Next year it’s 20 years since 3/4 of Creed – guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Scott Phillips and drummer Brian Marshall – formed Alter Bridge with lead singer Myles Kennedy after their relationship with singer Scott Stapp went down the drain. Instead of continuing Creed with a new singer, they guys decided to break the band up and start fresh. Creed was huge at the time and the same happened to Alter Bridge. 19 years and still going strong, with six studio albums under their belt where no album is worse than good. Seven albums, including the new one, in 19 years might not seem like much but bear in mind that both Tremonti and Kennedy both have parallel solo careers and Kennedy has also released four albums with Slash. Since album after album has turned out really good it’s only natural that expectation are high with every release. The bars are set really high when it comes to this lot.
Opener and latest single “This Is War” is one heavy banger. A heavy as damn rhythm lies as the foundation for a monster riff and a double-kick which really goes for the throat. It’s a dark beast yet with some delicate, melodic vocal melodies that throws a wink to Beatles. It sure brings on some major catchiness but it’s not hit-friendly as such. A perfect opener that lets us know we’re in for a treat. Great. “Dead Among The Living” picks up the pace and kicks of with some fierce riffage. It’s an upbeat number where the verses contrasts with a somewhat held-back rhythm. There’s a darker ambience involved with a main-melody that harkens back to the ABIII (2010) days. The solo-part also throws in a very metal-tinged passage. This is some great stuff.
The second single “Silver Tongue” keeps the upbeat pace and has Tremonti riffing away on a raw and gritty note. It’s quite aggressive at times but the verses comes with a more rhythmically gutsy yet held-back structure only for the chorus to pick up the pace, going for a more punchy and in-your-face Hard Rock vibe. On top lies a striking melody and an intense and direct chorus that hits home right away. Really good. Also a single, the dark and heavy “Sin After Sin” brings on verses that comes across as a gloomy Hard Rock ballad with a floating glance and almost dream-like vocal melodies. The chorus is bigger and more bombastic inside a large soundscape, still in a semi-ballad mode. At almost seven minutes, it’s not exactly an obvious single and I guess any air-play is off the charts here. It’s quite atmospheric and it’s a killer track that has a bit of a Fortress (2013) touch to it.
More on a single note – which it isn’t – is “Stay”, an upbeat and straight forward pop-friendly rocker with distinct radio-friendly melodies all over. Tremonti takes over the vocals on this uplifting summer-song, perfect as a soundtrack for cold cocktails on the beach or chilling out on a hot summer night. Very good indeed. The riff-loving, uptempo and heavy rocker “Holiday” contrasts with a muscular beat and raunchy guitars as well pop flirting arrangements and hooky melodies all over the place. The song also holds a slightly bluesy, boogie-rock groove and a heavy as damn breakdown. It’s a bit of a left-field Alter Bridge tune but it works and it should go down well live. Good one.
At eight minutes “Fable Of The Silent Son” is the band’s longest song ever and holds the structure of another semi-ballad. It starts out low-key, stripped and sparse with acoustic guitar and vocals but soon shifts shape and turns into a slow, heavy riff-monster on a muscular bass-line and a fat, ballsy drum sound. There’s a dark atmosphere lying all over the track with a wink towards 80’s Black Sabbath and the second verse holds the same melody but it’s way heavier and more punchy with some raw and edgy guitars. The ending brings in some fierce metal-fueled heaviness but all over the song the melodies are very melodic. It’s an epic, prog-laden beast – doubtless one the album’s strongest moments. Brilliant.
“Season Of Promise” is an upbeat half-ballad with a distinct groove and a shiny bass-line that takes me back to The Last Hero (2016) – my favorite Alter Bridge album – with a chunk of ABIII thrown in. The contrasting blending of prominent pop-melodies and chunky, effective guitar riffs and a solid, heavy rhythm makes for a great dynamic. It’s holds very direct and memorable melody-hooks all over and a massive refrain so immense it can move mountains. Splendid. Rhythmically bouncy with some firey staccato riffing, “Last Man Standing” comes on strong with its tuned down guitars and darker vocal-melodies. It’s deep and a bit moody with progressive undertones and a ferocious metal-stained breakdown to go with it. Very good.
The title-track and also the album’s leading single rounds off the record – and it does so in the best of ways. Not what I’d call an obvious single choice, the song takes on a slower pace and brings on some grinding metal-riffage with a bunch of more accessible melodies on top. There’s a gloomy atmosphere lying over this song and at times we get some gritty, almost Thrash Metal like guitar chugging – very heavy and distinct. Once more the band brings on a six minute, epic number that flirts with Progressive Hard Rock/Metal. The solo part is slower and more down-beat before the tune grows heavy and muscular again. With classic Alter Bridge melodies and a strong chorus, it’s another highlight on this record.
With not one bad song in sight Alter Bridge has released yet another terrific record. As for the heaviness here, this is probably their heaviest and edgiest album they have made since Fortress and there are doom, gloom and grit all over the place but it’s at the same time a very melodic affair where the band isn’t shy of throwing in pop-hooks and catchy melodies when needed. There are some tracks that might need a few spins to grow but there are also more accessible tunes that grabs a hold right off the bat. I’d love to hear some of the more advanced songs live because live is the key-word here – every song on this record has strong live-potential. No AB-fan will be disappointed by this release and this album could very well increase their popularity. Let’s hope so.
8/10
More Alter Bridge reviews:
Fortress
The Last Hero
Walk The Sky
Tracklist:
1. This Is War
2. Dead Among The Living
3. Silver Tongue
4. Sin After Sin
5. Stay
6. Holiday
7. Fable Of The Silent Son
8. Season Of Promise
9. Last Man Standing
10. Pawns & Kings
CD & Festival reviews 