The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

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AB23
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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by AB23 »

Island of Fools verses kind of remind me of FTTS verses in a way. Can't explain it.
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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Jim »

AB4Lyfe wrote: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.
I may just do that again!!! Good memory!
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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by nagpo »

So I've finally finished the record for the first time and my only complaint - and this is the only criticism I have since I only heard these songs once but it's so glaring: The production fucking sucks. Whatever it is, Myles is drowned out by the ample guitar noise. It's like the vocals and guitar are being outputed at the same volume or whatever. But when Myles is singing the focus should be on what he's saying but so often is he battling the guitars for the spotlight, as are his vocal effects.

I know this may sound ridiculous since AB is a guitar focused band but 70 minutes of blistering guitar a max loudness is rough in one sitting - i couldn't do it. I'm not a metal guy. I like hard rock sure, but I can't sing a long with myles if I can't hear him!

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Sugar Blade »

This album literally broke my heart. I don't know what happened, but it's the most uninspired, disintegrated and boring record that they've ever done. I am passionate Alter Bridge fan since 2008, their music is very personal to me, but this new album is just repetetive, loud noise without any energy and soul left.

My impression is that Mark is saving best riffs and ideas to his solo project (which is awesome, by the way) and Myles... I don't know what happened to him, but in the most of the new (especially heavy) songs he is not even singing, just loudly declaring something with notes. His work with Slash also make him sound quite different, but it works perfectly fine with Slash and sounds very out-of-place on AB record.

And the lyrics... I thought that My Champion lyrics was cheesy and cringeworthy, but the rest of them is just lots of words without any meaningful substance behind (Donald Trump is coming, this you can't denyyyyyyyy). No more personal struggle or sincere pain that you can emphatize with, just abstract words to suit everyone. The most tragic thing is that the best song on the record is heavily inspired by Muse (and I hate Muse).

I can understand the reality: Mark is busy, Myles is super busy for years, but something on this record is not right. It's not evolution (and not revolution, for sure) or experiment in searching new sound. It sounds more like they didn't expect Fortress to be that fantastic, so they tried to reverse engineer it, understand why it was so good and made low-quality replica in two days without further polishing. Most of the songs are predictable and reuse same tropes, structure and melody progression from previous two albums and that's just lazy. I was just like - oh, that was in Addicted to Pain, that was in Water Rising and that was several songs ago. And they both Myles and Mark are obsessive perfectionists. This record is far from even good, there is definetely nothing perfect on it.

I liked just four songs: Cradle to the Grave (only song on the album with some personal stuff behind lyrics), This Side of Fate (which is Muse-y all the way), You Will Be Remembered (classic AB) and The Last Hero (I think that's it is the ultimate representation of their new direction and it works fine in that case). These songs are not great in terms of AB, but they are light years ahead from the rest of the album. And four songs are not enough. I can only hope that their next record won't follow this new course of loud noise with multiple guitar tracks and triple vocals or be "back to the roots" kind of stuff (it is never a good idea).

My biggest concern: they are clearly lost AB's unique identity between their side projects. Mark puts way more effort on his solo-project and Myles sounds too "slashy" nowadays. And the conditions... They were working on Blackbird for more than a year and The Last Hero were recorded in about several month, I think. And it's noticable.

P.S. Breathe made me happy again. Such a beatiful song with unexpected twists and beatiful vocals. Every single line of lyrics delivered differently, with pure emotion. Also it's heavier than every TLA song, which is strange. And that's what The Last Hero totally lacks of - pure emotions. It's very cold, almost calculated record.

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Jim »

nagpo wrote:So I've finally finished the record for the first time and my only complaint - and this is the only criticism I have since I only heard these songs once but it's so glaring: The production fucking sucks. Whatever it is, Myles is drowned out by the ample guitar noise. It's like the vocals and guitar are being outputed at the same volume or whatever. But when Myles is singing the focus should be on what he's saying but so often is he battling the guitars for the spotlight, as are his vocal effects.

I know this may sound ridiculous since AB is a guitar focused band but 70 minutes of blistering guitar a max loudness is rough in one sitting - i couldn't do it. I'm not a metal guy. I like hard rock sure, but I can't sing a long with myles if I can't hear him!

Been getting that opinion a lot here ^
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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Raven »

Im curious how people listen to the album that can't hear Myles [headphones,speakers etc] coz i have zero problem and can hear him as well as any record

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by nagpo »

Raven wrote:Im curious how people listen to the album that can't hear Myles [headphones,speakers etc] coz i have zero problem and can hear him as well as any record
I can hear him, I just can't focus on him because of the reasons i stated.

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by AB4Lyfe »

Jim wrote:
AB4Lyfe wrote: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.
I may just do that again!!! Good memory!
I don't know about everyone else but I'd be curious to see the results.
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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Fish Tacos »

_________________________________
Initial Reaction
I feel this album is super strong and I feel it is on par with if not slightly better than Fortress. The only tracks that I skip right now are Show Me A Leader and Twilight. After that my "maybes" are Poison in Your Vains and Crows on a Wire just depending on if I'm in the mood or not to play them. Everything else is a must play for me which blows my mind because that's 10-12 tracks that I'm loving! There's definitely something about the album that makes me need to digest it first, but now that I'm accustomed to the songs, I think it's a great album overall.
_________________________________
Pros:
  • ♪ Myles' guitar work really shines on this album
    ♪ Myles replaced a lot of self-harmonization with non-lyrical backing vocals
    ♪ Considering AB's piecemeal style of song creation using parts from Mark and Myles, a lot of these songs sound like they were written from start to finish and flow very well
    ♪ They're definitely perfecting their ability to churn out more "epic" songs on demand
Cons or Missing Things:
  • ♪ The production which I don't usually notice seems crummy in some places, I talk about this more at the end after my track by track section
    ♪ While there are some great riffs on this album they seem to be less prevalent and there are a few that I would have preferred if they had been swapped out with different ones
    ♪ I always look forward to some of Tremonti's amazing clean tone work. Twilight / This Side of Fate and You Will Be Remembered have some clean fingerpicking and some less overdriven chords, but I think this album could have really used some clean chords where you can hear the nuance in Tremonti's playing like in Unable to See / In Loving Memory / Watch Over You. It's in other songs, there are slides and switches that he does in Ghosts of Days Gone By for instance that are amazing when you hear him in the lessons, they're just more pronounced on cleaner songs.
_________________________________
Track By Track
  • *Show Me a Leader - Amazing intro, although I wasn't really expecting an intro like that to transition to what the rest of the song is like. The emphasis on each syllable with the pause in the chorus is cool and different but the whoah-oh-oh-ohs and just the overall tone of this song just don't do it for me. Neat solo but overall probably one of my skip tracks.

    *The Writing on the Wall - Love the energy and rhythm of the opening of this track and the transition to the main riff which is a great one. Really cool ethereal bridge and the bell tolling is a nice touch. I like this solo too, it seems to fit the song better than the one on the previous track. Catchy powerful chorus during which the secondary guitar sliding around adds a cool layer although I wish I could hear it a little better.

    *The Other Side - Love the ominous a capella intro and the super filthy main riff. It's almost discordant in a good way. The prechorus gives a sense of being frantic and falling and I like the way the chorus doles out each word with intent. Presumably this track is about religion with the message being that there isn't only one way to heaven and those that think so are hellbound. Can't say I really agree with the logic behind that message, perhaps it's a bit more nuanced and is looking more at the context of those that kill others for their faith, but the whole topic is kind of a logical fallacy can of worms almost any way you approach it. It's the risk you take the more topical your music gets I suppose, but even so, SUPERB track. The bridge has 2 distinct parts with the first keeping that ominous repetitive string bending Myles is so fond of and the second containing that finger licking good e-bow section and what I mistook for humming in the background in that section might actually be Brian using it as well with a slightly different pattern. I love the transition back to the slow fingerpicking by itself before it launches back into the spring loaded chorus. More of that tasty e-bow in the outro with some complementary strings. Fantastic song.

    *My Champion - I've read a lot of negative comments about the song but I personally really enjoy it. I like the little mini solo fingerwork/rhythm/solo fingerwork/rhythm alternation throughout the song. "To show you that your destiny is not defined by what you failed to see", "You've lost so many times it hurts But failures made are lessons learned Cause in the end what you are will be much more" and the chorus itself are great, great lyrics.

    *Poison In Your Veins - I just kinda view this as one of their tracks that they'll get a lot of fun playing live, especially Mark with that solo. I'm not the biggest fan the riff, just too much single string sliding in it, but it works alright and the more classic hard rock chorus is a lot of fun and I can imagine this song will have some great energy live with a lot of people hopping to the beat.

    *Cradle to the Grave - Kind of an interesting 3 note volume swell they keep doing at the beginning there. Cool riff, and I love that super meloncholy guitar that ends the intro. I'm also in love with the sadness of the verse guitar. The way the first verse is about the mother and the second about the father is really neat and the overall theme about the fear and inevitability of losing your parents is an interesting and powerful choice for a song. I think the way they wrote this song to be both meloncholy and strong at different parts is really appropriate and I can't imagine it being done differently. I dig the solo too, fantastic track overall.

    *Losing Patience - This is another one I've seen some criticism of that I like. I actually think the chorus on this one is one of the catchiest and one of my favorites on the whole album. Myle's non-lyrical backing vocals during the chorus click REALLY well the way they did it and I love listening to that part. Originally I didn't mind the main riff but after listening a bunch, I'm not a huge fan of it. It just sounds like repetitive noise to me. Perhaps it's just because I played the track so many times from digging the chorus but either way I think a different riff would have greatly benefited this track. Still, I do get a bit good enjoyment out of it overall.

    *This Side of Fate - Such a cool track! I was enjoying it well enough like Words Darker Than Their Wings up until 2:37 and out of nowhere the tempo changed, building and building until it just blooms at 3:20 "WEEEEEEEE WE'RE SO WROOOONG". Fuck man, that gave me goosebumps! Doing dual solos on this track was a good choice and I especially like the sequences the solo does from 6:22 to finish. It's really kinda atypical but not discordant and it really interests my brain.

    *You Will Be Remembered - This is a really different sound for AB, it reminds me of a Daughtry sound or maybe a country rock song and surprisingly I really dig that. I enjoy how you can ear those notes, especially the descending 3, from the intro over the verse the whole song, I think it adds a lot to the overall feeling. I also cannot help but singing along with Myles every single time during his 4 note ascension at 0:39. It's such a tender progression, I hope they take that little slice of heaven and try to make a ballad on their next album that capitalizes on moments like that the whole song. Overall, I wasn't expecting to like this song. I work a lot with various portions of the military and I get tired of the honor and sacrifice circle jerk, but I think this song was tastefully done and although the chorus is a little cheesy I dig it. I also like the solo but I would have left out the faster note portion at 4:20, it kinda breaks the mood in my opinion. Overall, enjoyable track for me and I don't skip it.

    *Crows on a Wire - Dat super crunchy riff haha. Fun and energetic song and that note Myles keeps hitting and sustaining on various words in the chorus always stands out to me when I listen to this song. Probably my favorite part about this track is the post-solo bridge. It's just so smooth and Myles' and Mark's singing both match the music so well in that part. I like this song but there's something about it where I only play it when I'm in the mood which is about half the time.

    *Twilight - I dig the intro on this track but once Myles starts singing the verse and chorus it just sounds like a generic B-Side. Some of the lyrics like "Divided by differences now everything is torn apart, tomorrow is contingent on the tolerance of every heart" are just too anthemy and cheesy for me. Fun solo but I think this is going to be one of my few skips.

    *Island of Fools - Another fantastic track, the intro is great and Myles supplementary string bending during the chorus and outro that sound like an alarm really add a great touch. I love the riff and I love the chunky work and string bends from Mark with that complex structure of slides at the end of each verse before the choruses. Another great solo from Myles and a really smooth bridge that fits so easily into the song. The SAAAVE YOURSEEELF chorus is so addictive especially with that backing guitar, and Mark comes in shredding like a horse out of the gates with that solo. Superb track, one of my favorites from AB.

    *The Last Hero - The lalalalala thing the guitars do in the main riff is a little weird for me, I would have preferred a little bit more complex of a riff but this is a great track. Great solo and the parts from 3:49-3:52 and from 3:57-4:10 stood out to me as particularly enjoyable. The bridge during the "chew em up/spit em out" part is also particularly delicious. I love those tone Mark eeks out of his guitar at 5:48-5:51 and it's so moody in the middle at 5:56-6:04.

    *Last of Our Kind - I can't for the life of me figure out why this is a bonus track. This song is the tits, I love this riff and unless I said it somewhere else in this review already this might be my fave riff on this album. The slow thumping headbanger of the beat makes it a strong finisher for the album. I actually really like the strings on the chorus in this track, I don't think it's be the same without them and their little adventury tune. Cool bridge with both guitars working in tandem. I love the solo and I especially like 5:00-5:06, I'm gonna have to learn how to play that part.
_________________________________
The Little Things
  • ♪ The Writing on the Wall - Bell tolling during chorus
    ♪ My Champion - I haven't seen anyone else mention it but there are slome little electronica noises throughout the verse like a digital bubbly noises.
    ♪ Poison In Your Veins - 3:43/4:00 more electronic bubbly noises
    ♪ Cradle to the Grave - Brian using the e-bow as well during the bridge behind Myles and also the strings in the outro
    ♪ Losing Patience - More electronica bubbling during chorus
    ♪ Last of Our Kind - Strings during the chorus
_________________________________
Closing Thoughts & Summary
I will always love old school AB the most, it's just my favorite. Give me fewer audio layers, some well thought out riffs, solos, and lyrics and less overall production so I can hear all the hard work and I'm yours. However, if the direction amd the desires of the band are steering continuously away from that ODR style, then I think they did a great job progressing and polishing what they did in Fortress through making The Last Hero with what they're shooting towards in mind.

One bit of critique for me would be while there were some quality Mark solo moments on this album, I wouldn't mind if he spent a little more time making some more signature compositions. Like Jaded Rescue mentioned, there are A LOT of Mark's solos that I can remember the sound of in my head just because of how they were composed and there seems to be a little bit less of that this time around in favor of more notes.

Also, I have never understood the complaints about AB production until this album, and now I can hear what people mean when they refer to walls of noise or that the nuance of a lot of noises are getting lost in the boosts and make your ears tired. I found myself jamming my earbuds deep into my ear trying to hear some stuff in the mix that was getting lost in the wash sometimes. At the same time though, I think the more liberal additions of bells and electronic sounds and synth strings added a nice amount of spice to the songs that weren't there before so it's kind of a mixed bag.

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Thundercats »

Hey guys, is it just me or does this album sound bad blasting in the car? I can't turn the volume up without the bass frequencies rattling my dash and doors, and it sounds distorted as hell. I've never experienced this before..I even replaced my speakers and it still sounds terrible blasted.

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Dolo »

If everyone is talking about the solo in This Side of Fate around 4:35 - it's one of the cheesiest solos I've heard in a while, but yeah, to each their own.
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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Jim »

Thundercats wrote:Hey guys, is it just me or does this album sound bad blasting in the car? I can't turn the volume up without the bass frequencies rattling my dash and doors, and it sounds distorted as hell. I've never experienced this before..I even replaced my speakers and it still sounds terrible blasted.
Are you playing the CD or a downloaded version?
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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by AB23 »

i don't really know how a solo can be "cheesy."
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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Dolo »

AB23 wrote:i don't really know how a solo can be "cheesy."
I don't know, this one sounds pretty uninspired. It may be the soundbed that ruins it for me.
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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Thundercats »

Jim wrote:
Thundercats wrote:Hey guys, is it just me or does this album sound bad blasting in the car? I can't turn the volume up without the bass frequencies rattling my dash and doors, and it sounds distorted as hell. I've never experienced this before..I even replaced my speakers and it still sounds terrible blasted.
Are you playing the CD or a downloaded version?
It's the CD. Best buy version. Some songs are okay, but most have a ridiculous amount of low frequencies.

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by ToNsOFuN88 »

Dolo wrote:If everyone is talking about the solo in This Side of Fate around 4:35 - it's one of the cheesiest solos I've heard in a while, but yeah, to each their own.
I don't really understand how a solo can be cheesy. Good, bad, uninspired, emotional, entrancing. All things that can describe a solo. But cheesy?

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by ToNsOFuN88 »

AB23 wrote:i don't really know how a solo can be "cheesy."
I didn't even see AB23 wrote this first. Further validates my point.

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by Andy92 »

Thundercats wrote:
Jim wrote:
Thundercats wrote:Hey guys, is it just me or does this album sound bad blasting in the car? I can't turn the volume up without the bass frequencies rattling my dash and doors, and it sounds distorted as hell. I've never experienced this before..I even replaced my speakers and it still sounds terrible blasted.
Are you playing the CD or a downloaded version?
It's the CD. Best buy version. Some songs are okay, but most have a ridiculous amount of low frequencies.
Does your car stereo have EQ options? Could try leveling out the bass some.
anguyen92 wrote:Oh well. Deal with it.

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by gazzaab »

MuffinMcFluffin wrote:For those who love Cradle to the Grave (including myself), don't watch this if you fear this might ruin the song for you...

... but every time I hear the verses, I think of the chorus of this song:

https://youtu.be/IOULK8J4S7E?t=44s

This does not ruin the song for me personally, but I do think this fits more closely than Crows on a Wire chorus fits with Katy Perry's Roar chorus.
I am so glad im not the only one who thought of this song after listening to cradle the first time i heard it (which is my favourite song on the album) but everytime i hear it i think of this song :(

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Re: The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

Post by MuffinMcFluffin »

Andy92 wrote:
Thundercats wrote:
Jim wrote:
Thundercats wrote:Hey guys, is it just me or does this album sound bad blasting in the car? I can't turn the volume up without the bass frequencies rattling my dash and doors, and it sounds distorted as hell. I've never experienced this before..I even replaced my speakers and it still sounds terrible blasted.
Are you playing the CD or a downloaded version?
It's the CD. Best buy version. Some songs are okay, but most have a ridiculous amount of low frequencies.
Does your car stereo have EQ options? Could try leveling out the bass some.
I've calibrated my home theater speakers to the best of their abilities (meaning given the receiver type, speaker positioning, and room environment I have). Here are the results.

Image

A house curve should not be completely flat, by the way. It should be sloping off as it is.


Here is my subwoofer EQ (blue is before EQ, purple is after).

Image


I'm not saying I have the most calibrated system, but I have taken great measures for things to be heard as intended, both film and music alike.

It's still overbloated. I could tweak my own settings, but that still doesn't address the issue being at the source.

I just don't know why this Elvis fella did what he did with the master tracks. It's embarrassing.

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