February 7, 2002

Jerry Cantrell -- guitarist, vocalist and creative mastermind behind the legendary rock band Alice In Chains -- has signed to Roadrunner Records.

After touring in support of Boggy Depot (his first solo effort after Alice In Chains), Cantrell went into the studio with friends and musicians, Robert Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies, Ozzy Osbourne) and Mike Bordin (Faith No More, Ozzy Osbourne), to record Degradation Trip. "It sounds unlike any other record I have ever done. It's probably one of the heaviest records I have put out including Alice," says Jerry. The album took close to two years to record.

Degradation Trip was the last record to be recorded in the "haunted" studios of A&M in Los Angeles, CA. Jerry Cantrell and Jeff Tomei (Smashing Pumpkins, Matchbox Twenty, Soul Asylum, Collective Soul) produced the effort. "Jerry's new material picks up right where Alice In Chains left off. This is the style of music he was born to write and play -- and the sound that the fans have been craving from him. The new material sounds fresh yet instantly familiar," said Monte Conner, VP of A&R for Roadrunner Records. "It's not every day that you get to work with a musician and songwriter of Jerry's caliber. He has written some of my favorite songs -- modern classics that people will still be listening to 30 years from now. How many musicians can you say that about these days?"

Last week in Calgary and Edmonton, Canada Jerry met up with labelmates Nickelback and performed the Alice in Chains classic, "It Ain't Like That" from the 1990 release, Facelift. The exclusive live performance at Edmonton's Sky Reach Centre will be featured on Nickelback's upcoming DVD release.

To give music enthusiasts a taste of the new material, Jerry will be performing at the annual South By Southwest (SXSW) music conference in Austin, Texas on March 16, at Stubb's BBQ. The album is set for summer 2002 release.