Jerry Cantrell is best known as the guitar gunslinger from Alice In Chains. But, the mastermind on guitar is set to release his newest solo record, I Want Blood on Oct. 18, 2024. The rock epic features many familiar names like Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan and Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. The record has nine songs in total and a run time of 46 minutes. The album will make fans reminiscent of Alice In Chains material and past solo records.
The record starts with a heavy drum beat followed by Cantrell ripping into a mean guitar riff. On “Vilified” Cantrell does a great job of opening listeners’ ears to what’s to come on the rest of the record. It was great to hear the use of the wah-wah peddle mimic the lyrics throughout the tune. It added a different and unique sound to the record and added a lightness to Cantrell’s vocals. “Vilified” features Trujillo on bass which is the anchor of the tune.
Track two, “Off The Rails” starts just like “Vilified,” with a great riff to open the song up. Cantrell finds a great guitar tone on this song that rips through the backing band and it stands out among the rest of the music. The heavy theme continues in this five-and-a-half-minute tune that has a slowed-down pace yet heaviness to it. As the band enters the solo portion, they kick up the pace allowing Cantrell to breathe throughout the short yet powerful solo. While he’s soloing the mean riff that’s been consistent throughout the song can be heard chugging away in the back. There’s a great mixture of sounds in this song.
Song three “Afterglow” is the first to feature fellow Washington state native, McKagan. This lighter song has a very similar feel to Cantrell’s previous solo record, Brighten. Cantrell’s idyllic vocals on this song bring a calming warm feeling throughout. His solo on this record is one of the best on the entire album. It sums up the entire song perfectly and leads to a small quiet portion of just Cantrell singing and strumming his guitar. The repetition of the chorus on the outro carries the song to a soft close and it works on this song. The closing adds a new option to exit a song and, matched with his lower-ranged voice, it works.
McKagan’s amazing bassline kicks off the title track. This tune will be a concert staple in Cantrell’s setlist for the rest of his career. This track is loud, in your face and, is classic Cantrell at his best. The Washington state connection shines bright on this track as the band gets into a great rhythm which puts the song into overdrive. Cantrell captures magic in this song. From the background use of a tambourine to lighten up the driving beat to the muffled brooding vocals, there’s something for everyone to love. This is the best song on the entire record, it’ll be amazing to hear it performed live.
Tune five, “Echoes Of Laughter” is on the opposite end of “I Want Blood.” It starts slowly with an acoustic and electric guitar opening. The placement of this song was a smart strategic move. “I Want Blood” moves fast whereas “Echoes Of Laughter” slowly moves along, reeling the listener back in. This hard rock western song will have fans slowly head-banging throughout the five-minute runtime. Cantrell’s vocals lead the way to another spectacular and beautiful solo.
Song six, “Throw Me A Line” features a beautiful use of the wah-wah and slide guitar on this track. Having the vocals match the sound of the guitar adds what would have been background vocals. But Cantrell does a great job beefing up the vocals with the guitar. I love how the riff throughout the backend of the song stabs through the drums and bass shining a light on the guitar mastery. There’s a perfect balance between the song’s riff and melody before the end that stands out as the highlight of this song.
“Let It Lie,” clocks in at just under four minutes of one of the heaviest tunes on the record. The entire band kicks into a deep heavy sound which features Cantrell not only on vocals and guitar but on bass as well. It’s amazing to hear one man play all different parts on a song, similar to what Wolfgang Van Halen does on the Mammoth records.
The second to last song, “Held Your Tounge” showcases Cantrell’s vocals at the beginning. Hearing him sing acapella at the start will send shivers up and down listeners’ spines. Like “Let It Lie,” “Held Your Tounge” is another one of the heaviest tunes on the record. What Cantrell doesn’t do enough of on his records is layer his vocals and showcase his voice more often. In the chorus, Joe Barresi who co-produced along with Cantrell and mixed the record capures gold. Between the chorus where Cantrell is yelling, he finds a sweet soft spot to layer the vocals and bring out the best vocal performance on the song. Cantrell has such a mystique when it comes to his vocals that it captivates listeners.
Cantrell introduces tons of new and different sounds in the last song, “It Comes.” With the use of an acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar and castanets before the solo, fans will play this song on repeat. Cantrell did something similar on Brighten for the last song. He covered Elton John’s “Goodbye” which is the perfect closer. Lyrics in “It Comes” feature “Let me go, it’s all over… We have tried, time to say goodbye,” which are subtle hints to the end of the record. The solo opens the song up to a different pace and feel before returning to the slow blissful tone. I love how the droning guitar leads the way to the end of the record, marking 46 minutes of amazing music.
Cantrell showcases guitar mastery and raw power to his newest release I Want Blood. While channeling the familiar Alice In Chains sounds, he also explores other hard rock corners. Cantrell has something for all fans and they’ll want to listen to the record multiple times and discover new portions that they fall in love with. Cantrell is simply, downright amazing on this album and shows no sign of slowing down.
Rating:
8/10
Tracklist:
1. Vilified
3. Afterglow
4. I Want Blood
7. Let It Lie
9. It Comes
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My love for live music started with my first concert ever, Guns N’ Roses back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been able to capture photos of some amazing artists like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Ace Frehley, and Post Malone. I am based in New York/New Jersey and go to school in Connecticut majoring in Journalism and I am always looking for the next concert to attend.
