Alice in Chains, the Seattle grunge mainstay who actually broke big before Nirvana or their other peers, will be releasing their first album since 1995. It's also their first new music since the passing of lead singer Layne Staley from a heroin overdose in 2002. The band reformed with new singer William DuVall in 2005 and toured with Velvet Revolver in the summer of 2007.
The LA Times stopped in to catch the final days of their recording with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Rush, Superdrag) and found the band in good spirits.
Will the first grunge band to break be the last one standing? The new album is slated for a September release by Virgin/EMI -- we'll find out then.