Jerry Cantrell‘s new solo album, I Want Blood, arrives three years after his last effort, 2021’s Brighten. That’s a relatively quick turnaround for the Alice in Chains rocker, who, prior to Brighten, hadn’t put out a solo record in nearly 20 years.
As Cantrell tells ABC Audio, his experience with Brighten was so positive that he was itching to make a follow-up.
“I felt energized to do it and jumped into it, and I was rewarded in pretty short order with the material that’s on I Want Blood,” he says. “That’s a good f****** record.”
Cantrell adds that he is in a better position in his life now to appreciate and enjoy making solo music than he was 20 years ago.
“I was still f****** partying back then, and I’m not anymore and I’ve been sober for 21 years,” he says. “So that’s different. And also I just think I’ve just grown a lot and I’ve become better at all my aspects of my game, if you will.”
I Want Blood also marks Cantrell’s second solo album release since the last Alice record, Rainier Fog, dropped in 2018. Cantrell feels that his solo material helps him to feel a bit uncomfortable outside of his main gig.
“That’s a good thing,” he says. “It’s a really good thing to make yourself a little, ‘Ooh, s***, ahh, woo, OK, hey, I gotta figure this out!'”
All that adds up to an album that makes Cantrell feel “proud of the writing lyrically, musically, and the way that it’s delivered by all the musicians, including myself.”
“I think it’s really interesting and it’s thought-provoking,” he says. “I think there’s some depth to this work to be dug into for years.”
I Want Blood is out now.