They released their only album Above in 1995, then had to abandon the follow-up after the death of bassist John Baker Saunders in 1999 and frontman Layne Staley in 2002.

McCready and drummer Barrett Martin regrouped with vocalist Mark Lanegan to complete three songs that had been started at the end of 1990s, and they were released as part of a Mad Season box set earlier this year. It also featured a remastered version of Above � which was a "bittersweet" experience for the guitarist.

"I'd listened to it all the way through probably two times since it came out," McCready tells MusicRadar. "It's very sad. Baker and Layne both died, so there's a sadness that hangs over the entire record. I wasn't willing to live that again. Those couple of times I did listen to it, it was tough.