Alter Bridge - AB III
Rating
RIYL
Mayfield FourShinedown
Breaking Benjamin
Creed
Release Date
11/09/2010
Label
Universal RepublicTracklist
1. Slip To The Void2. Isolation
3. Ghost Of Days Gone By
4. All Hope Is Gone
5. Still Remains
6. Make It Right
7. Wonderful Life
8. I Know It Hurts
9. Show Me A Sign
10. Fallout
11. Breath Again
12. Coeur D' Alene
13. Life Must Go On
14. Words Darker Than Their Wings
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Alter Bridge is not Creed; let’s go ahead and get that out of the way right off the top. They're a totally different beast, and one that needs to be fully understood as it is and not as what people perceive it to be. What made Creed the hated machine that it is today is that Scott Stapp has a way of making us essentially vomit in our proverbial mouths when we hear his voice, process his lyrics, and see his god-mimicking persona. You cannot find more of an opposite to Scott Stapp than Myles Kennedy, which is why the three members of Alter Bridge that once reigned supreme in Creed are hell bent on leaving that band in the past.
Kennedy, plus the original instrumental section of Creed (Mark Tremonti on guitar, Brian Marshall on bass, and Scott Phillips on drums) continue onward with the releasing of ABIII, Alter Bridge’s third studio album. ABIII finds the band focusing on more of a well-rounded rock sound, with equal parts brut and beauty. It’s also a creative step in the right direction, as the band experiments with different song structures, intros, and don't rely so heavily on the all-important hook. The guitar work on the album is “classic” hard rock, with Mark Tremonti displaying his ambitious riffage, sizzling solo stylings, and a touch of clean and acoustic strum n’ pick for good measure. Songs like “Slip to the Void,” “Isolation,” and “Still Remains” show off the fierce guitar work that both Tremonti and Kennedy can pull off as a 1, 2 rhythm-lead combo.
As you near the second half of the album, though, it becomes exceedingly evident that the songs are more elegant and melody driven, which leads to Kennedy’s vocal exhibition being more noticeable and Tremonti’s guitar work becoming more run-of-the-mill. Unfortunately, this is where the radio rock allergy may begin to kick in. It’s the allergy that occurs when you sense a cheesy rock moment ready to happen (ie, songs like “Wonderful Life” and “Breathe Again”) and it’s what truly keeps me away from 99 percent of radio hard rock music. I can tolerate these songs, but I will not be returning to them with future listening of the album.
Fortunately for the listener, Alter Bridge ditches the ballad-like act on two of the last three tracks, and keeps listeners like myself from returning to track one. They go for the jugular on the track “Coeur D’Alene,” which exemplifies itself as the epic track on the album and verifies why they are still ahead of the game musically in the genre. “Words Darker than Their Wings” finds the band wrapping up ABIII with a taste of everything, from the haunting acoustic intro and polished chorus, to Kennedy’s vocal showcase in the song's waning moments.
When it comes to my personal taste, Alter Bridge would succeed on a much higher level (no, not a Creed reference) if they stuck to the heavier, darker side of their music. The meat and potatoes of their sound are Tremonti’s guitar abilities and Kennedy’s vocal stylings, which seem to get somewhat lost at points within this album’s 66 minutes. Nonetheless, there are enough strong songs on this album to keep the listener interested throughout.
--Brian Myers
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