 Blabbermouth.net reported in September 2008 that Alice in Chains would enter the studio that October to begin recording a new album for a summer 2009 release . In October 2008 , Alice in Chains began recording its fourth studio album at the Foo Fighters ' Studio <unk> in Los Angeles with producer Nick <unk> . At the Revolver Golden God Awards , Jerry Cantrell said that the group had finished recording in March 2009 and were mixing the album for a September release . In April 2009 , it was reported that the new Alice in Chains album would be released by Virgin / EMI , making it the band 's first label change in its 20 @-@ plus year career . On June 11 , 2009 , Blabbermouth.net reported that the new album would be titled Black Gives Way to Blue and was officially set to be released on September 29 , 2009 . On June 30 , 2009 , the song " A Looking in View " was released as the first single from the album . It was made available for a limited time as a free download through the official Alice in Chains website in early July . The music video for the song debuted via the official website on July 7 , 2009 . The second single , " Check My Brain " , was released to radio stations on August 14 , 2009 and was made available for purchase on August 17 , 2009 . In addition , it was announced that Elton John appears on the album 's title track . 
