Not to be overly grim, but now that it's clear that ALICE IN CHAINS isn't going to be releasing any new anytime...ever again...it's nice to see that AIC guitarist Jerry Cantrell can hold the AIC torch high with his particular brand of sludge rock on Degradation Trip. With the help of longtime friends Robert Trujillo on bass and Mike Bordin on drums (who incidentally make up OZZY's rhythm section), Cantrell has provided us with what will suffice as the latest AIC disc.
The songwriting is powerful, the riffs are strong, and the melodies are haunting. The first single "Anger Rising" is a prime example of Cantrell's ability to craft a meaty, grungy, post-grunge anthem that'll make you wish he didn't wait so friggin' long to put this disc out.
Degradation Trip is fourteen tracks (which incidentally were chipped down from 30; the disc was originally supposed to be a double disc) of crankable tunes you could thump a skull to. Granted, all of the songs are pure AIC, but shit, considering Cantrell was in the band, I don't think it's a capital offense.
