Alice in Chains’ ‘Check My Brain’ Makes Jerry Cantrell Seasick

If the weird riff that leads Alice in Chains’ 2009 single “Check My Brain” makes you’re feeling somewhat seasick, it’s price realizing that the person who wrote it suffers the identical response.

Jerry Cantrell got here up with the dissonant pitch-bending part because the band ready their comeback album Black Gives Way to Blue – their first because the demise of frontman Layne Staley in 2002.

In a brand new interview with Rick Beato (video under), the guitarist admitted that “Check My Brain,” the document’s lead single, remained a problem to carry out even after 15 years of expertise.

READ MORE: Watch Jerry Cantrell’s New ‘Afterglow’ Video

“It’s slightly out of tune, not quite a full bend,” Cantrell defined. “A lot of my [songs] have big, bendy riffs. It’s something I’ve kind of made part of my signature. I probably get that by listening to Sabbath’s Tony Iommi. And Ace Frehley – Frehley was a big bender, and I was a big fan of his when I was a kid.”

He mentioned of the “Check My Brain” riff: “I remember stumbling across that and I thought it was weird; and I liked that. It makes me feel the same way every time – kind of sick; a little bit seasick! Try playing it live and singing in key over that. It’s pretty tough!”

‘Check My Brain’ Riff Persuaded Producer to Work With Alice In Chains

Cantrell mentioned he’d by no means heard something just like the riff earlier than, calling it “really interesting,” and including: “I remember the first time I played that; we were putting material together for Black Gives Way to Blue.

“We were considering taking a real big step – moving on after Layne’s passing, and breathing new life into the band,” he defined. “So that came from that batch of writing.”

And he famous that the riff was what persuaded producer Nick Raskulinecz to return on board the album challenge. “He heard that riff, and he’s like, ‘I’m in.’ That was it – that’s all he needed to hear.”

Watch Alice In Chains’ ‘Check My Brain’ Video

Watch Jerry Cantrell’s Interview with Rick Beato