Pawns & Kings (Alter Bridge - VII)

[Dan Dando]

Right when it got to the guitar breakdown right before the dueling guitar solos stuff, I felt this smile just form across my face.

That's exactly what makes this song incoherent in my book. You've got this proggy build-up which then explodes into something pretty heavy and then suddenly they go into this pull-off/hammer-on bluesy breakdown which goes out of nowhere.

I'll add to that the sudden heavy guitars when they come in after the soft section at the beginning. And also, after that section, the lone notes before the main riff. It screams that they artificially stitched those two parts of the song together.

4:15 here might be of interest.

[Crumbso]

Right when it got to the guitar breakdown right before the dueling guitar solos stuff, I felt this smile just form across my face.

That's exactly what makes this song incoherent in my book. You've got this proggy build-up which then explodes into something pretty heavy and then suddenly they go into this pull-off/hammer-on bluesy breakdown which goes out of nowhere.

I'll add to that the sudden heavy guitars when they come in after the soft section at the beginning. And also, after that section, the lone notes before the main riff. It screams that they artificially stitched those two parts of the song together.

4:15 here might be of interest.

Huh, interesting. They weave them together so well. It feels like the first two parts are looking back on the worst parts of making a terrible mistake in life and then the middle parts with the chorus are the warning/rescue and they meld the two themes together properly at the end. You have recurring themes and combined themes. I personally didn't find anything incongruous or parts together on my first listen.

[maximzub]

Okay, I'm gonna do a video review of Fable Of The Silent Son tonight to settle my opinion on it once and for all.

[gbruin]

I'm just popping in because I heard from Shea and Andy that Greg ranked Stay dead last. So what I wanted to say was, Greg, you've always had impeccable taste.

Not sure if this is mocking my fall from previous impeccable taste or if it's complimenting my enduring impeccable taste.

If it's the former...I have clearly slipped from sanity due to your long long long loooooooooooong and far too long an absence. Stick around and help me get better, Lotha!

If it's the latter, then, yeah, right on! (but stick around in this case too )

And admittedly Stay is growing. I'd put it better than Holiday by now. And it's all relative to the other songs on the album, too. It's not a bad song, just not a great AB song.

[riemslag1]

Nice there may come a 12-track tour-edition later

[Dolo]

4:15 here might be of interest.

Just supports my point of incoherentness. Throwing ideas from 3 totally different songs into one track doesn't really work, unless you make the transitions really good but then still, faced with 3 very different beasts it's hard to make it work. The art is to write songs at such length and still make them flow well.

[Mr.Vlado]

4:15 here might be of interest.

Just supports my point of incoherentness. Throwing ideas from 3 totally different songs into one track doesn't really work, unless you make the transitions really good but then still, faced with 3 very different beasts it's hard to make it work. The art is to write songs at such length and still make them flow well.

I mean it does not work for you, many people on here see Fable an awesome piece of music and even as one of ABs strongest songs overall (me included). For me it seems to work because I do not find that the song doesn't flow or seems incoherent at all.

[Ubik]

Yup, one of their better flowing longer songs to my ears.

[ToNsOFuN88]

4:15 here might be of interest.

Just supports my point of incoherentness. Throwing ideas from 3 totally different songs into one track doesn't really work, unless you make the transitions really good but then still, faced with 3 very different beasts it's hard to make it work. The art is to write songs at such length and still make them flow well.

They literally do this all the time though. They are always taking parts from "other songs" to see if they fit with a song they are working on (if it needs a bridge or something).

Idk why you guys are struggling with comprehending this song, it's not as random as it seems. It's actually pretty structured. You have the first fingerpicked intro, then the heavy guitars come in and its literally repeating the intro melody just over a heavy riff version of it. After that it's literally a normal song for them with some proggy rhythms. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, breakdown/bridge, guitar solo, one last pre-chorus call back to the original intro melody, then final chorus. It's brilliant!

[austinjhnsn]

It flows better than some short songs of theirs in my opinion.

[Whitebird]

Jesus of suburbia it’s a great song made of like 5 different songs, works for me

[maximzub]

Right when it got to the guitar breakdown right before the dueling guitar solos stuff, I felt this smile just form across my face.

That's exactly what makes this song incoherent in my book. You've got this proggy build-up which then explodes into something pretty heavy and then suddenly they go into this pull-off/hammer-on bluesy breakdown which goes out of nowhere.

I'll add to that the sudden heavy guitars when they come in after the soft section at the beginning. And also, after that section, the lone notes before the main riff. It screams that they artificially stitched those two parts of the song together.

4:15 here might be of interest.

This was an amazing interview! We got to hear a lot of stuff about the upcoming tour, his songwriting process, and the possibility that they might release the two unreleased songs next year. I'm so excited!

By the way, if somebody can read what's on Mark's list of 33 songs; I'll buy you a pizza.

[CrowsOnAWire]

4:15 here might be of interest.

Just supports my point of incoherentness. Throwing ideas from 3 totally different songs into one track doesn't really work, unless you make the transitions really good but then still, faced with 3 very different beasts it's hard to make it work. The art is to write songs at such length and still make them flow well.

I mean it does not work for you, many people on here see Fable an awesome piece of music and even as one of ABs strongest songs overall (me included). For me it seems to work because I do not find that the song doesn't flow or seems incoherent at all.

Precisely. Fable is a phenomenal track.

[WaywardOne]

In case anyone wants to take a pause from Fable for a moment…

I think I remember reading somewhere back that Dead Among the Living was meant to be a Come To Life type song. But I think it sounds more like Last of Our Kind/Symphony of Agony. Like… A LOT. Almost like an improved version.

[Whitebird]

In case anyone wants to take a pause from Fable for a moment…

I think I remember reading somewhere back that Dead Among the Living was meant to be a Come To Life type song. But I think it sounds more like Last of Our Kind/Symphony of Agony. Like… A LOT. Almost like an improved version.

Yeah the main riff it's too similar, it's like if Symphony of Agony got Cometolifizied(?!?!?)

[Whitebird]

And the whole intro of Season of Promise to me sounds like a mix of Foo Fighters' My Hero and Everlong.

[Schulzy]

In case anyone wants to take a pause from Fable for a moment…

I think I remember reading somewhere back that Dead Among the Living was meant to be a Come To Life type song. But I think it sounds more like Last of Our Kind/Symphony of Agony. Like… A LOT. Almost like an improved version.

I agree and thought the same thing. There are elements of Last of Our Kind (I like that song quite a bit and felt it was one of the better b-sides from AB) that pop up even in Pawns & Kings.

[maximzub]

In case anyone wants to take a pause from Fable for a moment…

I think I remember reading somewhere back that Dead Among the Living was meant to be a Come To Life type song. But I think it sounds more like Last of Our Kind/Symphony of Agony. Like… A LOT. Almost like an improved version.

I agree and thought the same thing. There are elements of Last of Our Kind (I like that song quite a bit and felt it was one of the better b-sides from AB) that pop up even in Pawns & Kings.

Last Of Our Kind is one of my favorite Alter Bridge songs, and my favorite bonus track of all time.

[SHEAKENBAKEN]

The clean part around 2:30 in Season of Promise reminds me of the clean intro in Take The Crown for some reason

[maximzub]

Okay, I just finished my third listen through of Fable Of The Silent Son along with my video review. It can be awkward at times because I've always been awkward speaking directly into a camera. But I think it's gonna illustrate why I don't like the song and why it doesn't live up to the standards set by their other epics. When I get home next weekend I'm gonna add the audio track of the song to the video and post it on YouTube so I can share it here.