Addicted To Noise Senior Writer Gil Kaufman reports: Although the rumors of Alice In Chains' demise have been greatly exaggerated, according to a source in the AIC camp, guitarist Jerry Cantrell is, in fact, hard at work on his solo debut.

The album, still untitled, got under way recently in a Bay Area studio under the watchful eye of producer Toby Wright (AIC). Guests on the album, which is slated to feature all-original songs from the AIC braintrust, include AIC drummer Sean Kinney and a trio of bass players, includingFishbone's Norwood Fisher, Pantera's Rex Brown and a likely guest shot from Primus' Les Claypool, with several more players to be named later.

This is Cantrell's first full-length solo album following a series of one-off songs including "I've Seen All This World I Care To See" which appeared on last year's Willie Nelson tribute, Twisted Willie, and the song "Leave Me Alone" for the Cable Guy soundtrack.

Cantrell is shooting for a fall release. Tour plans, while not out of the question, have not been discussed yet. As for the long-rumored (and prematurely advertised) AIC box set that was featured in a Columbia Records ad a few months ago, the source said, "That won't be happening any time soon."