Jerry Cantrell – I Want Blood

Releasedate:   18-10-2024
Label: Double J Music

Legendary guitarist and co-vocals of AlC, Jerry Cantrell just released his 4th solo album “I Want Blood”. Cantrell as usual wrote the album himself, embellishing it with haunting melodies and confrontational but therapeutic lyrics, finally signature whaling guitar riffs. The album is honored by veteran stars who are also lifetime bros of Cantrell who are Duff McKagan of GnR and Velvet Revolver and Metallica and Suicidal Tendencies’ Rob Trujillo.

This solo effort is so much reminiscent of the times where grunge galore was in all of its hype in the 90’s. especially of the “Dirt” era. All those sludgey vibes with the harmonized vocals, but this time of only Jerry and Greg’s definitely hit the right spot for us millenials big time.

The trip into the darkness that I Want Blood takes is kind of gentle; you are unaware of it until Cantrell decides to expose the end point for us. Villified, a claustrophobic, grunge masterclass that is reminding me of Check My Brain’s nauseous riff waves, opens explosively with full force. Cantrell has been at the top of his game for 30 plus years, and his voice is still powerful here, standing tall and full of ominous prophecies. In a similar vein, Let It Lie is a gut-punching track that none of us realized we needed, with its thumping, melancholic Black Sabbath-inspired riff.

Along the trip of the record, there are joyous moments. Afterglow is kind of similar to the vibe of the previous Cantrell record “Brighten”. I enjoyed Afterglow’s guitar solo the most on the album. Whereas Hold Your Tongue transforms into a blurry dreamscape that evokes (Don’t Fear) The Reaper before pulling off back onto the steely alt.rock route upon which it began, Cantrell returns to the land of his previous record “Brighten” once again on Echoes Of Laughter, which sounds like a country sludge metal/rock which I love from back when AIC swam in the same waters.

The closing track, It Comes lasts for 7 minutes, which says something about Cantrell only giving a damn about his own artistry and creative process rather than making a popular-sounding record. It’s good to know there are those who appreciate and bear witness to the pure reenactment of Down In A Hole or Nutshell, if you will.

Line up:

• Jerry Cantrell – Vocals & Guitars
• Greg Puciato – Vocals
• Duff McKagan – Bass
• Mike Bordin – Drums
• Robert Trujillo – Bass

Tracklist

1. Vilified
2. Off The Rails
3. Afterglow
4. I Want Blood
5. Echoes Of Laughter
6. Throw Me A Line
7. Let It Lie
8. Held Your Tongue
9. It Comes

Links:

Official: https://jerrycantrell.com/
Bandcamp: https://www.youtube.com/@jerrycantrell4137