Personnel includes: Jerry Cantrell (vocals, guitar); Chris DeGarmo (guitar); Robert Trujillo (bass); Mike Bordin (drums); Walter Earl (percussion).
Recorded at A&M, Music Grinder, Hollywood, California; Master Control Studios, Burbank, California.
Issued just a few weeks after former Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley was found dead from an apparent drug overdose, Jerry Cantrell's second post-Alice solo effort, DEGRADATION TRIP, will certainly not disappoint fans of Cantrell's former band. As evidenced on his solo debut, 1998's BOGGY DEPOT, Cantrell's vocal style is quite similar to Staley's at times. Cantrell often multi-tracks his backing vocals to resemble the haunting harmonies that he and his former singer would create (such AIC-like topics as drugs and death permeate the album). In other words, DEGRADATION TRIP is quite similar to what a new Alice in Chains album would have sounded like in 2002.
Ozzy Osbourne's rhythm section of bassist Robert Trujillo (ex-Suicidal Tendencies) and drummer Mike Bordin (ex-Faith No More) backs up Cantrell throughout, having no problem replicating the economical-but-dense sound of Cantrell's former band. The album opener, "Psychotic Break," sets the tone--murky riffs merged with dejected lyrics--that continues throughout (especially on "Bargain Basement Howard Hughes," "Anger Rising," and "Hellbound"), and Cantrell's more tranquil side breaks through the darkness on such tracks as "Angel Eyes" and "Solitude."
What the critics say...
Entertainment Weekly (7/12/02, p.84) - "...Baleful riffs trawl through broken glass while Cantrell mediates on physical and psychic pain...Ugly, but not without its own morbidly fascinating charms..." Rating: B+
