Alice In Chains
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
Capitol (2013)
I'll admit, I'm a bit of a purist; though I didn't think it was a bad release, Black Gives Way to Blue always seemed to pale in comparison to Alice in Chains's earlier works. On some level, that's not entirely fair--without Staley, they are an entirely different band, and not necessarily even trying to recapture who they were before. But then again, continuing to tour under the same banner is an invitation for comparison--and no matter the new direction they've taken, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here just doesn't hold up.Most noticeably, the band has continued to move from their '90s grunge sound towards alterna-metal territory. While the sound isn't at all terrible on its own, it's really a coin toss if you'll enjoy it or not. It's easy to hear it as a natural progression from their grungy roots, whereas it's also easy to hear the change as a severe retardation to the band's emotional growth. I'm not really swayed either way by the style, but suffice to say it is...different. You're not going to hear another Facelift anytime soon, suffice to say. Regardless of the sound, the fact that the songwriting is incredibly lax cannot be overlooked. The majority … Read more
Dave Hause
C'Mon Kid EP
Sabot Productions (2012)
We’re close to the end of Dave Hause’s 7-inch series. The fourth in the series comes from Sabot Productions. Hause … Read more
