The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

[Ubik]

After yet another listen through, I have a new opinion to share.
Island of Fools is such a complete song. Amazing verse and chorus vocal melodies, that gargantuan riff, the sinister way the song starts, 2 amazing solos from Myles and Mark, a sweet bridge, and fantastic play by the rhythm section. 5/5

Yup, hearing the listening party reviews I'd assumed it would be a Ties that Bind/Isolation style heavy ripper, blew me away on first listen when it turned out to be something more than that. Love that song immensely. The final chorus is perfection.

[ESPImperium]

I'm nearing the completion of my first full listen through of the album, and I think apart from Show Me A Leader, The Writing On The Wall and Crows On A Wire, the whole album will need a second listen through for me. I think I'm gonna have to even eff off out the house with my Shure SE215 earphones in (I do not use those POS Beats things thank god) and just walk around for 75 minutes and get a different aspect on it.

Blackbird and Fortress it is not, but it is no ABIII or One Day remains as well. Id be happy to say this album will be for me their 3rd best album.

Guitar wise, its off the bloody wall again. I'm not disappointed there. Hope the songs sound good in a Live setting as well.

[ToNsOFuN88]

I can't think of any singers on the radio who really even have the same type of voice as Myles. They are all lower and "brute force". I don't hear a lot of vocals on rock radio that sing the real high stuff like Myles. I think his voice prevents songs from being radio friendly. And that's not a knock on Myles because I would take him over Corey Taylor, Chad Kroeger, etc any day of the week.

EXACTLY! I was just coming back to say why I think they don't sound radio friendly. Their music is too mature. They don't have playful songs that radio loves. They don't have a "she fuckin HATESSSSS MEEEEEEEE! LA LA LA LA!". They don't have a "you're crazy bitch, but you fuck so good I'm on top of it". They don't "OOOOOOOOO WAH AH AH AH!". When they sing they ACTUALLY sing. They don't sound young either, it's not Kurt Cobain or Gerard Way on the mic. It's exactly like you said, no one sounds like Myles on the radio. They are just too mature, that's why you can have a song like My Champion and not picture it on the radio.

[AHart96]

^Crumbso
The first solo is Myles, and I can comfortably say it is his best solo ever

Which one are you talking about?

The Last Hero

[fix]

^ I like Myles' This Side Of Fate solo a lot!

[Ubik]

This Side of Fate's his best one.

[fix]

Listening to it now and the run into the solo is so good haha! He's such a 'clean' player, Mark gets really shreddie when he goes fast and Myles stays a lot cleaner.

[\m/Tremonster\m/]

I love Island Of Fools. Ranks up there as far as songs go so far.

Myles writes the riff, but who plays it?

[Arctic]

I think Island of Foolsmay be my favorite. I agree with the people above, it's so complete and just top notch.

And I love the two of them soloing on the same song more ever since Fortress. Myles has this slow, emotional style that works well with Tremonti. Mark can do the slow bluesy stuff amazingly, as seen on BNS, but his shreddy/melodic style is perfect. Even when he starts shredding you can hear a gorgeous melody in the notes.

[The Plotblocker]

Yeah This Side of Fate is definitely Myles new best solo ever. It's just so fucking beautiful!!

[chtimixeur]

About the ear fatigue and the loudness.
There are 2 solutions :
- ask the band/label to release an "unmastered" version of the album in 24 bit/96 kHz resolution at HDTracks or Qobuz.com. By unmastered, I mean unsquashed. I remember when the Deftones released Koi No Yokan in 2012 : the mastering was super loud, and the label had the smart idea to release a more dynamic version in 24/96 format. It allowed the music to breathe. Same with Airbourne's Black Dog Barking which was loud as hell. If the band cares about its music, I don't see why they wouldn't allow their fans to listen to their latest album with the best possible sound.
- buy the vinyl and cross your fingers the mastering is better. Usually, it's a bit better, because vinyl can"t handle loudness. But if they used the same master as the CD's, it'll probably be a waste of money (I know it was for ABIII).

[Ubik]

Another little thing I love - the end of Writing on the Wall, with the stabs behind Myles' "eeeend!". GROOVE. I seem to be one of the few that love that song.

[slasherbridge]

Another little thing I love - the end of Writing on the Wall, with the stabs behind Myles' "eeeend!". GROOVE. I seem to be one of the few that love that song.

I haven't been able to get into that one yet. It's probably my least favorite on the album after the first few listens. But nearly every one of their songs has grown on me at some point, and I'm sure this is no different.

[fix]

So it's time for my (lengthy, sorry) track by track review! I'm liking this album a lot overall. As usual there are some songs that I don't like, but for me the standout tracks make the album good or bad. There will always be 'skippers'.

1) Show Me A Leader 7.5/10
I remember being blown away by the intro the first time I heard it! Amazing start of the album with a great Myles solo, something we get more of this album. The rest of the song is pretty good. I like the breaks in the chorus and has a nice pace and sing-a-long factor. Marks solo is great as well and I like how it transcends into the last chorus. Not my favorite, but good track nonetheless.

2) The Writing On The Wall 8/10
I like to call this the Bellvis song, because of the bell in the chorus we know all to well by now. It's a little trick that Elvis uses to give things a bigger punch. With some unique vocals the song launches off. Nice riffs, especially in the verse. Amazing bridge as well! Love the faster guitar runs. Is that a Myles solo again? It sure sounds like his style, but I might me wrong with all that Myles shredding going on it's getting harder to tell the difference. Great stuff!

3) The Other Side 9.5/10
Slow, creepy and heavy. Just the way I like it! Nice low tuned dark riffing. Great chorus, love that it's based on a riff instead of some chords. Love the theme of the song as well. Then comes the bridge, where it get's even heavier driven by that haunting riff which fits the theme of the song. I can't say enough good things about this song. Super awesome!

4) My Champion 6/10
The intro riff is great. The chorus motivating and uplifting. I think it will be great for sports games and what not. Can't say this is a bad song per se, it's just not really made for me.

5) Poison In Your Veins 6.5/10
It's slick, it's catchy as hell and not really my cup of tea. The main riff I think is kinda boring and it sounds like it's produced to be a single. It would do great on radio I think, just not on my headphones. Marks solo is trademark Tremonti, it made me realize how I got used to this level of soloing as well because it didn't stand out on me, but it's still a great solo.

6) Cradle To The Grave 9/10
Starts like a ABIII/Blackbird song with the cleaner picked notes and then launching into a power chord fuelled part. The verse melody is strangely familiar, not sure it's the JoJo song, but it has a really poppy feeling which makes it stick. The amazing chorus makes sure it doesn't get too poppy, and melody with the emphasis on the Graavee (which I like contrary to popular belief) make the chorus a bit darker and more in line with the theme. The bridge is absolutely insane with the fast picking part. Which lifts this song into great heights.

7) Losing Patience 7/10
The bee-song! This is just a great up-beat AB song. The chorus is ok, bridge is good as well. Elvis added some synths in the background to try and make this song a bit more interesting. That doesn't really work for me though. Average song, for AB standards.

8) This Side Of Fate 8.5/10
Starts with a combination of arpeggio's and volume-swells. Then it kicks in with full blown instrumentals giving away the main melody for the rest of the song. It has a 'different' rhythmic feel because of the vocals. I like it because it's a little different, but it gets boring real quick. Luckily this song suddenly transforms into what some call a Muse-inspired instrumental piece. I love it! The instrumentals lifting the vocals sky-high. Myles' solo is godlike. I love the phrasing and where the melody goes. Back to the 'main' melody with some vocal variations. Marks solo is great and melodic as well, but Myles stole the spotlight on this one.

9) You Will Be Remembered 4/10
Nope. Not my thing. I can't get into the theme of the song and really dislike the chorus. Got bored real quick. Next!

10) Crows On A Wire 8.5/10
Great beginning riff and a nice drum-powered rhythmic buil-up to the fast riff. When the verse arrives we are given another bend-style riff which keeps the energy levels up. The chorus is ok, not their best, but I like the power of this song a lot. The backing guitar in the second verse is great as well and keeps the song fresh throughout. Back to the intro riff in the bridge, I feel that they could have done more with the rhythm build up here. But when the (what to me sounds like it's Myles again) solo kicks in, all is forgiven. His shreddiest yet and it's absolutely amazing. Great song! (If I again mistake a Mark for a Myles-solo then Mark gets a huge +1)

11) Twilight 6/10
I get the same feeling as I did with My Champion. The melodies are great and hooks are all over the place. But it's not the kind of song I connect with. It's almost too catchy for my taste. Like the variations to the guitar melody in the bridge and the (solo-)outro though, which makes this song a bit more interesting.

12) Island Of Fools 10/10
Well... I think we all had the same experience when that riff kicked in after that great build-up in the intro. Consider my face melted! Man, that was heavy. The start-stop verse riff is amazing and the second half of the verse picks the pace back up. The chorus gets stuck in my head and the rising guitar sound in the chorus makes it stand out. In the bridge we get another great riff. Myles does a great job keeping his solo melodic. Like in the ABN review, I like that Marks solo starts fast and slows down. This song is absolutely perfect in my eyes.

13) The Last Hero 9.5/10
Great start, right into the verse. Tremelo riffs break up the verse which ends in a good chorus. The thematics of the album are really coming together here, which they obviously should in the title track. Myles calls out for the heroes and gives us a great melodic solo. What happens after that is pure gold! The transition of the solo from melodic to heavy and right into the heavy breakdown riff is absolutely insane and the highlight of the record for me. Goosebumps! Like with Fortress (song) things calm down, still driven by the breakdown rhythm and launch into the final chorus. Which kept my goosebumps going and we are treated with an amazing solo from Mark. The breakdown comes back in the outro which ends the 'official' album.

14) BONUS The Last Of Our Kind/Symphony Of Agony 8/10
The flow of the main riff remind me of the One By One riff, with it's slow and fast alterations. Chorus is pretty good as well, with some nice guitar melodies backing Myles up. The bridge is something that reminds us of Still Remains, which is absolutely love. The solo is, to no surprise, insane again. Great song, and maybe even my favorite B-side of them ever.

Overall I like the album. It has some songs I absolutely love and are in my AB top-10. But also some song that will maybe grow on me as time goes by and some go directly to the skip-list. It's on par with Fortress for me, because I feel the same about that album.

[Jim]

^ I like Myles' This Side Of Fate solo a lot!

It's my favourite solo by either of them on the whole record

[Arctic]

It's a masterpiece. White Knuckles, One by One, Rise Today, Wayward One, and Buried Alive. Hell, even Come to Life when it had its sinister lyrics clearly about Scott Stapp.

You have to understand that you keep talking about Blackbird, and that's fine. I mean you kind of keep repeating yourself as if you're making a point. But I have just as strong of a point about ABIII. You take out Words Darker than their Wings, and that album is absolute ass. Isolation is the worst single they've ever released (I timed my potty break during that song at the concert tonight) and everything else really sucks. Wonderful Life connects with some because of the lyrics. Slip to the Void connects with some people just because the first minute sounds like a Pink Floyd song. Other than that, you don't hear anyone talking about any songs because they aren't very good.

So just like you don't like Blackbird, I really honestly hate ABIII. I don't listen to it at all. Crazy how that shit works. I think more people like Blackbird than ABIII though just based on the sentiments around here and how much Blackbird, as an album, connected with some people around here when it was released. It was the first time people actually thought AB had taken its own approach and stepped into its own direction. It was a monumental moment. I remember when ABIII came out, within a week people were sending in pretty negative reviews.

I don't think I could point to any single song on Blackbird and say it's a legitimately bad song... like even Before Tomorrow Comes makes me smile because of how incredibly uplifting it is. But I mean Isolation, Still Remains, Zero, Breathe Again, Fallout, and I Know it Hurts, to me, are just not good rock songs relative to music in general... not just relative to Alter Bridge.

I kind of disagree about AB III, it's last on my list if I were to rank the albums, but Slip To the Void, Words, Ghosts, IKIH, and SMAS are all pretty awesome. I guess even if the album isn't as good as their others, I'll always find something to love about it. I suppose that's what happens when you're not really into music and AB is 95% of what you listen to.

We're the same on Blackbird though. ODR was already out when I joined in 07, but the Blackbird release and just the hype and anticipation beforehand is one of my fondest memories. It's the holy grail of music to me. It's kind of a bummer that TLH didn't land for you, I think it's significantly better than AB III. I can kind of understand because it didn't land with me at first and feels a lot different than the other albums, hopefully it can grow on some people like it did me.

[Blackbird]

Alright, review time. I don't think I'm good at expressing complex feelings about things in English, especially about something like music, but I'll try to not completely fuck up. A few things to note:

• Melody is the most important part of music for me. I like great riffs and I can enjoy very heavy tracks that are well-made, but I'll always rate melodious - and especially melancholic - tracks higher than those.
• I'll not rate the songs based on how they perform in comparison to other AB tracks. This may be a valid review style, but I don't think I know the songs good enough for something like that yet. Also, I don't want to give Crows On A Wire a 0. A song that's rated with a 10 would be considered as great or at least almost as great as Blackbird, so even for exceptionally amazing songs, this is very hard to achieve.
• Most Alter Bridge songs tend to need some time to grow on me. I think I've listened to them often enough to be able to rate them quite adequately, but it's very likely that the ratings would differ a bit if I wrote this again in a month or so, both in negative and positive direction. This means that nothing is set in stone.
• I love ABIII and actually think it's their best album (Fortress has too many mediocre songs for me, although it also has a lot of great ones). So AB23, if you were thinking about reading this, you should rather think about skipping it.

Show Me A Leader - 8.5/10
I immediately loved this song when it got released. Actually, this is the first song from an album I was sure to buy (or, rather, had already pre-ordered) that I bought as a single just because I didn't want to rely on Youtube everytime I wanted to listen to it. Show Me A Leader definitely has some heavy Slash influences, especially in the way Myles sings, and it absolutely works for this track. The feeling it gives me is similar to the likes of Addicted To Pain or Isolation - it just makes me happy because it's got so much groove, the verse and solo in particular. Needless to say that the intro is amazing, but unlike many others, I don't need it to perceive SMAL as a great song. As an album opener, it's not as outstanding as Cry Of Achilles of course, but it's definitely on the same level as Isolation and Addicted To Pain, if not better.

The Writing On The Wall - 5.5/10
Unfortunately, this song is only the first of too many on TLH that are mediocre at best. This is a trend Alter Bridge seem to have started on Fortress where I feel like The Uninvited, Cry A River, and Farther Than The Sun are songs that are enjoyable to listen to, but overall have a significantly worse quality than almost all other AB tracks. The riff sounds uninspired, the verse is extremely boring, and the chorus is a little better, but follows the pattern of pretty weak choruses that Alter Bridge have put out in the recent past (this includes song that I really like or even love, like Addicted To Pain or Bleed It Dry, as well as those that I've already mentioned). What saves this song from a lower rating are the lyrics and the bridge that is actually pretty good.

The Other Side - 8/10
This is completely new territory for Alter Bridge. This song is downright evil. From the whispering singing style in the beginning of the first verse to the riff in the pre-chorus and the feeling and lyrics of the whole chorus, there's not a single track in their repertoire that's comparable to The Other Side whatsoever. And damn, those lyrics. "If you believe yours is the only way, then you're a fool who lives to die. Well you deserve the hell you're gonna pay on the other side." Hell yeah. I love that. And I really like this song. It's heavy, it's pretty unmelodious for an AB track, but it kicks ass with its amazing atmosphere. "There will be no paradise."

My Champion - 6.5/10
Okay, here's the issue. My Champion is not a bad song. But as an Alter Bridge fan, I inevitably have to compare it to tracks like Life Must Go On, All Ends Well, Wonderful Life, and Watch Over You because it's pretty similar to them in regards to melody and, at least when it comes to LMGO and AEW, lyrics. They are all better than My Champion (well, maybe except for All Ends Well). I don't really dig the main riff of this song, and I actually think that the pre-chorus is way stronger than the actual chorus (weak chorus pattern again). I also think that the solo is pretty mediocre for AB standards. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy My Champion, it's got a nice up-lifting feeling, but it's just not that good.

Poison In Your Veins - 8.5/10
This is a song that I thought would be one of the mediocre ones when I first listened to it, but I soon realised how wrong I was. This basically is a mixture of Addicted To Pain and I Know It Hurts. The chorus is kinda weak, although I'd say it's definitely better than some others on this album. What really makes this song stand out from other heavy AB tracks is the amazing verse that has even more groove than the one in Show Me A Leader. Also, this song probably has one of the best solos on the whole album. Listening to Poison In Your Veins just makes me want to leap up and start headbanging, and that's why it's miles ahead of tracks like The Writing On The Wall, Losing Patience and Crows On A Wire. And by the way, "Everything that could've been has only failed to be" is probably one of my favourite lyrics of all time.

Cradle To The Grave - 10/10
If any track on TLH is comparable to Blackbird, this is it. I'm pretty sure it's not exactly as good as Blackbird, but it's definitely the melancholic and emotional ballad of this album, and therefore exactly the style of song which is the reason why I love music so much. The vocal melody in the verse actually reminded me of the Backstreet Boys' Incomplete in the beginning, but luckily that's something I've got used to really fast. The standout part of CTTG certainly is the bridge that features the most emotional and, to me, overall best solo on TLH, a sick riff that complements the song very well as well as an amazing transition to the last chorus. I'm torn between a 9.5 and a 10 in this case, but I think it deserves the highest possible rating (as mentioned in the beginning, this means it's almost as good as Blackbird which is probably actually an 11 on a range from 0 to 10).

Losing Patience - 5.5/10
At the time of writing, I'm not sure if I like Losing Patience more or less than The Writing On The Wall or You Will Be Remembered which is why it gets the same rating. I guess all of these songs could rise to a 6 or drop to a 5 with more listening time. The verse is actually okay and I really like the bridge (the descending riff is great), but the chorus is just... well... bad. I mean, really bad. Not even only compared to other Alter Bridge songs, but to a lot of other hard/alternative rock songs as well. It's definitely not a great song, but it's not the worst one AB have ever written either.

This Side Of Fate - 10/10
This song is what Fortress should've been. Don't get me wrong, Fortress is a great song, but it wastes a lot of its epic potential by going full berserk in the bridge (which is amazing, but simply not what I expected from the track) and due to the chorus that is simply not as good as those of other Alter Bridge epics. This Side Of Fate has it all. The best verse on the album, a fantastic chorus that emits epicness, and a monumental bridge that is a change of pace just like in Fortress, but doesn't completely change the song's atmosphere. Hell, I don't even like Queen, but the short quiet break is amazing anyway, just like the solo (although I don't find it exactly as great as the one on Cradle To The Grave). I also love how they altered the chorus after the bridge and gave it an almost hopeless vibe that only gets more intense with the final solo that is completely different from the one in the bridge. Overall, this might be even better than Cradle To The Grave, but I can't really decide that yet. Definitely one of the best songs Alter Bridge have ever written though.

You Will Be Remembered - 5.5/10
Guess I'm just not the target audience for such a song. Like with My Champion, it is musically worse than other uplifting songs from the band, and the fact that it is about the US army (at least partially) leaves a bit of a sour taste for me. It's still an okay song, but I prefer something like Life Must Go On and even My Champion over YWBR at any time.

Crows On A Wire - 4.5/10
This is one of the three worst Alter Bridge songs for me, alongside Watch Your Words and Farther Than The Sun. The verse and chorus are horrible compared to what I'm used to when listening to them, and even the bridge is not that good. The only part I enjoy is the pre-chorus that has a real bad-ass feeling to it, but that's definitely not enough to make it enjoyable. Skip track.

Twilight - 8.5/10
I really don't know whether Twilight deserves an 8 or an 8.5, but I'll choose the higher rating for now. In fact, I don't think it's any worse than Show Me A Leader and Poison In Your Veins, even though it's hard to compare to these songs because it has a distinctly different style. Twilight also partly reminds me of Make It Right, but it's more serious and less "fun". My personal highlights are the transition from the verse to the chorus (I love it that they leave out the chord they play in the parts before) and the whole bridge that starts with an incredible atmosphere and ends with a great solo the last notes of which are almost identical to those at the end of the Waters Rising solo. All in all, this is the beginning of a very strong song trio to close out the album, although it's probably not exactly on the same level as the next-to-strongest songs on Fortress (Calm The Fire, Waters Rising, ...)

Island Of Fools - 9.5/10
This is the song I immediately fell in love with during my first album playthrough. The intro is probably the strongest I've ever heard from Alter Bridge, and I think the chorus is the best one on The Last Hero, even more amazing than Cradle To The Grave or This Side Of Fate. I love the bending guitar in the background that makes the whole thing really special and picks up on the fantastic intro. However, I don't like the verse nearly as much as the other parts of Island Of Fools and - I guess unlike most others - I also think that continuing the intro in this style would've been better than cutting it off with this extremely heavy riff that may absolutely kick ass, but kinda ruins the atmosphere from the very beginning. These two aspects are the reason why Island Of Fools gets only a 9.5. To end with a positive note: It's amazing how they modified the last chorus ("Though you're lost on this island of fools") and the closing solo is one of the best on the record.

The Last Hero - 8/10
Now this is a rating that's really difficult for me. The Last Hero definitely is an epic track, that's without any doubt, but although I'm a fan of music that's considerably more complex than what you hear in modern pop songs, the bridge probably is a bit too progressive for me and really drags the whole thing down. I love the verse, I really like the chorus and the solos, and with a more standard bridge, this could've easily been a 9 or 9.5, but in this state, there's a pretty long part in the middle that doesn't fit the rest of the song. Especially the part where Myles shouts "Chew 'em up, spit 'em up, in the end who'll save us now?" just doesn't sound good in my ears. I'm also not a fan of the main riff that appears for the first time after the first verse. It doesn't sound that good and these strange picking effects even annoy me somewhat. All of this sounds way worse than it is. I still think The Last Hero is a really good song, it just suffers from the same flaw that Fortress has in that its concept doesn't fully work for me.

Symphony Of Agony - 5/10
There's not really much I can write about this song because I've only listened to it a few times. It's definitely not good enough for the main album (although it's probably still better than Crows On A Wire), and quite frankly, I think this is a worse Still Remains. It's got the same song structure with parts that sound very similar, but Still Remains is more catchy and, well... better. Overall, this song is like The Damage Done - a pretty bad track for the typical Alter Bridge standard and that therefore is a good fit for a b-side, but nothing more.

AVERAGE RATING (without bonus track): 7.5/10
ALBUM RATING: 8/10

The Last Hero is a great album, but I absolutely don't know how all these reviewers on the internet can say that it lifts the band to a whole new level. That's bullsh*t in my opinion because I absolutely don't think that TLH is a better album than Fortress, and I also strongly think that the musical progression from Fortress to TLH is way smaller than on all their previous records compared to their respective predecessors. The musical style is pretty similar, and while they developed some new flavours to their music, I don't see a huge evolution. What's great is that the album features three absolutely epic tracks (Cradle To The Grave, This Side Of Fate, The Last Hero) which is more than on any other of their records, and there are a number of other amazing songs on it. At the same time however, TLH also features a lot more really mediocre songs than their former efforts. 5 out of 13 tracks (excluding the bonus track) are okay at best which is a pretty alarming proportion for a band that is so good at writing music like Alter Bridge. I'd still say that the album is really good and deserves 8 out of 10/4 out of 5 stars because some of its tracks are exceptional and will definitely make it to my AB top 10, and probably even in the top 5, but overall, as a record, it's worse than Fortress and ABIII, although likely a little bit better than Blackbird (which, obviously, has AB's greatest track on it, but I think that a lot of the strong Blackbird songs are a little less good than the top 6 on TLH). As expected, Alter Bridge once again haven't disappointed me - but I've never doubted them in the first place.

[Harry©]

Currently #5 overall on iTunes. Not just the rock category, overall. Thats awesome.

Currently number 3 on the uk iTunes album chart.
Green day are number one and Onerepublic number two.

[AB4Lyfe]

So at what point do the mods start the "track by track" polls like we did with Fortress? Like the best track #1, best track #2, etc.

[Timotheus]

Here’s my review. It’s worth noting that I really like this album. I think it has its flaws, which I talk about in this review, but it also has some really great moments, which I also talk about. If you don't like nitpicking you might want to skip this review. It's a bit TL;DR, lol.

Show Me A Leader: I think the intro of this song is one of the highlights of the album. Very cool sounding, and definitely a new sound for them. While I like the rest of the song, I don't think it lives up to the intro. I love the stop in the chorus, which makes it quite unique. I just wish some of the words after the stop were a bit more impactful. “Won't" isn’t really a word worth emphasizing in my opinion. I think it’s very catchy song and hope it will do better on the charts than ATP did.

The Writing on the Wall: I like what they were doing in the intro. The riff's got a nice groove and kind of reminds me of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song with that groovy octave note being thrown around in there. But that bell is so fucking annoying. One or two bells are impactful and dare I say creative. A bell every few bars is just nonsense. It's not creative, it's annoying and it sounds like they’re trying to hide something. Besides the bridge (that staccato part is badass) I think the song is quite forgettable and ridiculously overproduced. I do like the theme of this song, but I wish Myles had gone a bit deeper (that’s what she said). Saying global warming is the greatest sin is a very interesting statement, but I think Myles should’ve spent more time elaborating that statement in stead of doing the typical “you’re to blame” stuff.

The Other Side: Awesome song. Probably their darkest song yet. Creepy verses, and I absolutely looove the chorus riff. I think it's very Muse sounding. Apparently Mark wrote it spontaneously in the studio. That's worth a mention. Awesome bridge. I can hear the Massive Attack influences Myles was talking about. The melody over the heavy part of the bridge is great as well. I’m not really fond of the ‘Deny-paradise’ rhyme, but oh well. Very powerful song. Can’t wait to hear it live.

My Champion: I love the upbeat vibe of this song. The radio-friendly sound doesn’t bother me at all. I love the melodies and the instrumentals. I think this song will be a lot of fun to witness live, but I wish some of the lyrics were a bit better. The highlights of this song for me are the pre choruses and I think Myles’ vocals in the background of the bridge are spectacular.

Poison in your Veins: The chorus of this song is probably my most favorite chorus on this album (probably together with The Other Side) and I just really love the overal vibe of this song. It might not be the most insightful song lyrically, but I think it does the motivational thing better than My Champion. “Release the poison from your veins” is a great line. The lyrics in the verses could've been a bit better, and I think this song suffers from the awful production, but this song makes me want to dance, so who cares?.

Cradle to the Grave: Beautiful verses. Those lyrics are heartbreaking, knowing Myles's history. "Father, stay here. Don't leave me like the other". The lack of the letter ’s’ after 'other' is so personal it hurts even me. Great chorus with once again great lyrics. "Who will be my hiding place when you're gone?" Beautiful. The first time I heard: "Who will keep my heart in place when you're gone". Thought that was beautiful as well. The instrumentals in the bridge are sick. When I’d heard the album for the first time I couldn’t get over this bridge. The lyrics here are a bit disappointing though. First of all another use of “deny” (this word has been used in 3 songs already at this point) and I think the "nothing lasts forever, nothing ever stays the same" line is too in-your-face. It's not tasteful and I don't think it fits with the lyrics of the first part of the song stylistically. All in all still one of the best songs on this album.

Losing Patience: Skippable song. Mark said in an interview that he didn't think too much of this song until they copy/pasted those backing vocals in all of the choruses. Layering to solve a problem is never a good idea. They're never gonna play this song live because of that. They easily could've kept this song of the album. It doesn't deal with the overal theme and I don't think it adds anything to the album.

This Side Of Fate: Probably my favorite song on this album. I love the unison in this song. Besides the bridge, there’s a clear musical/melodic theme, and they stick to it. The Muse comparison in the bridge… I can hear it, but I don’t think it sounds like a Muse song with Myles on top like Lotha described it. It’s bombastic and theatrical as hell, which I absolutely love. It’s hard not to be entertained when they go as big as they do in this bridge. Not too fond of the lyrics in the bridge, but it’s all so big and theatrical that it just works. The neo-classical part kinda reminds me of Muse’s Unintended and “Don’t turn away, we need you NOOOOOW” with that awesome Myles solo afterwards is the best part of this entire album. That’s what I love about Alter Bridge. That’s what I love about music in general. Chills everywhere. The return to the chorus kinda put me off at first, because of the key change, but after a few listens I think it works really well. Usually I’m not a fan of the obligated third chorus, but it works here. Awesome song.

You Will Be Remembered: Bit of a bland song in my opinion. Not because of the theme, which I can get behind (not all heroes have to be in the military), but it’s just so sappy. They’re never going to be able to pull off this song live because of all the overdubs. That “you will be remembered” going into the outro is like nails on a chalkboard. It sounds like there was no more place for it in the mix so Elvis decided to boost some kind of unpleasant frequency to make it stand out. I’m a bit frustrated that I don’t like this song, because their ballads are usually my favorite Alter Bridge songs. Oh well.

Crows on a Wire: I really like this song. I absolutely love the drum groove over the main riff. It really stands out and makes it not just another Tremonti riff. The verses are powerful as hell. I don’t think Myles pulls off the angry vibe that well all the time, but he nails it in the verses of this song. The chorus is a grower. It kinda reminds me of Farther Than The Sun when it comes to that. Leave it to Myles to make the words ‘Wire’, ‘Conspire’, ‘Devour’ and ‘Power’ rhyme with ‘Do’ and ‘You’.

Twilight: Now this is an interesting one. This one sounds like it could’ve been on AB III. It sounds like an upgraded version of Make it Right and Zero. It’s kind of a middle-in-the-pack song, but like This Side of Fate, it picks a musical theme and sticks with it. I like that. I’m not a huge fan of the overlaying vocals in the chorus. I think those easily could’ve done in one take, but now I’m just nitpicking… Great lyrics in this song, and I think this song adds something to the album that wasn’t already there.

Island of Fools: Those opening notes really set up the song, It instantly reminds of White Knuckles (live) and the riff of this song hits even harder than the riff in Knuckles. I think this is the most complete song on this album. It’s great from start to finish and it’s very musical. Great interaction between all the instruments in the verses. Awesome, awesome chorus. I really like the bridge riff as well. What I love even more is that they stick to it during the solo. Makes it all sound very cohesive. Great interaction between the vocals and instruments in the part after the solo. And then the last chorus: Saaaaaave yourself. Fiiiinally they do something like this. Changing up the last chorus is so simple, yet so effective. More of that please. If they don’t play this song live they’re insane.

The Last Hero: This song is a bit of a roller coaster for me. I think the first 1:30 minute or so contains some of the most amazing and unique music they’ve ever written. Really cool intro (first time they’ve started a song like that) and that riff is probably my favorite riff on this album. I really love the vibe that’s going on in the beginning of this song. But the chorus… I really think this song deserved a much better chorus. If Mark’s harmonies were a bit louder maybe it could’ve had more of an emotional impact, but right now the chorus just messes up the vibe. So bummed about that.
The bridge is absolutely incredible. That shredding part from Myles is just so good. They get all chucky towards the end, which is great. I think the “chew em up, spit em out” line could’ve been their greatest set-up for a guitar solo since Blackbird’s “Someday I too will fly and find you again”. It really draws your attention, and I think it could’ve been monumental if Mark had played a shreddy solo there. But oh well, the marching rhythm that ends the bridge is also really cool. The outro of this song reminds me of Achilles’s outro, and that’s a good thing. Seriously though, if this song had had a better chorus it could’ve become one of my favorite Alter Bridge songs of all time.

Overal thoughts:
I think the album really stands on its own in AB’s catalogue. I love that they tried to be a bit more diverse this time. The “radio friendly” songs add something to this album that both AB III and Fortress didn’t have. Instrumentally, it’s a great album. I think the solos on this album are better than the ones on Fortress. Both Myles and Mark stepped up their game when it comes to that. Shoutout to Brian and Flip as well, because I think both have done a stellar job on this album.

But the production… Fortress is not a perfect album sonically but going back and forth, it’s night and day. It’s really not a fun experience to listen to TLH for a long time. It’s way too loud and busy and in almost every song something’s off, wether it’s a bell, volumes that are off (which really is basic mixing), indecipherable instrumentals because of the very generic wall of sound, unnecessary layers, etc…
Same thing with the lyrics, in almost every song there are a bunch of lines that I think are very uninspired. I love the overal theme of this album, don’t get me wrong. The Last Hero feels very 2016, and I applaud Myles for taking risks. I just wish he’d elaborated a bit more on some songs in stead of going for his typical words/lines.

To end on a positive note (because I do like this album): There are a bunch of really good songs on this album, and I’m looking forward to hearing the band play these songs live. If I'd have to rate this album I'd give it a 7.5/10