Alice in Chains have announced an August 24th release for the long-awaited Rainier Fog (BMG), their first album in five years. They’re giving fans another sneak preview of the album with today’s release of second track So Far Under.
So Far Under follows the recent release of The One You Know and its Adam Mason-directed companion video, which has already amassed over 2.3 million views.
The album will be available digitally, as well as on CD and limited-edition double 180-gram clear LP with white and black splatter available only from the band’s online store.
About So Far Under, Alice In Chains vocalist/guitarist William DuVall says, ‘It’s about feeling completely up against it – outnumbered, surrounded, facing seemingly unbeatable odds and being really pissed off about it. It was inspired by personal circumstances, as well as events in the wider world. But it’s not as resigned to defeat as it may seem. The lyric is a cold, hard assessment of a difficult situation but the music has a message all its own. There’s still room to flip the script. Every aspect of writing and recording this song will always be remembered with a lot of joy – from recording the basic tracks and the guitar solo at Studio X in Seattle to doing further overdubs at Nick Raskulinecz’s studio in rural Tennessee. Everyone in the band and our studio team really stepped up and knocked it out of the park on this one. We’re extremely proud of this song and the entire album.’
Rainier Fog marks a few firsts for the band: in addition to being their first album in five years, it’s their first album for BMG and their first time recording in their hometown of Seattle in more than 20 years (worth noting that the album title is a tribute to Seattle). They recorded at Studio X, the same facility where they tracked 1995’s self-titled Alice In Chains album (back when the studio was known as Bad Animals).
The Rainier Fog recording process also saw the band spend time at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles and at the Nashville studio of producer Nick Raskulinecz. RAINIER FOG is the third straight Alice In Chains album recorded with producer Nick Raskulinecz and engineer Paul Figueroa. The album was mixed by Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool).
Rainier Fog follows 2013’s Grammy nominated The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, which entered Billboard’s Top 200 chart at No. 2 and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Hard Rock Albums charts and the iTunes Rock Album Chart. Its first two singles, ‘Stone’ and ‘Hollow’, both shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and ‘Voices’ hit No. 3. All three tracks stayed on the chart for over 20 weeks.
Alice In Chains (vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell, vocalist/guitarist William DuVall, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez) are currently touring Europe following two triumphant sold-out shows in the UK at Leeds O2 Academy and Shepherd’s Bush Empire. They have just announced another headline tour of North America running from August 22nd in Vancouver.
Over the course of their remarkable career, Alice in Chains have garnered multiple Grammy nominations, sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and amassed a diehard international fanbase whose members number in the millions. They remain one of the most successful and influential American rock bands of all time.