Top 10 AB songs

News and discussion about Alter Bridge. Get the latest updates here!
User avatar
AB4Lyfe
Achilles
Posts: 5873
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:17 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by AB4Lyfe »

AHart96 wrote:Revisiting after the new album, this was really tough and I’m sure it’ll change again over time but...

1. Cry of Achilles
2. Calm the Fire
3. Blackbird
4. Words Darker Than Their Wings
5. Walking on the Sky
6. All Ends Well
7. Come to Life
8. Ghost of Days Gone By
9. Slip to the Void
10. Peace is Broken

Really speaks to how highly I view the title track of the new album that it broke into my top 5. Such an excellent song
Damn Hartie, that’s pretty high up for the new track!
Image

User avatar
scarecrow
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 669
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 11:46 pm

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by scarecrow »

This is hard enough without ranking them, so these are chronological:

Open Your Eyes
Broken Wings
Brand New Start
Blackbird
Slip To The Void
Isolation
Words Darker Than Their Wings
Bleed It Dry
The Other Side
Forever Falling

The next ten (also chronological):

Find The Real
One Day Remains
Ties That Bind
Come To Life
Watch Over You
Ghosts Of Days Gone By
Life Must Go On
Cry Of Achilles
Lover
All Ends Well

User avatar
Blackbird
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 500
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 5:49 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by Blackbird »

1 - Blackbird
This is the best rock song ever written in the history of music. I don't care about all these old masterpieces, this is perfection and I doubt any band I'll ever listen to will ever reach that level again. AB themselves have 'only' almost done it a few times.

2 - Words Darker Than Their Wings
Not their longest, not their most complex, but still their second best epic. This song is beautiful in every single way and has the greatest outro I've ever heard in my life.

3 - Show Me A Sign
When I first listened to ABIII, I had to take a break after this song because I was overwhelmed with emotions. The ending solo is the most heartbreaking part of any AB song, and to me, heartbreaking music is the best music out there.

4 - New Way To Live
How on earth didn't this one make it on Blackbird? It's fucking amazing. Just as Show Me A Sign, this song hurts somewhere deep inside, especially the bridge. Just another masterpiece.

5 - Bleed It Dry
Most of this song would normally be average at best. But holy hell, this bridge. It's perfection and pulls the whole track to such a higher level that it's one of their best efforts yet.

6 - Lover
I feel like this is a very unconventional AB song because it has no focus on Mark's guitar work whatsoever. It's all Myles, and I think it's his best overall vocal performance and the best vocal melody he's ever written. That whole last chorus and outro is bombastic and cinematic.

7 - Cry Of Achilles
This, again, is musical perfection. A perfect showing of how many different parts in terms of style and feeling can come together to create a song that still feels like a song. The Last Hero and This Side Of Fate, while still great, are examples of a collection of parts that don't really fit each other. The only reason COA doesn't make it to the top 5 is that it's a little less emotional and a little more technical/heroic, and emotional always wins for me.

8 - Ghost Of Days Gone By
It took me a while, but after several listens and getting rid of the "high-school drum beat" feeling, this song has become one of my favourites. It's beautiful, it's harmonic, it's emotional - basically everything I'm looking for in a song. And because it's from ABIII, it's got a special place in my heart anyway.

9 - Waters Rising
This is the only non-emotional, kick-ass song that made the top 10. That alone should tell you how much I love it. The riffs make me want to bang my head until it falls off every time. It's fucking awesome.

10 - Wonderful Life
This song has one of the most heartbreaking lyrics I've ever heard. And with one last goodbye, as you fade out tonight, you're gone... This basically is Watch Over You, but even better, and their most "touching" song for me.

11-20 (in no particular order and heavily unstable): Burn It Down, Cradle To The Grave, Dying Light, Twilight, Island Of Fools, Life Must Go On, Brand New Start, Show Me A Leader, Come To Life, possibly Clear Horizon or The Bitter End.

Buffon
Bought The CDs
Posts: 64
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 1:46 pm

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by Buffon »

1. Blackbird - obviously
2. White Knuckles - fantastic riffs, one of the all-time great rock choruses, and Myles Kennedy at his absolute best
3. Cry of Achilles - gorgeous intro, fantastic solos, probably their most technically impressive song
4. Slip to the Void - another beautiful intro and memorable chorus
5. Ties That Bind - the Alter Bridge formula at its finest. Kick-ass riff, fantastic lyrics, soaring chorus, great bridge, amazing solo
6. Come to Life - see above. Hard to pick between them
7. Find the Real - straightforward fist-pumping hard rock, driven by a crunching riff and yet another world class vocal performance
8. Fortress - proof of what this band can accomplish when they flex their creative chops. Would be even higher if the album version sounded cleaner
9. Brand New Start - beautiful melody, lyrics, vocals, solo. And that outro is one of my all-time favorites
10. All Hope Is Gone - probably their most underrated song. An absolute gem, infectious melody, great lyrics, one of my favorite solos

The new songs have some steep competition to make it on here, but Indoctrination and Walking on the Sky are probably the front-runners. Definitely top 20 material at the least.
Last edited by Buffon on Mon Oct 21, 2019 7:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
One Drew Remains
Slip To The Void
Posts: 4521
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:40 pm
Location: Mizzou

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by One Drew Remains »

Too early to even fathom this. Ask me a year from now.
Altered:
9/17/11, 5/02/14, 10/16/14, 10/08/16, 1/28/17, 5/13/17, 12/08/17, 10/14/19, 8/17/23

nildiven
Bought The CDs
Posts: 67
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 7:34 pm

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by nildiven »

1. Blackbird
2. The Last Hero
3. Brand New Start
4. Fortress
5. Cry Of Achillles
6. Open Your Eyes
7. Dying Light
8. Broken Wings
9. Ghosts of Days Gone By
10. Cradle to the Grave

User avatar
scarecrow
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 669
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 11:46 pm

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by scarecrow »

Blackbird wrote:1 - Blackbird
This is the best rock song ever written in the history of music.
It's a great song and almost certainly AB's best but... this is a stretch. :P

User avatar
Blackbird
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 500
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 5:49 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by Blackbird »

scarecrow wrote:
Blackbird wrote:1 - Blackbird
This is the best rock song ever written in the history of music.
It's a great song and almost certainly AB's best but... this is a stretch. :P
Why though? Does the best song in the world (apart from Tribute, of course) necessarily need to be at least 30 years old? I don't think so.

jeff
Brand New Start
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2019 12:48 pm

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by jeff »

1. Fortress
2. Blackbird
3. Wayward One
4. I Know It Hurts
5. Walking on the Sky
6. Ghost of Days Gone By
7. Brand New Start
8. Peace is Broken
9. Still Remains
10. Island of Fools

I actually really like the new album. I'll be honest and say that I wasn't really feeling the singles (except Dying Light, also excluding Native Son as I didn't realise it was released early on Octane), but as a whole I really like it. Walking on the Sky is a very good song in my opinion and structured very well. ALSO THE CHORUS. Quite possibly the best chorus of any AB song. So good.

MuffinMcFluffin
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 557
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 1:05 am
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Contact:

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by MuffinMcFluffin »

Blackbird is my favorite song and Alter Bridge is my favorite band... so for it to be the best song for me is not a stretch. I will most certainly say it loudly and proudly any time that it's asked, without a second's hesitation.

Many other songs have great underpinnings to stand the best of time and be accepted as phenomenal by many. Outside of the obvious Stairway to Heaven, there are also songs like Hallelujah, Hey Jude, God Only Knows, or The Sound of Silence.

And then there is Sara Bareilles, who is a goddess.

Thomz87
Bought The CDs
Posts: 70
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2016 5:52 am

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by Thomz87 »

1. Blackbird
2. Cry Of Achilles
3. Words Darker Than Their Wings
4. Fortress
5. Coeur d'Alene
6. Watch Over You (acoustic)
7. The Last Hero
8. Calm The Fire
9. Island Of Fools
10. Godspeed

TheEndisHere
TABN.com Citizen
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 8:25 pm

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by TheEndisHere »

Honestly, Dying Light and Godspeed are the only songs from WTS with a potential of making the top 10. I gotta go back and see my picks last time.

TheEndisHere
TABN.com Citizen
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 8:25 pm

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by TheEndisHere »

Found it. Here's my list last time:
Ghosts of Days Gone By
Cry of Achilles
Fortress
Cradle to the Grave
Life Must Go On
Broken Wings
Blackbird
Last Hero
Slip into the Void
The End is Here/ Coming Home

Here's my new top ten in no order:
Ghosts of Days Gone By
Cry of Achilles
Fortress
Cradle to the Grave
Godspeed
Broken Wings
White Knuckles
Slip into the Void
Last Hero
Three-way: Dying Light/The End is Here/ Coming Home (can't decide)

Box Of Frogz
Bought The CDs
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon May 13, 2013 4:12 am

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by Box Of Frogz »

Tough one. In no real order these are my top ten:

1. Open Your Eyes
2. Blackbird
3. Fortress
4. Broken Wings
5. Cry Of Achilles
6. Words Darker Than Their Wings
7. Metalingus
8. Watch Over You
9. I’m Loving Memory
10. Ghost Of Days Gone By

Walk The Sky the whole is better than the sum of its parts so no song quite breaks my top ten. The Last Hero has some high points and also some of the bands lowest points but, again, no song breaks the top ten.

TheEndisHere
TABN.com Citizen
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 8:25 pm

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by TheEndisHere »

Box Of Frogz wrote:Tough one. In no real order these are my top ten:

1. Open Your Eyes
2. Blackbird
3. Fortress
4. Broken Wings
5. Cry Of Achilles
6. Words Darker Than Their Wings
7. Metalingus
8. Watch Over You
9. I’m Loving Memory
10. Ghost Of Days Gone By

Walk The Sky the whole is better than the sum of its parts so no song quite breaks my top ten. The Last Hero has some high points and also some of the bands lowest points but, again, no song breaks the top ten.
Walk the Sky and TLH are like opposites. WTS is more consistent but doesn't have that instantly iconic song (whole better than the sum) and TLH has some high highs but less consistency and the songs are better not played as an album.

peapod0609
Bought The CDs
Posts: 96
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2018 11:48 am

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by peapod0609 »

TheEndisHere wrote:
Box Of Frogz wrote:Tough one. In no real order these are my top ten:

1. Open Your Eyes
2. Blackbird
3. Fortress
4. Broken Wings
5. Cry Of Achilles
6. Words Darker Than Their Wings
7. Metalingus
8. Watch Over You
9. I’m Loving Memory
10. Ghost Of Days Gone By

Walk The Sky the whole is better than the sum of its parts so no song quite breaks my top ten. The Last Hero has some high points and also some of the bands lowest points but, again, no song breaks the top ten.
Walk the Sky and TLH are like opposites. WTS is more consistent but doesn't have that instantly iconic song (whole better than the sum) and TLH has some high highs but less consistency and the songs are better not played as an album.
I 100% agree with the assessment of WTF and TLH. TLH for me had like 5 very good songs and the rest ranged from decent to meh. On WTS, every single song beats the bottom 4 or 5 from TLH for me. It is a much more consistent album. Although I am not sure if anything on WTS beats my top 2-3 from TLH which would be the title track, This Side of Fate, and Cradle to the Grave.

User avatar
scarecrow
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 669
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 11:46 pm

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by scarecrow »

Blackbird wrote:
scarecrow wrote:
Blackbird wrote:1 - Blackbird
This is the best rock song ever written in the history of music.
It's a great song and almost certainly AB's best but... this is a stretch. :P
Does the best song in the world (apart from Tribute, of course) necessarily need to be at least 30 years old?
No, but that doesn't mean that it isn't.

If you've heard all the great rock songs and still think Blackbird is best, that's your call. But for me it doesn't really stand up to the best of Springsteen's catalogue, for example.

Jesterhead92
Bought The CDs
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2019 4:33 pm

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by Jesterhead92 »

Alright, I'm gonna try and do my top 5 for each album and then try to bring it together for an overall top 10.

One Day Remains
1. Shed My Skin
2. Burn It Down
3. Find The Real
4. Broken Wings
5. The End Is Here

Blackbird
1. Blackbird
2. Watch Over You
3. Brand New Start
4. White Knuckles
5. Coming Home

ABIII
1. All Hope Is Gone
2. Breathe Again
3. Fallout
4. Show Me A Sign
5. Words Darker Than Their Wings

Fortress
1. Cry of Achilles
2. Lover
3. Peace Is Broken
4. Fortress
5. Calm The Fire

The Last Hero
1. Show Me A Leader
2-5. Whatever

Walk The Sky
1. Walking On The Sky
2. The Bitter End
3. Forever Falling
4. Godspeed
5. Wouldn't You Rather

Overall Top 10
1. Blackbird
2. Watch Over You
3. Cry of Achilles
4. All Hope Is Gone
5. Brand New Start
6. Lover
7. Shed My Skin
8. White Knuckles (can you tell what my favorite album is?)
9. Breathe Again
10. Walking On The Sky

Fuck this is hard

User avatar
phatnonphatness
Loyal Follower
Posts: 341
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:49 am

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by phatnonphatness »

Unranked order...

Burn It Down
Down To My Last
Shed My Skin
Before Tomorrow Comes
Words Darker Than Their Wings
Bleed It Dry
Fortress
Never Say Die
This Side Of Fate
The Last Hero

Might be a bit controversial leaving out Blackbird for songs like Before Tomrorow Comes and Never Say Die, but I honestly just enjoy listening to them more. I also suspect a few of the tracks off Walk The Sky might make their way on to this list over time.

scalthom
Brand New Start
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 2:07 am

Re: Top 10 AB songs

Post by scalthom »

1. Blackbird
2. Words Darker than their Wing
3. Fortress
4. Slip to the Void
5. Cry of Achilles
6. Walking on the Sky
7. SOLACE (yes, a B-side.... the lyrics are awesome and this is a classic AB gem that needs to get more credit (if Pearl Jam’s Yellow Ledbetter B side can be a fan favorite why can’t this?)
8. Shed My Skin
9. Broken Wings
10. Waters Rising

Post Reply