Deftones singer Chino Moreno revealed to Meltdown in a radio interview how Jerry Cantrell has really been the most prominent voice on Alice In Chains albums since Layne Staley‘s death in a new
The interviewer from Meltdown asked, “One of my favorite things in the past with you guys, when you worked with Jerry Cantrell [on ‘Phantom Bride’ from 2016’s ‘Gore’], was there any talk of guests on this record?”
“Not necessarily. Usually, when we have had guests on records, it’s always been something that wasn’t really planned out – it sort of just happens in the studio. Like, with Cantrell, the song was written, the song was there, and there was a sort of gap or a little, I guess, hole in the song where usually maybe a guitar solo would go.
And we never really had guitar solos in our music – not because we didn’t want to, but none of us really play that style of guitar. And Jerry is a friend, and I sent him a text, and he’s like, ‘Send it over, let me see.’ And I sent him the demo of it – of what we had so far – and he sent it back that evening with an idea written…
When you hear something with his style of guitar, I mean, just like his voice, it’s just unmistakably him. So we were just like, ‘Yeah, it sounds like a Deftones song,’ and all of a sudden Alice in Chains just rears its head in the middle of the song. It was really cool to be part of that. Not just his guitar playing, but his voice as well.
I think a lot of people – I mean, obviously a lot of people know that Layne [Staley, vocals] is no longer in the band, but when you hear one of their newer songs, Jerry’s voice is so prominent. It reminds you how prominent his vocals were, even on the older records because that sound, the timbre, his voice, and his harmonies as well, for sure. So yeah, he’s been very distinctive.”
Ultimate-Guitar transcribed Moreno’s comments. Jerry Cantrell is currently working on a new solo album, his followup to 2002’s Degradation Trip. Alice In Chains wrapped up their tour promoting 2018’s Rainier Fog last year.
