Alice In Chains guitarist calls out “trolls” who question the band after Layne Staley’s death

Alice In Chains defended their continuation as a band after the death of original frontman Layne Staley in a new interview.

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Guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and frontman William DuVall discussed what it was like to reunite the band after Staley’s death in 2002 with Eddie Trunk. Particularly, Cantrell explained his discouragement with people who say things like “No Layne, no Chains.”

“This is our band. It’s just like the troll shit,” Cantrell said. “But this is our band, this is our music, these are our friends and we’re lucky enough to have worked through those challenges and continue to move forward and create a new chapter for this band.”

Alice In Chains went on hiatus after Staley’s death from a drug overdose in 2002 and reunited a few years later. Cantrell also commented on DuVall’s ability to take on the role as lead vocalist, even though he couldn’t replace Staley, as well as Mike Inez taking over as bassist after Mike Starr left the band.

“William was willing to take on that challenge, and we never looked at it as a part of somebody is replaceable, because Layne Staley is not replaceable. Mike Starr is not replaceable,” Cantrell said. “Their period of time with us in the band, on those records is indelible and completely unique. When Mike [Inez] joined the band and when William joined the band, those were new eras and important additions, and equally as important.”

Alice In Chains have released two albums with DuVall on vocals, and are set to release a third in the fall. They released the first single from the album, “The One You Know,” this month, and they are currently on tour.