"We had our hearts broken by losing Layne and losing ourselves" Alice In Chains' guitarist Jerry Cantrell says of the band's long road back from the death of singer Layne Staley in 2002. The heartbreak led the band to eventually recruit new singer William DuVall and record new album "Black Gives Way To Blue," which debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 this month and which spawned a title track that went all the way to No. 1 on the Rock Songs chart. The heart-centric album cover, Cantrell explains in a video interview with Billboard.com, is no coincidence.
Video above: The Billboard.com interview with Alice In Chains, presented in HD.
In the interview, Cantrell, DuVall, bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney talk about band life after Layne, collaborating with Elton John on the new album, and fan reception to DuVall.
"It took a lot to get through this process and to even take the chance, and stand-up and risk," Cantrell says.
"I think initially people came [with] arms crossed, sort of hoping against hope. I hear that a lot," DuVall says. "I'm not trying to do a Layne. One of the things I loved about him was how individual he was. He was just being himself, so that's what I do."
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