Alice In Chains rose to fame as a Seattle grunge band 20 years ago and were stunned by the death of lead singer Layne Staley from substance abuse. However, the end of the road is a long way off yet, new singer William DuVall tells ANDREW TRENDELL.

LIVING in the shadow of a legend can be a difficult thing to come to terms with, especially in music. Imagine having to face up to the burden of a band's past success and having to fill the shoes of a deceased rock icon.

These are the hurdles William DuVall had to overcome when, in 2006, grunge godfathers Alice In Chains decided to reunite after the death of Layne Staley.

DuVall has nothing but respect for the position he is in but is keen to progress: "It's a great honour and it's a great responsibility. But at the same time, it's a band, and in that respect I'm going to give my all no matter what I'm doing or what band I'm in.

"This is obviously a really great thing but it's more about moving ahead than looking back. This is not about nostalgia; it's about building a new template for how to be Alice In Chains. It's a completely different band now to what it was."

Keen to point out the differences between old and new, DuVall finds comfort in the balance between interpreting old songs his way and respecting the past.

"There's a lot of elements that make it different and despite what people say, I don't think I sound like Layne Staley. I don't think I could sound like Layne Staley if I tried. I'm not trying to imitate anybody to begin with, I'm just trying to go out there and do these songs my way. If there's a resemblance to what happened before that's purely because that's the song people have known for years."

DuVall believes the songs speak for themselves and that similarities are in the nature of the music.

"I'm not going to take all of these extreme liberties with the melody and get all American Idol on it. I'm going to do it the way it should be done and I'm going to sing it from my own experience.

"It's going to be coming from my own place of truth. If that resonates with the listener then maybe that's what makes them think, 'He sounds like Layne!' It's because they're getting the same feeling of truth that they got when he sang it. In reality I don't sound any more like Layne than I look like Layne."

"It's respect for Layne too. He was great because, in part, he was such an individual, and I'm an individual. I loved what he did so much that I'm going to put my own spin on it. That's the only respectful thing to do, for myself, for the fans, for Layne and for this band."

Respecting the old material is one thing but writing new music is a completely different beast. The new line-up released Black Gives Way To Blue in September.

"The album is out because we thought it was worth putting out. We dig it. This was about proving something to ourselves first, and I think a by-product of that is that perhaps we might provide an example for possibilities for other people within their own lives.

"We all experience tragedy at some point and what do you do? Do you lay down and die or do you get up and go with your head up and find a new way to be bad ass?"

He adds: "Our story has a dimension to it that makes it quite different from any other. The list of bands that have had to bounce back and triumph over the adversity of losing a singer is pretty short."

In light of everything, DuVall looks to the future of Alice In Chains with relentless optimism and a sense of purpose: "We're on a mission. We're proving something to ourselves and we're proving something to a lot of people."