Black Gives Way to Blue

Black Gives Way to Blue is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on September 29, 2009, through a joint venture between Virgin and EMI Records. Its release fell on the 17th anniversary of the release of their second album, Dirt. It is their first record without founding lead singer Layne Staley, who died in 2002, and their first album with rhythm guitarist William DuVall. It is the band's first venture away from Columbia Records, who handled all of their previous releases. The span of nearly fourteen years between the self-titled album and Black Gives Way to Blue marks the longest gap between studio albums in Alice in Chains' career.