In the only grunge reunion (of sorts) that can rival Nirvana for being called "unlikely," none other than harmonically gifted metal dudez Alice in Chains are back, with a new lead singer to replace the one who has been dead for a long time, Layne Stayley. New singer/guitarist William DuVall joins the original band members (including project mastermind/secret weapon Jerry Cantrell) for a comeback no one ever imagined would happen. No jokes to be made here; Alice in Chains was massive, and unlike many of the NW bands that got big in the early '90s, there's a case to be made for them actually being underrated. I guess we'll see what happens. Meanwhile, feel free to listen (above) to the new AiC's heavy and long debut single, "A Looking in View," from the LP Black Gives Way to Blue, due in September. Because anything can happen in America. Happy Independence Day Weekend.

And if you like press releases, well, you're in luck:

Los Angeles, CA (June 30, 2009) – ALICE IN CHAINS are giving fans a sneak preview of their highly anticipated upcoming album BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE (Virgin/EMI) by posting a brand-new song online. The seven-minute-long track, titled “A Looking In View,” can be heard on www.aliceinchains.com. A companion video for the song is forthcoming and its trailer is available on the band’s site. “A Looking In View” will appear on BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE, in stores September 29th.

About “A Looking In View,” Alice In Chains vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell says, “The song basically speaks to any number of things that keep you balled up inside. A cell of our own making with an unlocked door that we choose to remain in. Focusing our attention inward instead of reaching out to a much larger world. I think this is common to us all. It’s funny how hard we fight to hang on to a bone we can’t pull through a hole in the fence, or how difficult it is to put down the bag of bricks and move on.”

On July 18th, Alice In Chains will be sharing the stage with Kid Rock at Comerica Park in Detroit, to be followed by festival shows with Metallica overseas, including an August 1 date at Marlay Park in Dublin and an August 2 show at the Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth. They’ll wrap up the international trip with a string of headlining dates, set to kick off August 4th with a sold-out performance at London’s Scala. On August 22, they’ll join Tool and Linkin Park for the first-ever Epicenter show at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA, to be followed by a headlining tour set to kick off September 4th at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. Tickets for the U.S. shows will be available Friday, July 10th. For information, please visit www.aliceinchains.com.

BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE is the band’s first new studio release in more than 10 years. The quartet (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and vocalist/guitarist William DuVall) recorded the album with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters) at Studio 606 in Northridge, CA and Henson Studios in Hollywood.

Over the course of their remarkable career, Alice In Chains has garnered multiple Grammy nominations, sold more than 17 million albums worldwide, wrote and recorded 11 top 10 hit singles and stood atop Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart with two No. 1 records.

Tour dates are as follows (additional shows to be confirmed):

Date City VenueJuly 18 Detroit, MI Comerica Park (with Kid Rock)

Aug 1 Dublin, IE Marlay Park

Aug 2 Stevenage, GB Knebworth House - Sonisphere

Aug 4 London, GB Scala

August 6 Cologne, DE Essigfabrik

August 8 Berlin, DE Columbia Club

August 10 Hamburg, DE Grunspan

August 12 Amsterdam, NL Melkweg

August 22 Pomona, CA Epicenter

Sept. 4 Washington, DC 9:30 Club

Sept. 5 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts

Sept. 7 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club

Sept. 8 New York, NY The Fillmore

Sept. 15 Toronto, ON The Opera House

Sept. 16 Cleveland, OH House of Blues

Sept. 19 Chicago, IL House of Blues

Sept. 20 Milwaukee, WI The Rave

Sept. 21 Minneapolis, MN First Ave

Sept. 26 Portland, OR Roseland Grill

Sept. 28 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore