The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here Songs Ranked
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on May 28, 2013 through Capitol Records (and the band’s final album released by the label). It is the band’s second reunion album. Following a worldwide tour in support of its previous album, Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), Alice in Chains began work on a new album. The making of The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here lasted for more than a year and the release of the album was delayed numerous times. The band entered the studio in July 2011 to start work on their fifth album. During the writing and recording sessions, guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell underwent shoulder surgery, which resulted in the delay of the album. The recording sessions of The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here were completed in December 2012. Here are all of The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here songs ranked.
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12. Low Ceiling
“The song begins with Cantrell and DuVall giving their signature “ahs” that were established in songs like A Looking In View on the previous album. It’s a strangely happy sounding song, with the verses not exactly showing a sign of desperation and the chorus is definitely happier than the norm for Alice In Chains. The lyrics here are still great, with lines like “Why is my ceiling another’s floor?” This brings out the acoustic guitar again, but this time it’s shared with a heavier distorted guitar. The solo brings out the wah-wah pedal’s welcome return, although it’s a tad sad that it’s only used on one song like it was on Black Gives Way To Blue. Jerry’s singing here is great as well. The only real problem with this song is that it drags on a bit, but it doesn’t bring the song down enough to lower the rating.”
11. Scalpel
“After that disappointment of a song, we have another acoustic song, and a downright beautiful one at that. This wouldn’t have been out of place on Jar Of Flies or Tripod. Cantrell’s singing is beautiful here, and the whole song is very different from what you’d expect a song by Alice In Chains named Scalpel to sound like. This entire song is beautiful, one of the most beautiful the band has ever released, among the ranks of Nutshell. While this song is basically the same length as Breath On A Window, here it feels justified, and not just padding to make the album longer. One of my favorite songs on the album and overall one of the best songs from Alice In Chains’ late period work.”
10. Hung On a Hook
“DuVall is singing here again, although not in his usual way. He usually brings out the loud, screaming pain, but on here, it’s downright disturbing and quiet as he whispers the opening lines with some. Some ahs in the background and the strange instrumentation after the first lines help cement this as one of the downright creepiest songs on the album. The chorus is more of the usual fair for DuVall but it is by no means a bad thing, and the lyrics here are amazing. The solo here is amazing as well, helping to prove the very eerie sound the rest of the song succeeds at already.”
See more: Alice In Chains Albums Ranked
9. Breath On a Window
“After a string of amazing songs, this one comes along and ruins the momentum. This is by no means a bad song, but it is the weakest on the album and the one that is least needed on here. The verse riff is reminiscent of Lesson Learned, while the chorus is more along the lines of Take Her Out. I personally found those to be the two weakest songs on BGWTB, but that’s not the point here. Breath On A Window does have many good points, but unfortunately, they’re not enough to bring up the score more. The lyrics here are average at best, the solo is nothing special, and it overall just sounds a bit too happy. The highlight of the song is the outro, when it takes a turn into introspection with the lines, “I’d let you go, but you’re always in the way. I’m the damage done, your scar of yesterday.” Overall, good song, but not exactly something to write home about.”
8. Pretty Done
“Although a bit weaker than the opening track, Pretty Done is still a good song on it’s own merits. It’s not nearly as dark sounding, and it has an almost Check My Brain feel due to the main riff using a lot of string bending and the way it turns darker during the chorus. The solo here is a bit more memorable than Hollow’s. Overall, this is a good song, though it is one of the weaker on the album.”
7. Lab Monkey
“After that mammoth showstopper of a song, it’s going to be hard to follow it up. While Lab Monkey isn’t as good as the track before, it’s still a fantastic song. DuVall’s singing here is awesome, creating a very unsettling atmosphere (something Alice In Chains has proven they are very, very good at doing) when mixed with the eerie sounding opening bass riff and strange sounding main guitar. The chorus here though sounds very normal compared to the rest of the song, though the lyrics themselves are still incredibly strange. The standout here is the solo though, which brings out a talk box and has another solo playing in the background (this is my favorite solo on the entire album). This song is fantastic, and the only one that could live up in any way to the song coming before it.”
6. Voices
“The first song to feature an acoustic guitar. You could hear a short snippet of this in the documentary “23” on AiC’s VEVO page. This is a surprisingly happy sounding song. Well, as happy as Alice In Chains can get. Jerry’s singing on here is very good, as it usually is on these later albums, and the chorus here is utterly beautiful. The whole song almost sounds like a reject from Jar Of Flies. You could call this TDPDH’s “Your Decision.” However, this song does fall down in a few places. The last 40 seconds could’ve been removed and it wouldn’t have hurt the track at all. The verses also feel a tad short, making this feel a bit too repetitive for it’s own good. Voices is by no means a bad song, but it is sadly one of the weakest tracks on here.”
See more: Alice in Chains Songs Ranked
5. Choke
“Here we are. The final track on the album. This is a fitting way to end this monster of a song collection. It’s a dark song, more so than any of the others with an acoustic playing. There’s an electric playing here as well, but it doesn’t overpower the acoustic and serves as a backing to make it even more emotional. The chorus is impressive here, but the bridge blows it out of the water. Jerry’s singing here again, and it fits as he has a good voice for these emotional and evocative ballads. This is a welcome addition to the album, and one that is not to be forgotten.”
4. Phantom Limb
“This behemoth is the longest song on the album at just over seven minutes long, and it is very well deserved. You could say this is TDPDH’s “A Looking In View.” This song actually leaked on a radio station and has been available on Spotify for a long time and it quickly became a fan favorite. This is the only song on the album with lyrics written by William DuVall, and he shows his lyrical dexterity in lines such as “I’ll wear you as a second skin, I’ll just haunt you like a phantom limb.” The opening riff shows you what you’re going to be in for, with a dark sounding four note riff that perfectly sets the tone. The bridge here is similar to the verse, though much darker sounding with fittingly more bleak lyrics. “
3. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
“Wow. That’s all I could say when I first heard the title track. This is one of my favorite, if not my favorite song(s) on the album. The opening guitar line with the heavy sweeping sound in the background creates a very unsettling atmosphere, setting the perfect tone for this song’s subject matter. The lyrics here deal with religion, mainly Christianity. The title itself comes from a belief some Christians have about the origins of fossils.”
2. Hollow
“The album wastes no time hitting you in the face with pounding guitar riffs, heavy drumming, and the always enjoyable singing of Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall. This was the first single released form the album and it shows what a monster the rest of this is going to be. The verses have an almost unsettling feeling due to the harmonized singing of Cantrell and DuVall mixed with the palm-muted riffing and heavy bass.”
1. Stone
“You know from the first second of this song you’re in for something heavy. The bass intro mixed with the cymbal-laden drums set the tone perfectly for the guitar to come in. The lyrics here are amazing, painting a perfect picture of a frustrated musician asking his fans why they act like he’s the perfect symbol of everything they are. The main riff is a very sludgy, slow paced monster while the bridge/chorus has a surprisingly less dark sounding riff behind it. The interlude before the solo has the best riffing in the whole song, with a very fast paced modification of the main riff with Cantrell and DuVall singing over it. The solo here is amazing, one of the best on the album.”