Released: 2013

Genres: Grunge, Alternative Metal, Sludge Metal, Doom Metal

The Musiquarium’s The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here Review Score: 7.5 out of 10

In 2009, Alice in Chains had released their first album since the untimely passing of vocalist, Layne Stayley. The album was a massive success, with the grunge legends updating their sound without losing sense of their identity and were able to escape the shadow that Layne Stayley’s tragic death had cast over them for so long. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here continues with the sound of Black Gives Way to Blue, with this new iteration falling even deeper into their groove.

Hollow and Stone are two of the best songs from Alice in Chains 2.0, both containing sludgey riffs and sublime harmonies. The title track plays with eastern sounds, similar to what they did on the title track from 1992’s Dirt. The doom-laden Phantom Limb is one of the heaviest and longest tracks here.

The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is more of the same grunge that you’ve come to expect from modern AiC and while it doesn’t stray far from their established formula, it proves that they are not quite dinosaurs themselves quite yet.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Alice in Chains on Discogs.

Back to the 2013 Album Guide or the Alice in Chains Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard