart | 26 | |
| Belgium (Wa) Albums Chart | 31 | |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
174 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Alt |
US Main |
US Rock Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
||
| 2009 | "A Looking in View" | — | 38 | 12 | 27 | — |
| "Check My Brain" | 92 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 62 | |
| "Your Decision" | 109 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 57 | |
| 2010 | "Lesson Learned" | — | 25 | 4 | 10 | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||