Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell Explains Why He Decided To Work On His Solo Record

During a recent interview with Kerrang! Magazine, Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell revealed the dynamics of the band as well as explaining the reason for making a solo album.

Jerry Cantrell has been playing with Alice In Chains since 1987, and he recorded a total of six studio albums with the band. On the other hand, he only released three solo albums, ‘Boggy Depot,’ ‘Degradation Trip,’ and its follow-up album ‘Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2.’

After almost ten years of releasing a solo record, Jerry recently announced that he will release a new solo album, named ‘Brighten,’ which is set to be released in October 2021. In addition to that, he also released his debut single ‘Atone’ featuring Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan.

In the talk with Kerrang, Jerry pointed out that Alice In Chains has a three-year cycle, where they release a new record in the first year then touring the next ones. Later on, they take a break after spending lots of time together side by side. By taking a little break following a three-year cycle, the band creates a healthy environment by creating a space for breathing for the band members. Thanks to this opportunity, Jerry actually had time to handle his upcoming solo album.

Furthermore, Cantrell touched upon the fact that he had been thinking about creating a new solo album for a while now, and he started demoing stuff and digging through the files of ideas he has had in the past.

Interviewer asked:

“How did you know it was time to do another solo record?”

Jerry Cantrell replied:

“The two records I was able to make at the turn of the century, to quote the Bee Gees, were in a period when weren’t doing a lot as a band, so I had the opportunity. When we re-established the band, we were able to do another three records and plough some new ground, and that was a full-time gig for me and a worthwhile effort.

What works for is a three-year cycle – a year making the record and a couple of years touring it – and after being with each other for every moment of every day for three years, we like to take a little break from one another, which provides a nice healthy little space.

I started thinking about doing another record as it had been a long time, so I started toying with the idea. When we were done with the Rainier Fog tour, I started spending more time with my neighbor Tyler Bates, along with my long-time engineer Paul Figueroa, who also co-produced.”

He continued:

“We started demoing stuff and digging through the files of ideas I’ve had. That’s a pretty normal process for me – I’ll catalog for a couple of years and then when it’s time to write I’ll sift through all that stuff, while also coming up with stuff on the fly.

We started coming up with some cool stuff in March 2020, with a couple of tunes I always thought were really special songs but they weren’t right for what I was working on at the time and thought could be for something else, or they just weren’t in the shape of what they needed to be.”

Later in the conversation, Jerry Cantrell talked about the details of his upcoming album as well as his newest single, ‘Atone,’ and unveiled how much time he spent on the song.