Alice unchained and wild

Seven years ago, Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley was found dead in his apartment of a combined heroin and cocaine overdose.’ Many believed that along with Staley, the fate of Alice in Chains lay next to him, six feet underground and without a pulse. However, those in attendance for the band’s Labor Day show at the Paradise Rock Club were shown otherwise.

Boston was treated to an ever loud and heavy Alice in Chains lineup Monday night, consisting of longtime band members Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Mike Inez and newest member, lead singer and guitarist, William DuVall.

The show was chock-full of the classic, dark, metal/grunge vibe fans of the band have come to love over the years.’ And despite their musical tone, the guys appeared to be four of the happiest in all of Massachusetts ‘-‘- excited about the upcoming Sept. 29 release of their new album, Black Gives Way to Blue, their first studio album since their 1995 self-titled release.

While the band might have found themselves in one of the smaller venues they have ever played, Alice In Chains sounded like they were back in the 90s in a sold-out football stadium.

The show kicked off with ‘Rain When I Die’ followed by ‘Again,’ instantly grabbing the crowd’s attention, proving they had no use for an opening act. Cantrell violently unleashed his aching guitar riff of ‘We Die Young’ on the crowd, then breaking their hearts with a tear-jerking solo to end ‘Nutshell.” The band wrapped up their first set with ‘Would?’ hammering the ending into the ears of the audience.

As nostalgia permeated through the air, Alice in Chains was called back for an encore with a ‘Jerry’ chant. DuVall donned’ his Layne Staley shoes during for a rendition of ‘No Excuses.” But before the song even started, Cantrell pulled a Steven Tyler, falling off the stage while trying to give a member of the audience a souvenir guitar pick. Fortunately dodging injury, Cantrell got back on his feet to sound off with the epic finale of ‘Rooster.’