10 Most Underrated Rock Music Albums Of The 2000s
4. Black Gives Way to Blue - Alice in Chains
It would come as a shock to absolutely no one for Alice in Chains to splinter off after the passing of Layne Staley. Their frontman had always been nursing a bad heroin habit, and seeing him wither away in 2002 closed the door on the classic era of Alice's career. Once the tribute shows were scheduled to honor their friend, Jerry Cantrell got a crazy idea once he heard William DuVall sing.
Blending with Jerry's voice perfectly, Alice was given a new lease on life with Black Gives Way to Blue, which stands as one of the greatest comeback records in metal history. This isn't meant to be a tribute to Layne or anything, but rather a reemergence of the band that made us feel so wonderfully dreary back in the day. With all the time that has passed, Jerry hasn't shown an ounce of rust in the songwriting department, whether it's the sludgy as hell opening riff to Check My Brain or the acoustic songs like Your Decision.
There are also some songs that hint at just how much Alice can expand past Layne's death, like on Last of My Kind where we get to hear William have a lot more authority behind the microphone. Reunion records may come and go throughout rock history, but there's no way you're going to find one as classy as this.