10 Best Rock Comeback Albums
2. Black Gives Way to Blue - Alice In Chains
After Layne Staley passed away, there was no real reason for Alice in Chains to even be a band anymore.
Since their last record showed them at their most raw wounded and their MTV Unplugged performance showing just how bad things got, revisiting some of these songs again might have been just poking at an old wound. Once they came together for some tribute shows with William DuVall though, we were in for one of the biggest career resurrections in rock history.
It's not like the band themselves weren't aware of the fact either. On the opening track All Secrets Known, they lay things out plain and dry that there's no way they could replace Layne's presence in the band. Black Gives Way to Blue doesn't go that route though.
Instead of just resting on their laurels, Alice ends up mixing things up and leaning into the strengths of where the band are at now, from the warped riff of Check My Brain to DuVall actually flexing his vocal chops on Last of My Kind.
Compared to the usual comeback albums that seem like cash grabs, this feels like a labor of love and a thank you to the fans who have stuck by them all these years. Alice in Chains without Layne is a very different band, but it's one that Layne would no doubt be proud of.