Just two months after the death of Layne Staley, Alice in Chains leader Jerry Cantrell released his second solo effort Degradation Trip. The 2002 effort featured Metallica’s Robert Trujillo on bass and Faith No More’s Mike Bordin on drums and scored hits with songs “Anger Rising” and “Angel Eyes.”

In an interview with Billboard, Cantrell opens up about his uncomfortable relationship with the album and why he isn’t ready to revisit the effort. “I was just really fucked up back then to be honest with you, and you can totally hear it on that record,” Cantrell explains. “It was done right before I got sober, and it was also done right when I was dealing with the death of my band, and then the unhappy coincidence of Layne passing.”

He adds, “It was not a good time in my life, and it totally comes across on that record. It does strike a chord with a lot of people. It's a record I don't listen to a lot anymore because of all those things I mentioned. And I sobered up a year after Layne passed.”

Cantrell continues that the album is “important” to him and that both Trujillo and Bordin have asked about revisiting the album for a tour, but it’s something he is not ready to face. He concludes by saying, “I tell them we'll do it someday.”

Last week, Alice in Chains released their latest album Rainier Fog, which is their third with singer William DuVall. In July Cantrell released his solo single “Setting Sun,” off the Dark Nights: Metal album.

Alice in Chains is currently on tour and play Paso Robles, Calif. tomorrow (August 28) and Los Angeles on Wednesday (August 29). Check out all their tour dates here.

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