Alter Bridge is back, and they’ve returned with a self-titled record. When a band with a career spanning over two decades decides to give their eighth album such a title, the message is clear: this is who we are; this is our essence.
Beyond the name, there’s a detail in this album’s history that makes it special before you even hit play: it was recorded at Van Halen’s legendary 5150 studio. This was made possible thanks to Wolfgang Van Halen, a former bandmate of Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti. It’s not common for them to allow another band to record there, making this a fascinating bit of trivia. And well, the recording sounds excellent.
It’s a standard 12-track record. A hard rock effort that reaches a metal sound at times, exemplifying exactly why this band is so popular.
The album opens with Silent Divide, a hard rock track armed with a powerful chorus and heavy riffs. Myles Kennedy wails tremendously, demonstrating enviable vocal power, and the band sounds like they are having a great moment of inspiration.
The energy holds with Rue The Day, which kicks off with some excellent metal riffs. For me, it’s one of the best songs on the record; it has a lot of feeling and closes with some good guitar solos that elevate the composition.
When Power Down arrives, the band decides to step on the gas. The speed and energy increase, and Kennedy’s voice once again demonstrates his impressive range.
There are two songs where Mark Tremonti contributes lead vocals: Trust In Me (chorus) and Tested And Able (verses). His unique voice isn’t lost in them, though personally, I’ve never liked it much. Tested And Able feels a bit boring to me, and Mark’s voice doesn’t help make it more entertaining. When Kennedy returns to full lead vocals on the following track, it feels like a relief, especially given his wide vocal register, contrary to how limited Tremonti is as a singer.
That said, throughout the album, Mark Tremonti plays guitar as elaborately and high energy as ever. It’s a pleasure to hear a guitarist of such high caliber play.
Something perhaps objectionable is that the band repeats the choruses quite a bit in every song. It’s rock with commercial ambitions, so it’s understandable. But that said, those choruses are surrounded by plenty of different sections. Rather than repetitive, the choruses serve as an anchor to everything happening around them, usually various distinct sections that sometimes seem to arise out of nowhere, yet work very well within the song.
All those good parts add a lot of depth to the album. They expand the flow of feeling, raising and lowering the emotion and energy organically.
Hang By A Thread is a song that starts off quietly but gets pretty rocky as it progresses. It’s another great example of how the songs on this record expand. It’s music that is always changing, in a good way. The song ends with one of the best sections on the entire album.
Another possible objection is that the band doesn’t stray from their basic sound. On every track, the musical universe they belong to is clear; there are no radical surprises. They don’t innovate their language, so to speak, but from section to section, the music is very inventive.
The album is consistently good. Honestly, I think it’s music that would get anyone fired up. It really seems like every song tells something interesting, that they all have something to say. Listening to this record is a quite exciting experience, and one that is worth it. Alter Bridge is a testament to a band that knows its strengths and exploits them to the max.
