Soul Drift

I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently & it is always something that sparks heated debate. For months I have been following the video footage of Alice in Chains in the studio, recording their first album in fourteen years. When I first heard that the band was continuing under the same name with new vocalist, William DuVall, in 2005 I was quite annoyed. First, I thought they had agreed they would not continue under the same name without Layne Staley (original vocalist who died of an overdose in 2002) & second, because I thought it would not be the same band anymore. Layne had a distinct voice & I thought a new vocalist would change everything.

Perhaps I’ve grown up a bit since I heard the news four years ago & I am now interested to hear the album. What I have heard so far sounds amazing, & I obviously know that Jerry Cantrell wrote/writes the majority of Alice in Chains tracks anyway so it is not going to be that much of a departure in sound.

However, part of me is still in doubt. Many bands that I like have changed their original vocalists in the past few years & it has not been quite the same since. For instance, despite Tuomas Holopainen writing all of the Nightwish songs, I can’t really take to Anette’s vocals. I don’t mind most of the Dark Passion Play album but I do prefer Tarja Turunen’s vocals to go with his music. If anyone has read my Sirenia review recently, they will know I have the same feeling with that band. Morten Veland writes everything, but a new vocalist can change the sound. As well as Alice in Chains, I am interested to hear – but at the same time dreading – the new Tristania album. Their new vocalist seems very different to Vibeke Stene & I’m not sure how much I am going to like it.

I think it is a difficult topic to think about. Maybe I just don’t like change & in a perfect world I’d have all my favourite bands continuing with the same line-up. Also, I know I should not feel this way (as every member of a band should be as important as the others) but I don’t tend to feel this strongly when another member (guitarist, bassist, drummer) is replaced. Perhaps it is all about prominence & distinction in a band? Or maybe it is all about how much I like a certain band in the first place.

I’d like to hear about what other people think about this subject, as I know it is talked about a lot on forums & Last.FM. Do you feel like I do, or completely different? Is the vocalist the most important member of a band? Are you looking forward to the new Alice in Chains album, or is it not the same band without Layne? Please do not hesitate to share your views!