Alter Bridge return to some of their heaviest riffs and material in years, balanced with just enough ballad-melody for you to not throw a fit. Well done, boys.
Look, Alter Bridge don’t need to do this anymore. They’ve given us enough hits and melodies that will last an eternity and more. When the darned best guitarist and vocalist combine powers and call on 2 more rhythm musicians that can not only break the mould but also plaster a smile across their face while doing it, all is right with the world. Myles Kennedy and Co. are back, and it’s not another solo album. Tremonti had a pretty good one too. But they haven’t given us any AB in 4 years. So here it is, after 22 years, the self-titled album you have always waited for? This is Alter Bridge.
A band that bode well
When Creed dissolved, there was no great breakup emotive rock music anymore, or so we thought. We’re so happy the band continued to search for a vocalist who can bring not only Creed’s character but also so, so much more. Arguably one of the greatest voices rock has ever seen, Myles Kennedy was the spine behind so much great songwriting and melodic energy that Creed had to warp to something far greater. If you think that Myles is a great singer, don’t forget that he can play all-out, incredible jazz guitar as well, as anecdotally shared by Tremonti.
The solo albums were definitely something the both of them had to get out. They were rich with riffs that would never sound AB, and the rhythm matched what their natural sound separately was. Tremonti has become a way better vocalist than you’d expect, so we have multi-talented multi-instrumentalists that want to break out and make music. And they did. Let the wings carry you home…
Diving into the album
So when the thrash/black metal-styled opening of Alter Bridge catches you off guard, don’t let it. This is where the band is finding that hardcore footing, while giving us a sound that only they can fabricate. It is astounding how Myles Kennedy sounds better, if not the same, and the metal range is something they like to delve into as Alter Bridge once more. Is the opening riff predictable? Sure. We’ve all played it on our guitar if we’ve picked it up to just wing something in a drop tuning. However, the vocals and build on the song is something I do not possess (or most of the campfire guitarists).
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Rue the Day is an annihilator disguised as nothing but that. It is dark and ominous and has the lyrics that created perhaps a little bit of the controversy? So if you don’t know, people made connotations that Alter Bridge are also making a commentary on the state of politics globally. Untrue, as Myles Kennedy reiterated around a thousand times. Let it go, champs; he knows what he’s talking about. This is where we segue into the brilliant and blistering pace of Power Down. I have enjoyed the non-acoustic embellishments till now, for the band want to give us this generated power that they have been keeping candidly hidden for the past few years.
A riff library, to inhale
Trust In Me comes in next, and has those great PRS chugs that have made people even consider it as a metal guitar. Scott Phillips bellows on the drums for this number, upping that edge every album and bringing us something that we can snack on. We’re so glad Mark Tremonti never ceases to let loose when a song asks for a shred. Oh, does he deliver.
Instrumentally, I feel the band has gone back to Fortress (2013) textures in composing this album. There is technical soloing, riffs that punch you in the gut and the kind of songwriting that feels so much like the band. However, you do see some vocal patterns showing Myles’ prowess and not sitting in within the song’s entire structure. Riffs like Tested and Able are really bringing the meaty, riff-rich songwriting with a contrast of vocals that are hopeful and arena-focused like we saw on The Last Hero (2016). Vocals bouncing between Mark and Myles in some songs will give you goosebumps, merely even if you choose to connect to the historical tracks that gave you the nostalgia ticket.
Fan love and direction
Fans compared the songwriting on What Lies Within to Breaking Benjamin, which I don’t personally see. The cut-through riffs that BB are known for are different from how Alter Bridge approach their songwriting. They play to their strengths, bringing something that their fans will see as a new challenge while bringing a version of the band from the past that made them fall in love with the band in the first place. Perhaps the first softer song of the album comes with Hang by a Thread. When they really shine, they know it is the mastery of both these contrasts that makes them the band they are.
Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips are reiterating a song that was from a decade before, and it’s fitting. The world seems to currently be obsessed with 2016, and they want to go back. Alter Bridge brought that year here, only because there’s nowhere else to go but forward. Listen to the well-rounded collection here:
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