Anytime we’re anticipating new materials from Jerry Cantrell — whether or not it is a solo album or one thing with Alice In Chains — it is an thrilling time.

The guitarist’s fourth full-length solo album arrives subsequent Friday, Oct. 18, and it is fairly a departure from its predecessor Brighten (2021). It has the identical essence as any of Cantrell’s prior work, however whereas Brighten had a usually extra gentle tempo and loads of acoustic-based songs, I Want Blood has enamel.

From opener “Vilified” by nearer “It Comes,” this report chews you up and spits you proper again out.

“It packs a punch and it hits you in the face. I couldn’t think of a more impactful title than [I Want Blood],” Cantrell advised us in an unique interview forward of the album’s launch.

The rocker defined that he does not intend for his albums to sound a sure manner, however somewhat, the materials itself exhibits him what sort of album it desires to be. He admitted that he felt his “face was pressed to the ceiling” of his talents whereas engaged on it, as a result of there have been loads of moments he was working outdoors of his consolation zone.

“As you’re having these setbacks and moments of questioning while you’re making a record, those are all really healthy things because it’s you getting to know yourself within this material,” he assured.

And in fact, we requested a bit about what is going on on with Alice In Chains, who have been just lately confirmed to carry out at Sonic Temple subsequent yr.

Keep scrolling to learn our full dialog with Cantrell. You’ll additionally get to study a little bit about his relationship with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich in the ’90s and which musicians can be in his dream supergroup.

I Want Blood sounds fairly totally different from Brighten — what impressed the sound and the way this one happened?

To me, it does not sound prefer it’s an actual massive departure of stuff that I might do. It’s a brand new piece of labor, it is a new time and songs that by no means existed earlier than, in order that’s the new chapter. Each report ought to actually have its personal id and persona.

I do not assume you possibly can maintain up any report I’ve been concerned with that you could possibly say sounds like all one among the others. That’s what you are taking pictures for — you need to be creating one thing new and contemporary, and I feel it truly is. It has loads of vitality to it and life, and it is obtained its personal persona.

Now the way it got here to be that, I did not sit down making an attempt to design or decide to make this type of report… You begin seeing what develops as you begin placing collectively riffs and songs. You write one and two… you then begin placing them collectively, it begins to emerge to you what sort of report it desires to be. You simply observe it and take a look at to execute it to the better of your potential.

Jerry Cantrell, I Want Blood Album Art

You’ve stated that you simply felt like your “face was pressed to the ceiling” of your talents if you have been engaged on this one. Can you elaborate on what you imply by that?

It wasn’t simply the writing, it was the guitar enjoying and the singing. The finest work comes from if you’re in a spot the place you are not fairly snug. Like, I do not know if I can pull that off. Maybe I’ll do one thing a little bit safer. 

Get rid of that thought after which simply go for it. That manner you are assured to in all probability do some shit you usually would not do, or push your self to perhaps hit a better mark than you are aiming for. I feel you need to really feel that manner. That’s a good way to create — to be sure to’re feeling a little bit off-center and a little bit unsafe. And you have obtained a superb shot at making one thing that has the potential to be nice.

It’s a extremely good report. I do not know but that it is nice. We’ll see what it grows into, however it’s the finest work I may do at the moment.

When you hear to it, you possibly can instantly hear that it is you, however it nonetheless sounds new. And instantly, it simply packs a punch proper from “Vilified.” It’s in-your-face.

I agree. That’s precisely why I referred to as it I Want Blood, simply by precisely the way you described it. It packs a punch and it hits you in the face. I could not consider a extra impactful title than that. And it is a terrific track as nicely, so I used to be fortunate sufficient to have that in the bag.

Jerry Cantrell, “Vilified”

I seen one thing about the sequencing of the songs. We simply talked about how “Vilified” is one among the extra visceral tracks, however then it closes with “It Comes,” which is much more mellow in tempo, with the exception of the solo towards the second half of the track. Was there an intention behind this association, and what’s the “it” in “It Comes”?

Spooky! “It” could possibly be something.

Running order, to me, is de facto necessary. What order are you placing your chapters in to inform a narrative? It does not have to be a “concept” report to inform a narrative. A superb piece of labor is a bunch of particular person songs that appear like all of them match collectively. They inform a narrative, even when they are not thematically joined to one another.

So as soon as you bought that field checked, it is, what order do you set them in? It’s an entire work. And so that you need to have a superb opener that comes proper out of the gate and grabs you, and also you need to have an enormous epic shut — a finale.

Ninety-five % of the time I am going into making a report realizing the place it is going to begin and the place it is going to finish. And you then fill in the relaxation and you work it out as you go.

But on this explicit report, I had the observe itemizing already in place after we went in. I keep in mind taking with Joe Barresi, my companion in making this report. He’s like, ‘What order are you excited about?’ I wrote it out and we obtained to the finish of the report and the solely factor that was totally different was two songs that have been flipped in the center. So it was fairly shut to how I envisioned it.

That’s form of a cool indicator of your idea and your view of the way it works as a blueprint as in contrast to the way it truly works in actuality. It was cool to see that it was shut to how I supposed it once I walked in.

Can you title a specific second you felt the most weak whereas you have been engaged on this album the place you felt such as you have been actually pushing your self outdoors of your consolation degree?

There are so many moments the place you’re. Two-thirds of the time, making music and making an album is about operating full-speed, headlong right into a wall of your individual inabilities. Like, That fucking sucks. Let’s strive one thing else. That sucks too. I strive to sing one thing, I do not obtained it in the present day. My voice is cracking, let’s strive it once more tomorrow. Just hold at it.

It’s a repetition, it is like constructing a home. It takes time. You have to lay a basis, put your helps up, you then begin placing the partitions in and the roof on. Then you begin adorning it and it is loads of happenstance. There are loads of moments which might be very humbling.

Fortunately, you will have time to undergo that and develop it. As you are having these setbacks and moments of questioning whilst you’re making a report, these are all actually wholesome issues as a result of it is you getting to know your self inside this materials.

The subsequent a part of it, there’s nonetheless one section to go, which is taking these songs and having the ability to carry out them and pull them off stay and seeing if a few these actually elevate to work themselves into cornerstone songs in your set of your complete profession.

I already assume I’ve a few these in the first two singles, “Vilified” and “Afterglow,” and we have been in a position to play each of these stay on the summer time tour. They’re each very difficult vocally and having the ability to sing them and play them and personal each components — it isn’t straightforward. But it is an actual sense of accomplishment if you’ve spent the time and also you do the reps and also you carry out it nicely and persistently, and have individuals react to it.

“Afterglow” is a kind of songs that, when the refrain comes on, it simply raises the hair in your again and brings tears to your eyes. It has such an emotional really feel to it. I noticed someone touch upon the music video that anytime they hear to one among your songs, it seems like they’re “meeting an old friend.”

That’s a pleasant factor to say. I’m fortunate to nonetheless be doing this. I strive to keep in gratitude and life has a manner of placing you again into gratitude in the event you get away from it an excessive amount of. But these are at all times good issues.

First off, I’m at all times making an attempt to create one thing that I be ok with, that I’m enthusiastic about as a fan and in addition a author and performer. I’m making an attempt to test the packing containers for myself first. Do I and the folks that I’m making the report with, do I see individuals gentle up after we’re enjoying these things?

As lengthy as I really feel that pleasure, there’s in all probability a fairly good probability that anyone who perhaps cared about my earlier work, they may really feel the identical factor. So if it is making you are feeling emotional and excited and fills you with vitality, there’s in all probability a fairly good probability it is going to occur for another individuals as nicely.

Jerry Cantrell, “Afterglow”

When you begin developing with concepts for songs, do you ever cease and surprise in the event that they’re higher for a solo album or for Alice In Chains?

I feel perhaps in the early days, round the time of Boggy Depot and Degradation Trip, that may have been extra in my thought course of. We’ve all performed information outdoors of the band, and it is actually not an unusual factor to do for artists. I simply performed on Duff [McKagan]’s report final yr. It’s fairly widespread to do tasks, information and songs outdoors of the band that you simply’re identified for, so to converse.

The actual distinction is simply that I did not make it with Alice. I feel any track that I write could possibly be an Alice In Chains track, however I’m simply a part of a collective. The different three guys have to dig it too, for that to be the case. And then if all of us play on it and report it, then it turns into an Alice tune. If I do this with someone else, then clearly it is mine.

Do you assume that doing a solo album aside out of your band is form of a key to longevity for bands because you get to specific your self in a different way? 

I do not know that it is a key, it simply feels proper to do. If you have a look at my historical past, I’ve been [in Alice] since 1987 and we’re nonetheless lively and nonetheless going for it. In that 37 years, I’ve taken six to do information and tasks outdoors of the band.

You can see the place my loyalty lies and I do not get the alternative to do it that a lot. So once I do, I do it like I do all the pieces else. I leap in with each ft and I am going. If I’m in, I’m in and if I’m out, I’m all the manner out. It’s the manner I’ve at all times been. It’s the manner we have at all times gone about it in the band and I carry loads of that ethos with me wherever I’m.

I listened to one other interview that you simply did the place you have been speaking about the insane assortment of riffs that you’ve in your head. Do you ever surprise if a riff seems like one thing you have performed earlier than and take a look at to construct on it,or simply scratch it?

That would possibly occur every so often, the place I feel one thing seems like one thing. If that is the case, it will get discarded in a short time. Normally, it is not likely a lot of a priority as a result of I do not spend an entire lot of time referencing the previous. I’m form of an in-the-moment dude and I feel that is the finest place to keep.

You don’t desire to be spending an excessive amount of time wanting again or wanting too far ahead both. Just form of get pleasure from the place you are at, being now. That’s at all times going to be a novel and contemporary take as a result of you have not existed on this explicit time, in the now. You have not made music in the now, and it is normally a few years between information and stuff so I do not actually fear about repeating myself an excessive amount of.

I’m not a musician, so I’ve at all times been actually amazed that guitarists are in a position to continuously give you new and modern riffs that sound totally different from each other.

Yeah, it is attention-grabbing to me too as a result of there are solely so many notes and all of us use them. And there’s solely so many chords. The factor that makes them particular person and distinctive is simply your private tackle it and your musical fingerprint. Whatever that’s, that makes you, you. People can hear to you and go, “That’s them. That’s Led Zeppelin, that’s Black Sabbath.”

If you are in a position to obtain that, I feel that is the purpose of any recording artist, to have the ability to have that form of identifiable id immediately. If you have been in a position to obtain that, that frees me up to have the ability to go, “I’m not really worried about that. That’s already baked in. So where do I want to go?”

READ MORE: Jerry Cantrell Picks His Six Favorite Guitar Soloists

It’s at all times a shock to me and I like to hold it that manner. I do not like to overthink it an excessive amount of, simply get into the course of and see what occurs. I did not intend for Brighten to be that report it was, however it form of let me know that is the report it wished to be. And I Want Blood is the identical factor.

You simply take them one by one and they need to be distinctive. Like brothers and sisters — they’re associated, and you need to see the familial connection and all that form of stuff. But they’re all actually distinctive personalities and other people. They’re totally different, and they need to be.

You introduced up Duff McKagan earlier than — I learn in an interview he did over the summer time that every time he writes a track, you are the first individual that he exhibits it to. Do you will have somebody that you simply run all of your materials by first, or do you simply do your factor and present it to everybody after?

Sean Kinney is that manner for me, Tyler Bates is one other one. Duff and I share loads of stuff in early uncooked kind. “What do you think about this?” “Ah, that’s pretty cool but I don’t know about that one thing.” “Yeah, you’re right it’s not really that good.” You give one another clear bounces. It’s cool to have a relationship with him and with a handful of different individuals that you simply belief.

I used to do this with Lars [Ulrich] lots. We have not hung as a lot over the final couple of years as we did in the ’90s. But I used to get to hear all the fucking early fucking Metallica demos and he obtained to hear all the fucking early Alice In Chains demos for all the information. We would go music forwards and backwards, take one another’s temperature on how they felt about it.

Alice In Chains have been on the highway a few instances since Rainier Fog got here out and also you’re confirmed for Sonic Temple subsequent yr. What else is occurring with Alice In Chains?

We obtained all types of stuff that we’re planning. This yr goes to be largely about supporting the report that I simply put out as a result of I plan on campaigning and supporting that and getting out and enjoying the materials for individuals. But there’s additionally going to be some Alice dates too.

For the final couple of album cycles, I’ve been going between doing gigs alone and enjoying with the band. So we have got some thrilling stuff and after we resolve we wish to make an announcement about it, we’ll let .

If you could possibly construct the good supergroup, not to play in however simply to be a fan of together with your favourite singer, bassist, guitarist and drummer, who can be in it?

Elton John on keys, John Bonham on drums, Tony Iommi on guitar, Bon Scott as the vocalist and Joe Perry as the second guitarist.

‘I Want Blood’ will probably be obtainable Friday, Oct. 18. Pre-order your copy on Cantrell’s official web site.