The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

[Arctic]

Yep, aside from the lengthier, 'epic' songs, Island Of Fools might be one of my favorites, ever. I think someone described it as Ties That Bind on steroids, which is spot on.

[AHart96]

I guess if there was one thing that has been taken from my review, that would be it

[AHart96]

I'm surprised nobody called out my "blasphemy" suggesting that there is a better Myles solo than Blackbird

[Dolo]

I listened to the whole record paying a lot of attention to details and things which either surprised me or appear to be pretty unoriginal

- Pause in the chorus of Show Me a Leader makes it actually a bit different than most of their choruses
- The Other Side intro - the first time they've ever done an a cappella based section
- The Other Side outro lead - I don't think they ever did such a cool lingering, gloomy lead part before
- Island of Fools verse guitar interplay - pretty interesting how guitars seem to be yelling at each other
- The Last Hero chugga-chugga section after the first chorus - possibly the most surprising thing they did on this record, usually after a solo they come back to the chorus or they resolve to a softer section, Myles's vocals here remind me a lot of Dream Theater
- Poison in Your Vains verse - first time they ever used tremolo effect?
- Island of Fools bridge - the first time ever I've heard bass playing a more important role than guitar, sliding up and down the neck




- Show me a Leader 7 string is super generic. Why use an extended range guitar to write such a weak riff? I remember people laughing at Saint Asonia's Better Place because of having a cheesy main riff, well, SMAL is not much better
- most of vocal melodies are synonymous with guitar riffs, have Myles lost his ability to write sick lines without relaying on Mark's riffs?
- Poison in Your Veins sound a lot like Cry Me a River, mainly in terms of the riffs and the drum vibe
- This Side of Fate acoustic part and the solo thereafter, that just sounds so uninspired and cheesy IMO
- an overall observation concerning lyrics - they appear very bland, especially the theme of 'being much more' that repeats in some of the tunes
- as regards vocals itself - a lot of bluesy, whiny melodies which is possibly what he picked up working with Slash - not digging it at all
- Cradle to the Grave intro - Buried Alive intro anyone?
- Losing Patience main riff reminds me of a Stone Sour tune, can't really remember which one
- This Side of Fate bridge comes out of nowhere, as if the second part of the tune was meant to be initially somewhere else
- You Will Remembered is AB's ultimate cheesy tune, we've heared such ballads hunderds of times already
- Crows on a Wire second riff sounds like a mix of Isolation, Coeur D'Alene and Buried Alive - pretty uninspired, chorus here reminds me of Roar by Katy Perry (as I mentioned earlier)
- Island of Fools Myles's heavy riff sounds like a Ties That Bind rip-off
- Last of Our Kind main riff is almost like a compound of Still Remains and Come to Life (bridge sounds even more like the former) - no wonder it's a b-side

[youknowverywell]

I just want to hear Breathe

[Harry©]

You guys are hard to please.
Tough crowd.

[antiwal]

- Show me a Leader 7 string is super generic. Why use an extended range guitar to write such a weak riff? I remember people laughing at Saint Asonia's Better Place because of having a cheesy main riff, well, SMAL is not much better
- most of vocal melodies are synonymous with guitar riffs, have Myles lost his ability to write sick lines without relaying on Mark's riffs?
- Poison in Your Veins sound a lot like Cry Me a River, mainly in terms of the riffs and the drum vibe
- This Side of Fate acoustic part and the solo thereafter, that just sounds so uninspired and cheesy IMO
- an overall observation concerning lyrics - they appear very bland, especially the theme of 'being much more' that repeats in some of the tunes
- as regards vocals itself - a lot of bluesy, whiny melodies which is possibly what he picked up working with Slash - not digging it at all
- Cradle to the Grave intro - Buried Alive intro anyone?
- Losing Patience main riff reminds me of a Stone Sour tune, can't really remember which one
- This Side of Fate bridge comes out of nowhere, as if the second part of the tune was meant to be initially somewhere else
- You Will Remembered is AB's ultimate cheesy tune, we've heared such ballads hunderds of times already
- Crows on a Wire second riff sounds like a mix of Isolation, Coeur D'Alene and Buried Alive - pretty uninspired, chorus here reminds me of Roar by Katy Perry (as I mentioned earlier)
- Island of Fools Myles's heavy riff sounds like a Ties That Bind rip-off
- Last of Our Kind main riff is almost like a compound of Still Remains and Come to Life (bridge sounds even more like the former) - no wonder it's a b-side

Wow, I barely hear any of what you hear (aside from the Still Remains comparison to Last Of Our Kind). Funny how there are no two sets of the same ears. I'm sorry you don't have mine

[BUK]

Losing Patience...
https://youtu.be/RaeWEPGqWpg

Anyone hear a little tonal/riffage lifting from Come Again....?
Just to remind us.....
Easy Comes....
https://youtu.be/WAy_enSCl3s

AND Falling to pieces.....
https://youtu.be/dbqH_Yw-RI4

[Bman2112]

Well. Been giving it a spin 5/6 times on a flight from Dubai back to the UK.

First initial impressions....... disappointed. Mind you, I was with Fortress too, so you can only imagine how I feel at the moment.

As many reviewers on here have said, there's a few skipable songs on this disk. And for the love of god, can someone take Myles to one side and tell him to stop that nasal crap he's started doing (Cradle to Grave chorus)....AND all this HIGH/low....HIGH/low singing register he's putting on most songs.

We all know how great a singer he is, and for me his 'lower' register is just nicer to listen to.

Still, obviously there is some good stuff on this album and I'm sure I need to wrap my head around some songs that you guys are loving (This side of fate - which sounds like Muse and Dream Theater on a bad day) and also Island of Fools which goes absolutely bloody nowhere!

One of the early reviews rated this album at 66/100 and said after song 6 it all sounds a little samey. I would agree, with the exception of the title track.

7/10

[Andy92]

Gave the album one proper listen last night and then played a few songs in the car on my way to work this morning. Early standouts:

This Side of Fate
Crows On A Wire
Island of Fools

[Kreuger33]

Im sorry AHart but your review is bad. Drawing horrible comparisons and you crapped on a great song (Crows)

[Lotha]

^ Reviews aren't supposed to be objective, otherwise they'd be useless. So there are no bad reviews imo.

[antiwal]

Still struggling to rank the new tracks but I do know Crows and Writing are definitely up there. Same goes for Cradle. What I DO know for sure is that Twilight is my least favourite (but I still like it).

[AHart96]

Im sorry AHart but your review is bad. Drawing horrible comparisons and you crapped on a great song (Crows)

Salty much? You dont have to like my opinion, but please respect it. I don't bash anyone else's opinion, thanks

EDIT: If I may, which comparisons are horrible? If you may enlighten me. I don't think I said anything ridiculous

[RuRo]

I've had three spins from the album so far. I started writing this review after my second time, and writing during the third spin. Enjoy!




I’ve been a long time poster on this forum, from way back to the ABB.Net days. I don’t post much here much anymore, but I do lurk. I’ve witnessed the changes the band has gone through over the past 12 years (I can’t believe we’ve had 12 years of Alter Bridge!), from record labels to their business approach to selling records and touring, to side projects. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the dynamic songwriting and interplay from our beloved band who truly is one of the greats of rock music since the turn of the century.

One thing about many great bands and artists is that their sounds do change over time. If they didn’t try new things; didn’t change their sound, they wouldn’t be the renowned artist like we know them. Led Zeppelin went from writing (and covering) blues and folk music to psychedelic, hypnotic rock. Compare The Beatles Please Please Me to Abby Road, and the difference in sound is huge. Even Michael Jackson changed his sound several times in his solo career, from disco to R&B to new jack swing. In Alter Bridge’s case, we go from the anthem rock songs of One Day Remains to heavy progressive rock that they display in The Last Hero. And that is ok.

The Last Hero to me is an incredible testament for the band that they don’t want every new release to sound like the last one. That they want to push themselves with new ideas and styles. This album is chalk full different chord progressions, experimentation of songs structures, and implementing influences from romantic classical music and operatic rock. They delivered an album in which the sound and the story shines grander than any other Alter Bridge record to date.

There is a theme throughout this record that makes it one of the more compelling Alter Bridge records. It’s as if Myles Kennedy wrote this waiting for Superman. Waiting for someone to lift society and inspire us. It’s not in your face political ala Rage Against The Machine or Public Enemy. In fact, he takes the approach of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, a record that emphasizes instead of criticizes. Here, Myles understands the divisiveness and current state of our society, and touches on these emotions of frustration and unrest.

The lyrical content compliments the overall musical aesthetic of the album. It’s heavy, energetic, and at times, chaotic. This album is quite diverse, but don’t expect a mellow ballad like “Watch Over You” in this one. In fact, a song a like that would probably feel out of place in the tone set throughout the album. Despite the lack of a mellow ballad, you got songs like “You Will Be Remembered” and “My Champion” that fits in nicely as anthemic ballads that gives thanks. Songs like “Cradle To The Grave” display the romanticism of Chopin and Bellini. The bridge to “This Side of Fate” will make any fans of Queen and Muse smile ear to ear. The influence of the rock opera and glam sounds of these bands are definitely heard, from the music composition to the soaring vocals of Myles Kennedy.

This album is full of head bang worthy riffs. “Island of Fools” stands out to me as one of Alter Bridge’s finest to get you pumped. The build up in the first 30 seconds sets you up for an ally oop. That riff is just monstrous! The dual guitar interplay is phenomenal, backed up by the the thunder buddies, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips. I especially enjoyed Flip’s play on “The Writing On The Wall”, and Brian holds together that bridge in “The Other Side”, and absolutely brings in it “Poison In Your Veins.”

Mark Tremonti is the definitive lead hard rock guitarist of our time. Yes, he has his signature sound, but to be able to change up his chord progression and be effective is a testament of how talented the man is. We heard a little bit of this industrial progressive type of playing in “Calm The Fire” on Fortress, but I’ll even go back to Blackbird with “Coming Home,” specifically in the chorus. Songs like “Losing Patience” will give the fans in a concert such a jolt of energy, I love Mark’s sludgy riffs he dished in his solo band, and served us with that riffage with “The Other Side.” The vocal work on this record is the most dramatic, dynamic, and haunting that we ever heard Myles Kennedy perform, and it truly shows the range this man possesses. He just can perform any type of style exceptionally well. He channels his inner Freddie Mercury in a operatic tone in songs like “Cradle To The Grave”, “This Side of Fate” and “The Last Hero.” His vocals just absolutely soars.

The title track is one of the most satisfying endings to an album that I heard in awhile. "The Last Hero" might be a better ending to an album than "Fortress", which absolutely stunned me with that killer dual guitar solo. However, "The Last Hero" rounds up the album thematically, if not dramatically. In fact, Myles states this with “Tell me where are the heroes” in this incredible furious, head banging moment leading up to the first solo. The solos on this song are just constructed so well, and I’m sure they were tailored for the lyrics. The chorus might be my favorite off this record.

The Last Hero succeeds in many aspects. It does pay homage to their past work, but ultimately, owning to their evolution to be one of the dynamic bands today. It’s not a departure from the sounds of the past per se, because each album is a departure from the last. However, The Last Hero made sure of one thing; that the band won’t stop growing, won’t stop fighting, and won’t stop excelling.

4/5

Favorite Songs:
The Last Hero
Island Of Fools
This Side of Fate
Cradle To The Grave
The Other Side

Excellent review

Also to note those are my top 5 songs from the album too. I imagine that's not an unpopular opinion though.

I just listened to This Side Of Fate and The Last Hero again specifically, as I felt they needed some dedicated listens having so much in them. Also I was not really hooked by the chorus of either song, but was blown away by a lot of the individual, distinct passages and the overall journey of the songs. Both spectacular songs, I am glad to hear Alter Bridge move in this direction. This album definitely feels more like a metal or progressive rock album than any AB album before it, although they always had excellent musicianship and a few epic song structures often associated with those genres.

[fix]

This album definitely feels more like a metal or progressive rock album than any AB album before it, although they always had excellent musicianship and a few epic song structures often associated with those genres.

It felt the same for me after the first listen, very prog hardrock/metal. But I think the title track being last had something to do with it haha!

[Bman2112]

Yes, they're trying to be 'progressive'. They just haven't nailed it down yet. Nearly there, maybe the next album.

And again, I said it before and as I'm listening to it right now, can someone pull Myles to one side and tell him to stop singing like a twat. All that high register stuff ain't working

[Andy92]

I kinda wish people would take about a month to really listen to this album before trying to rank it amongst all of their others. I'm still trying to get down all the song titles, and most people are already writing full blown essays with citations lol.

[Timotheus]

I just wrote half of an excellent review and now I have to leave. MAAAAN.

But quickly:

This Side of Fate
Cradle to the Grave
The Other Side
Islands of Fools

are all incredible. The title track minus its chorus is also life.

[anguyen92]

I kinda wish people would take about a month to really listen to this album before trying to rank it amongst all of their others. I'm still trying to get down all the song titles, and most people are already writing full blown essays with citations lol.

That's why I'm not going to rank it amongst all the others. I didn't do the same when I heard Fortress the first time and I guess even to this day it's hard for me to rank AB albums.