Jerry Unchained

Yeah it's heavy; that's the point!

A month after Alice in Chains' vocalist Layne Staley died of a drug overdose, guitarist Jerry Cantrell has released his second solo album, Degradation Trip, which streams from the same pained existence that has lead so many rockers to Staley's fate.

Cantrell and Staley's success with Alice in Chains was rooted in some of their decidedly less heavy metal characteristics. While many bands rely simply on cheap riffs played at tremendous volumes, AIC sold stories. Likewise, Cantrell's music reveals a man who teeters on the edge of sanity--his hardened exterior masking a soul battered by years of seeing friends combat the throes of addiction.

On Trip, Cantrell unsurprisingly allows his songs to swirl into the musky undertones that have characterized almost all of his prior works. The opening song, "Psychotic Break," deals with an unresolved source of pain through muffled cries, and lays the groundwork for the more mainstream tracks like "Anger Rising" and "Angel Eyes," which merit more than a few spins on alt-radio turntables this summer.

Though this work will stand firmly next to any of Alice In Chains' albums, this is not the same Cantrell. This time around, he brings a world-weariness that, while not inspirational enough to spawn classics like AIC's "Rooster," still allows him to make an album that works for the complete 72-minute running time. On Trip, his wails bring an eerie blend of sorrow, apathy and, ultimately, resolution to the foreground, where it can be admired for the achievement that it is.