I find good songs in all the albums. It is about life, death, some fucked up scenes. They play it out however feels right. I like all the albums for the phase the band is going thru. How messed up is it to lose half the band to addictions? I like Jerry on guitar and the minimalist style with Maximus tone.
As great a singer as Layne was, he got bat shit crazy and killed himself. I'm not going to put a guy like that on a pedestal. Jerry is a survivor, when the others could not. Gotta respect that. The new band is the new band. I'm glad they kept going. Black gives way to Blue is a great work.
I think of Your Decision...
Story on Layne:
From 1999 to 2002, Staley became more reclusive, rarely leaving his Seattle condo; little is known about the details of his life during this period. It was rumored that Staley would spend most of his days creating art, playing video games, or nodding off on drugs. Staley's mother owns the last known photo of Staley, taken on February 14, 2002, which features him holding his newborn nephew, Oscar,[34] although the photo has never been published. Other than this rare incident, Staley was not seen often by family or friends. In his last interview, Staley stated, "Don't try to contact any AIC (Alice in Chains) members. They are not my friends."[35] Kinney has commented on Staley's final years and isolation period:
"I kept trying to make contact...Three times a week, like clockwork, I'd call him, but he'd never answer. Every time I was in the area, I was up in front of his place yelling for him...Even if you could get in his building, he wasn't going to open the door. You'd phone and he wouldn't answer. You couldn't just kick the door in and grab him, though there were so many times I thought about doing that. But if someone won't help themselves, what, really, can anyone else do?"[10]