Tag: Alice in Chains

Plenty of bands are built from stars, but a real supergroup creates something bigger than résumés and past hits. The chemistry has to feel immediate, like these musicians were always meant to share a room. Egos don’t disappear, but they lock into the groove instead of fighting for the spotlight. The result isn’t nostalgia or flexing. It’s momentum.

“I was pleasantly surprised and absolutely honored to be asked to contribute to this song and I’m very happy with the result,” DuVall said in a release.

“After having [recorded] these drum tracks some time ago, I’m stoked that they finally get to see the light of day,” Portnoy added. “Thanks to William for finishing it up for us and welcome to the (Metal Allegiance) family.”

DuVall is also set to perform with Metal Allegiance during a show on Jan. 22 in Anaheim, California.

So, this supergroup continues to make waves in the music world. What makes a true supergroup work is risk. The members step outside the safety of what already made them icons and chase a sound that hasn’t been proven yet. They don’t recreate their old bands; they collide. When it works, you hear tension, curiosity and joy all at once. There’s urgency in the music, a sense that everyone involved is fully awake.

A real supergroup also understands restraint. Not every song needs to be a showcase. Sometimes the power comes from knowing when to pull back, let space breathe and trust the collective voice.

Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell scored a garage packed with equipment from Eddie Van Halen after the two struck up a friendship during Van Halen’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour in the early 1990s. 

The bands hit the road together in 1991, and Cantrell met the guitar icon just moments before walking onstage for the first show.

“The first time I met Ed Van Halen, I was getting ready to go onstage [to open] for his band,” said Cantrell to Gibson TV. 

“He was standing in my pit with [his wife] Valerie [Bertinelli] right next to him and Wolfie in her arms. He’s got his guitar on, and he’s running scales like, ‘Hey, dude, what’s up?’ And I’m like, ‘Are you … kidding me?’” The meeting shook him. “I think it was probably the worst show I ever played in my life, because I could not stop thinking, ‘He’s right there!’ I couldn’t focus,” Cantrell said.

As the tour rolled on, the two musicians became tight. They would jam backstage and swap stories about gear. Cantrell found himself drawn to the Peavey 5150 amps and Ernie Ball Music Man EVH signature model guitars that Van Halen played on tour.

Cantrell asked if he might purchase one at a discount. “He was like, ‘F* that dude, I’ll just give you a guitar! … When I couldn’t afford it, nobody would give me anything. So let me do that for you,’” recalled the Alice in Chains member.

The tour wrapped in mid-1992. At the time, Cantrell was crashing with Alice in Chains manager Kelly Curtis and his wife. Curtis had some news when Cantrell returned. “He’s like, ‘Hey man, welcome home. You had a good tour? Now you can relax. Hey, by the way, do you think you could clear your shit out of my garage? I need to put my car in there,’” said Cantrell.

Curtis told him Eddie Van Halen had crammed the garage with guitars, amp heads, and cabs. “I haven’t been able to park my car in my garage for months,” the manager told him. All this stuff was an awesome gift from Eddie.