Following an extensive period of touring in support of his solo efforts, Jerry Cantrell is taking a break before setting his sights on the future of Alice in Chains. In a new interview, the guitarist confirmed that the band’s plans for 2025 were significantly altered by a health scare involving drummer Sean Kinney.
“We’re just wrapping the I Want Blood chapter,” he replied, referencing his latest solo album, “then I’ll take the winter off and see where we’re at. Alice in Chains intended to work but had a little bit of a health scare with Sean, so we had to cancel some shows. We also had a tour planned for, like, right now that kind of fell through. So we had some bad luck; we planned on doing much more this year, but it just didn’t work out. We’ll take a look at it again probably early next year and figure out what we’re gonna do, whether go in and make another record or do some shows — or both.”
Cantrell revealed that the band had a full tour planned but had to cancel all of their spring shows due to Kinney‘s medical condition. The cancellation included festival appearances at Sonic Temple and Welcome to Rockville. The drummer’s health was prioritized, and although the prognosis was positive, the setback forced the band to put their live and recording plans on hold.
While the tour was scrapped, Kinney did recover in time for a one-off performance with his bandmates at Black Sabbath‘s final show in the United Kingdom in July. This proved to be Alice in Chains’ only live appearance of the year.
Now, as Cantrell wraps up the touring cycle for his latest solo album, I Want Blood, he’s looking ahead to what’s next for the band. He stated that the group will reassess their options early next year, potentially embarking on a new tour or heading into the studio to record a new album, or possibly both.
This decision comes after a busy solo period for Cantrell, who released two albums in the last four years and toured extensively, performing material from both his solo catalog and Alice in Chains.
