UMUR
"Rainier Fog" is the 6th full-length studio album by US heavy/hard rock act Alice in Chains. The album was released through BMG in August 2018. It´s the successor to "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" from 2013. The basic tracks were recorded at Studio X in Seattle, which marks the first time since their 1995 eponymously titled album, that the band recorded in their hometown. The title of the album refers to the great Mount Rainier, which overlooks the city of Seattle. Alice in Chains tapped Nick Raskulinecz to produce the album. Raskulinecz also helmed the recordings of "Black Gives Way to Blue (2009)" and "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013)".
Stylistically "Rainier Fog" continues the heavy hard rock sound of its two direct predecessors. Dark and melancholic vocal harmonies, soaring guitar solos, and heavy riffs and rhyhms...the sound of Alice in Chains as we know them. The dissonant staccato power chord rhythm guitar figure, opening "The One You Know" (the album opener) took me a little off guard, but other than that "Rainier Fog" features very few surprises if you are familiar with "Black Gives Way to Blue (2009)" and "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013)". The album features both heavy rockers and more mellow acoustic tinged tracks, so in that respect it´s a dynamic album. Evaluating the album it´s not many tracks I remember after listening to it though, and while each track individually is strong and instantly enjoyable, the bottom line is, that too many sound too much alike or just aren´t instantly catchy enough. Given a bit more time the tracks do become easier to tell apart though and a little patience may be the key here to enjoying the album more.
So while "Rainier Fog" is arguably another quality release by Alice in Chains, when it comes to the quality of the sound production and the high level musicianship, it does suffer from some of the same issues as the two direct predecessors. There´re not much difference in pace, riff/rhythm style, or vocal style, and the lack of development of sound has also become a slight issue three albums down the line from the comeback. To satisfy this listener more instantly catchy melodies and hook laden riffs are required (which especially their first two albums were loaded with). Still a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.