Alice in Chains are back at the top of the charts, but even they are surprised by the success that 'Hollow' has given them. Singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell admits that the song isn't exactly they type of track that usually elicits such a reaction from radio and the fans.

He tells Rolling Stone, "The initial response to 'Hollow' has been f---ing incredible, totally not what we intended, and that's f---ing awesome." He explains, "We just put that song out there for the fans and then it ended up turning into a No. 1 single, a six-minute sludgy metal tune. That's always fun, to see something like that happen."

Cantrell is in very high spirits about not only 'Hollow,' but the band's upcoming album, 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here.' The guitarist says, "We made a unique record that's completely different from anything we ever did. It encapsulates a period of time, like all records do. You see the growth and that the band is moving ahead in new territory that we haven't been to before, but we haven't lost our identity."

As for the direction, Cantrell states, "There's some real filth in there. That's intentional, and that's just how we sound together. We're trying to make a record that we dig and we're trying to keep the bar high for ourselves and see if we can get past it, and I think that we did again. And of course you want people to dig it too and respond to it, and to have that start happening is satisfying."

Alice in Chains' 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here' is expected to arrive this May. In the interim, the band will be playing their own headlining tour and mixing in many headlining festival appearances along the way.

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