Alright guys. My first ever album review, 12 years in the making. Allow me to disappoint.
THIS IS WAR
Banger. Pure banger. This is the 4-minute single I've wanted for forever from Alter Bridge. It's dark, heavy, and gives me the chugga chugga that I've come to love over the years. I understand the choice to release Pawns & Kings as the first song, and Silver Tongue as the first single. But to me, from strictly a radio rock/metal perspective, I think this song slaps the hardest and maybe should have been the first single. In general, I love the meaning of internal war with yourself.
Notable parts for me: the choir in the background of the riff (yes please, gimme more), the "calm before the storm" prechorus as a little break from the action, and the way Myles sings "can't you see what's coming" in the chorus sounds so powerful.
Rating: 9.5/10. It's near perfect for what it is, a fookin' banger.
DEAD AMONG THE LIVING
Or as I like to call it - Come to Life Part 2. The intro riff and overlaying guitar lick had me thinking it's a combination of Come to Life and Symphony of Agony. Not that that is a bad thing at all, just some clear influence. This is a good follow-up to the opening track, and as far as your drop-b AB songs, it's top notch. I love me a good post-chorus solo break into a second verse, so that was nice. Wish the guitar lead in the bridge was a little longer, or perhaps more of a "solo, but I digress.
Notable parts: dope intro riffage, love the lyrical theme, and general tone of the song feels like an evolution of previous works so I love that little continuity.
Rating: 7.5/10. Really solid track.
SILVER TONGUE
I think the inspiration for this song is pretty clear, but there's a separate thread to discuss those topics. I think for a radio single, this song works well. I mentioned before (perhaps in other chats) that the song isn't my favorite. I do love where Myles seemingly pulled the inspiration for this song and the underlying theme, however, I can't really get behind the music and an Alter Bridge lead single without a ripping solo. If I have a "top, middle, bottom" tier list for this album, this song is in the bottom tier. But I do see the mass appeal a song like this could generate on rock and metal radio so I won't complain too much. Just feels like it's missing something.
Notable parts: intro riffage again (a common theme on this album) and a very high-energy chorus which is my favorite part of the song.
Rating: 6/10
SIN AFTER SIN
Ok this one is complicated. As far as the vibe goes, yes please, give me slow dark grungy chugga chugga metal, I'm all about that. But unfortunately... this is the first time I will ever complain about an Alter Bridge song that *felt* too long. Feels like the song dragged in parts, despite how high-quality I think the music actually might be, which kind of took me out of it. Overall, theme, musicianship, and lyrical content are all pluses for me. But I rank this song in my middle tier simply because on a first listen, if someone like me who can listen to Reptile by Periphery on repeat is looking at the time stamps mid-way through, that's an issue.
Notable parts: the ascending riff in the intro riff, the dark theme, Myles voice in the verses, Mark's harmonies in the bridge and the outro, and the ending lead (although I wish they expanded on it - again, lead vs. solo).
Rating: 7/10
STAY
Hear me out. Yes, this song is cheesy as all hell, let's get that out of the way. But this isn't your regular Good Value shredded cheddar mix. This is some White Stilton or Pule shit. The best of the best cheese. It does feel out of place on an Alter Bridge record which I think is where a lot of the negativity may be coming from, feels more akin towards pop rock radio or a Creed record. Mark's voice on this song sounds awesome, wasn't produced the best on WTS but Elvis nailed it here. The chorus is my favorite melody since Cry of Achilles - no question. And that chorus probably has me ranking this song higher than it maybe deserves, but I don't care, it's my rankings
Falls short on the lyrics though, that first line is probably a big turn-off for most.
Notable parts: the chorus melody (Myles harmonizing on this is amazing), solid bridge, and Mark's clean vocals.
Rating: 8.5/10
HOLIDAY
Alter Bridge, meet Slash & The Conspirators. I won't waste too much time covering this song as this one, and Silver Tongue, are my two least favorite tracks on the record and this one is pretty forgettable in the middle of the record. I've listened to every song that's been released a minimum of 10 times so far. I've listened to Holiday 3 times. While I love the guitar and riffage on this track, the vibe is just off. Again, one of those songs where I understand the appeal and that there's a lot of listeners who would enjoy it, but just not for me.
Notable parts: I don't mind the lyrics, I need a damn Holiday too so thanks Myles.
Also - great guitar throughout, and good harmonies from Mark.
Rating: 5.5-6/10
FABLE OF THE SILENT SON
How long we've waited for this song... This is the evolution we all wanted after Fortress came out, for Alter Bridge to go full prog. To me, I hear influences from Tool, Metallica (Load/Reload era) and maybe even Dream Theater. The lyrical theme strikes a chord with me - "I've learned from my mistakes - times have changed, and I have changed". This is just *chef's kiss*. The doom-y chords that play throughout give it this haunting, dark vibe to it. Like the darker side of Ghost of Days Gone By - where that song was about losing your childhood innocence and longing for simpler times, this feels like a continuation of that, acknowledging times have changed, learning what you can from the past, and moving on so as not to make the same mistakes and prevent others from doing the same. The 8-minutes in this song went by very quickly. I think having two different choruses benefits the song, and I like how they brought back the first chorus as a way to "bridge" the bridge to the final chorus. Near perfect song - just wish the solo section was expanded upon a little more.
Notable parts: that solo section where the whole band is going off as Mark is just shredding is pure metal magic, I actually like the more monotone part of "Fable of the Silent Son, a warning of the things to come," and just in general the structure of the song is very enjoyable to me.
Rating: 9.5/10
SEASON OF PROMISE
Get some big time pop punk/Foo Fighters vibes from the intro here - not complaining at all, gives me the same kind of feeling as the intro to Take You With Me. There are also some parts to me that sound like it'd fit really well on Myles' solo stuff, again, not a complaint as it is a very diverse song. Marks' harmonies on this record are really well done - especially like the harmonies on the second verse. The bridge definitely gives me those Never Say Die/Outright vibes, but probably a bit more polished. Ripper of a solo from Mark in the outro here, very good lead in to the next track, and reminds me a lot of AB3 solos and structures. To me - it's another song that's very middle of the pack on this record, never really got behind the lyrics much but the music is pretty solid.
Notable parts: outro solo, Mark's harmonies, AB goes pop punk with the riff.
Rating: 7/10
LAST MAN STANDING
Fuck. Yes. Give me more odd time signatures and interesting structures, all about that. "Last man standing, first to sell your soul" kind of reminds me of WTS lyrical themes, like Wouldn't You Rather and Clear Horizon. Song is definitely a slower build up which I tend to like, adds an interesting dynamic. The bridge is far and away from my favorite part of the song - going into that quiter section with a more muted guitar tone, Myles using a bit of a lower register, Mark coming in with the harmonies as the vocals pick up, and then going into a fucker of a split solo. Both parts sound like Myles to me just based on guitar tone, with Mark doing the outro solo. The transition from the bridge to the final chorus could probably have been drawn out a bit better - feels too abrupt, but that's literally my one complaint about the song. Even with Fable being one of the unreleased tracks, this is probably the one I've listened to more than any other.
Notable parts: THE BRIDGE THO. Odd time signatures with an interesting riff, the slow build, and the outro solo.
Rating: 9/10
PAWNS & KINGS
I can't think of a single thing on this song I don't like. Even after 3 months or so of listening to this song consistently, I have zero complaints. It feels cohesive, and very representative of the current direction of the band. In hindsight, while I thought This is War was probably my pick for the first single, I think this song was the right move for the first release. It's got everything I like in an Alter Bridge song. The one thing I can't quite get behind is lyrical theme - not that I don't like the lyrics, but just connect on a personal level with the song, despite how much I love the music. That bridge is some of the most headbanging I think I will ever do to an AB song - on par with the breakdown from TLH.
Notable parts: bridge riff, and connecting back to the intro riff for cohesion, outro is very reminiscent of Cry of Achilles, Myles kills it on both guitar and vocally on this song.
Rating: 9.5/10
Final ranking: 79.5/100
Overall - I think this record is one of the most refined Alter Bridge records to date. It's a diverse record that showcases top-notch musicianship and progression from their previous albums. I personally have enjoyed this record more than any other release since Fortress - and honestly think this is the record that should have come after Fortress, but better late than never. Some great strides were made toward the more progressive and experimental side of the band, just wish they would tap into that more often.
Song rankings:
1. Fable of the Silent Son
2. Pawns & Kings
3. This is War
4. Last Man Standing
5. Stay
6. Dead Among the Living
7. Season of Promise
8. Sin After Sin
9. Silver Tongue
10. Holiday
Where does it rank on my favorite AB records?
1. Fortress
2. Blackbird
3a. AB3
3b. Pawns & Kings
4. The Last Hero
5. Walk the Sky
6. One Day Remains
TL;DR - the record fucks, and is one of my favorite AB releases barring some lower-tier tracks I just couldn't get into. EXTREMELY EXCITED to start seeing some live footage, and see them in Seattle this winter.
