The Last Hero - AB Nation Discussion

[cheesedip1]

Am I the only one who thinks NONE of their songs are radio friendly? I can't picture a single song of theirs on radio, their music sounds nothing like the music you hear on the radio. Even the ones dubbed "radio friendly".

A hell of an unpopular opinion. I would agree in case of some tunes from previous records, but this time around 3/4 of the record is radio-friendly af.

Idk I just don't hear it. I understand some of the chord progressions are used in radio hits, but they don't end up sounding like radio songs. There is a reason you never really hear them on FM radio. My Champion is dubbed radio friendly, but name me one song like it that is on radio. Their big anthemic choruses just aren't done in radio rock. It's all folk stuff, chord strummy heavy stuff, dance stuff, wannabe rap stuff, country, or oldies. Even classic rock, which is closer to AB in format, sounds nothing like AB. Just my opinion, but I could never picture My Champion following up a Green Day song on the radio. Though it should.

Some of the choruses on the album sound very radio friendly. Some songs dont sound radio friendly tho cuz a lot of the songs on Last Hero are very heavy.


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I only listened to the album once or twice, so here are my thoughts. After I ordered the debut album by Matchbox 20 I went to Best Buy and got a copy of The Last Hero. AB is one of my favorite bands, but when it comes to this review, I am going to be as honest as possible. Perhaps my thoughts will change over time. Time will tell.


SMAL- I really liked this song.

Writing on the Wall- I liked this one a lot too. Not as much as SMAL tho. I liked it more than "The other side" tho.

Other side- Okay, but I think it could be better. middle of the road to track. Not too impressed.

my Champ- It's alright. Not bad but not amazing either. I liked All Ends Well better than My Champ.

Poison- Generic rock song, not impressed, super mainstream song (for those who say AB arent mainstream, trust me. Poison is mainstream. Chorus sounds like something Seether would have done or something)

Cradle to the Grave- Started out with a great intro. I felt the chorus could be better. I felt the song had more potential than it used. Pretty good tho. Either better than Writing on the Wall or at the same ranking as it.

Losing Patience- Generic rock song, not too impressed. Chorus sucked.

This Side of Fate- Verse reminded me of the bridge of "New Way to Live". I think it's pretty good song. I liked it. One of the better songs. Solo seemed good.

You will Be Remembered- Catchier than I thought it would be. I dont think it's bad, but nothing amazing either. Middle of the road.

Crows- Great song. A standout track, for sure. One of the best songs on the album.

Twilight- Verse/intro reminded me of "Never Wrong" by Tremonti a bit. Not that great of a song. Chorus was nothing really that good. Rest was okay I guess. Not that great.

Island of Fools- Another Great, standout track. One of the best songs on the album. Might actually be the best song on the album imo.

Last Hero- Pretty good. Had some great moments.


Last of our Kind- Chorus was alright. Not sure what to think yet. I mean I wasnt too impressed but I liked the chorus. Hmm

Breathe- It is clearly a bside cuz of the chorus but dang, definitely good singing tho. I liked it.



Best songs: SMAL, This side of fate, Crows, Island Fools, Cradle, Writing on Wall



I think AB should do what they did on Fortress and just keep the record to 11 or 12 songs.

I'm not the best at reviews but I did what I could.

I think there were too many heavy songs. If they had some more lighter ones it would balance out the heavy. Fortress was mostly heavy other than All Ends Well.

Sorry if the review seemed negative at times. Just being honest. Then again, 2 listens might not be reflective of how I feel over time. I didnt think too much of Fortress at first, but then it turned out to be really good.

The album is alright but it's not better than Fortress. The instrumentals were solid tho. Songwriting didnt do it for me at times, but some songs were really great.

Honestly, Island of Fools was just plain awesome. Best song on the album.

[Raven]

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.

[Raven]

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.

Sounds bloody fantastic in my car even better than Fortress did imo

[AB23]

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.

I can kind of see how one would see that actually, tbh. I think it goes with the song pretty well though. But they've definitely had better solos.

[Fish Tacos]

We did have, like, 4 songs before the release that influenced the formation of some opinions I think (including mine).

I think that's a big part of people's initial reactions to the album. I stayed away from any previews (except for Breathe) and singles. From what I saw, Show Me a Leader, My Champion and Poison in Your Veins were the released singles of which 1 is a skip track for me, 1 I like and the last I play only some of the time in that order.

Did they have the forms where you rate the tracks at this last listening party? Because from what I'm reading from everyone, if they did, their singles selection doesn't match the popular opinion at all. I understand at the end of the day the band makes the decision on which songs they want to represent them on the radio but why you wouldn't effectively use the results from what is essentially a beta testing opportunity is beyond me.

Maybe they're confined to air times, the radio edit for Show Me A Leader looks to be 3:48. Looking at Island of Fools which is a cool 5 mins, you could shave 5 seconds of silence off the end and between 15-28 seconds off the forward end depending on whether you wanted to trim half or the entire intro. If you got rid of the whole thing that brings your playtime down to 4:27 which is just a bit over 30 seconds more than SMAL. Deftones - Princess Bride is just shy of 5 mins and I hear that on the radio so fuck it, make Island your next single and play the whole thing.

[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.

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.



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).




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.

So you agree there is just way too much output? I hope I'm not the only one. It sounds so boomy. I even listened on the PC with my headphones and it was pretty distorted at high volume.

[anguyen92]

Did they have the forms where you rate the tracks at this last listening party? Because from what I'm reading from everyone, if they did, their singles selection doesn't match the popular opinion at all. I understand at the end of the day the band makes the decision on which songs they want to represent them on the radio but why you wouldn't effectively use the results from what is essentially a beta testing opportunity is beyond me.

Maybe they're confined to air times, the radio edit for Show Me A Leader looks to be 3:48. Looking at Island of Fools which is a cool 5 mins, you could shave 5 seconds of silence off the end and between 15-28 seconds off the forward end depending on whether you wanted to trim half or the entire intro. If you got rid of the whole thing that brings your playtime down to 4:27 which is just a bit over 30 seconds more than SMAL. Deftones - Princess Bride is just shy of 5 mins and I hear that on the radio so fuck it, make Island your next single and play the whole thing.

On the one hand, I think it's cool that they decided they want to see how their fans react to certain tracks and try to have their opinion on what's single-worthy. On the other hand, I think that they might be hesitant on picking singles purely based on what the fans want, given the way how Cry of Achilles didn't do so hot in active rock radio. I mean our opinions on what a good radio single would be is totally different on what the actual radio market wants that generates plays.

[sPAZAttack91]

The day it came out I switched off all the lights put on a pair of headphones and shut my eyes, I was so excited. My first listen was very underwhelming and I've attempted a few more times but it's not growing on me. I'm so disappointed and Alter Bridge is one of my favourite bands.

This is my least favourite AB album now, behind even ABIII. Even ABIII had some songs that were salvageable! Loved Fortress but this record is just so badly produced. It isn't a pleasurable experience to listen to. Songwriting has also taken a turn for the worse I feel. Maybe I was expecting too much after Fortress, I really felt like they were mixing things up and growing as songwriters and musicians. This feels like a regression to me.

That's not to say I don't like some sections of songs, but song wise I don't think I really enjoy anything that much that I will add it to my regular rotations.

Problems:

-Where is Mark? Can't hear him at all? I'd love to hear a back and forth again like Waters Rising or WWTW. His voice as even backup would help these songs immensely I feel. Two singers really make albums more interesting imo.

-Absolutely no bass guitar - more Brian please!

- Walls of guitar- way too much going on

-Cheezy synth on some songs- stop it Elvis!

-5 Myles vocal tracks on each song- I love this man's voice but I feel this detracts from his vocal tone

- Myles repeating the same lyrical phrases... You're to blame, don't deny etc. Maybe give Mark some more input? He writes more personal and introspective lyrics.

-Myles tone is a too bit nasal in some tracks and the melodies aren't as catchy as previous albums.

-Myles not singing in his lovely lower range

- Unsure if it's just the production but most of the songwriting seems weak and unmemorable. Was it rushed like ABIII?

-No dynamic range - why is it so loud? There is no light and shade! They need a more raw sound to translate these songs.

- Really uninspired ballad, like, yuck.


I feel like they tried but it's just sounding a bit forced. I'd love it if the guys took time off from their other projects to focus on AB, which in my mind has the greatest ability to make interesting music. Love this band but it's sad to say that they've finally made a bad album. I've quickly returned to listening to ODR and Blackbird and the difference in quality is astounding!

Please get rid of Elvis next time! Fingers crossed for next album. Not ragging on the band, it's just my ears don't agree with TLH.

[Kreuger33]

So the part of The Other Side with the ebow, is that where it sounds like hes rocking a bend up and down?

[One Drew Remains]

Funny how opinions differ. I think that Myles solo and bridge are the best parts of the song.

[AB23]

Funny how opinions differ. I think that Myles solo and bridge are the best parts of the song.

you enjoy the concert? Wish I could've joined. Sorry I don't live in the area anymore otherwise I would've taken you up on the offer.

[chtimixeur]

The band must be shocked to read those reviews, especially after getting so many glowing reviews in the media.
Even if they don't come here, someone's going to tell them.
I hope they don't think this board is now full of haters. On the contrary, the TABN fans still care very much about Alter Bridge, and they want their favourite band to shine.

I know Elvis is their friend. But when so many of your fans are complaining about his work, you need to open your eyes and address the situation. He needs to go.

[Dolo]

The band must be shocked to read those reviews, especially after getting so many glowing reviews in the media.
Even if they don't come here, someone's going to tell them.
I hope they don't think this board is now full of haters. On the contrary, the TABN fans still care very much about Alter Bridge, and they want their favourite band to shine.

I know Elvis is their friend. But when so many of your fans are complaining about his work, you need to open your eyes and address the situation. He needs to go.

This record seems to be the one that is going to divide the whole fanbase, so the banner at the top of the forum won't be valid anymore.
Fans reviews are extremely mixed, there wasn't that much of contrariety with ABIII or Fortress. This will have an impact on their future efforts, I believe.

[Timotheus]

I personally would've preferred if they'd spent more time on this album. If that'd meant waiting another few months or even a year, fine with me... More writing sessions, would've meant more songs/parts to pick from. They came up with The Other Side during the writing sessions. Mark wrote that chorus riff on the spot. Imagine what would've happened if they'd had a few more weeks to actually write the album? Cry of Achilles is another song that was written mostly on the spot.

They would've had time to let the demos rest and come back to them with a clear state of mind, which I think is really important. Not only to the songs individually, but to the album as a whole. When Myles said in an interview he wasn't really aware of all the "rises" on this album, or that he didn't anticipate the vocals of Show Me A Leader to be this high. Those things easily could've easily been avoided.

I think the production would've been better as well. I remember being really surprised with how quickly the mixing phase went. As a producer you need some time away from the music so you can listen to the songs again with some "new" ears. Because of the short timeframe there just wasn't time for that.

[The Plotblocker]

Harking on what most are saying here, the production on this album is truly awful!! The bass is WAY too boosted and dominates even with my sub turned off. The guitars bleed into each other and often over power Myles. And where the fuck is Mark in this album? I can only hear his voice on 2 tracks, and even the barely. Fortress was just about tolerable with it's mixing, but this is actually painful at times. Elvis needs to sort it out, or find a new job. The loudness war is not a good thing.

[Macca]

Theres a few duds in the first half of the album. Second half of it is solid though

[Dolo]

I personally would've preferred if they'd spent more time on this album.

This. It sounds as if they keep on using the same formula to finish songs. 'We have a cool intro, nice verse, catchy chorus, now for the bridge...... I'm just gonna hit the open chord, let's put some weird bends here and there and then we're back into the chorus'. If they had had more time and less pressure they might have come up with something less formulaic.

[Ubik]

This record seems to be the one that is going to divide the whole fanbase, so the banner at the top of the forum won't be valid anymore.
Fans reviews are extremely mixed, there wasn't that much of contrariety with ABIII or Fortress. This will have an impact on their future efforts, I believe.

There were looooads of complaints about ABIII, for similar reasons as given for The Last Hero.

[nildiven]

This album is good, at times really great.

Just its possibly their most inconsistent. It's a shame because it, in my opinion, had the potential to be possibly their best album as the highs are really high, but there's just not enough of them.

Four tracks -- Cradle, This Side of Fate, Island of fools, and The Last Hero -- are exceptional. Some of the best they've ever done even. I'd consider The Last Hero to be a top 3 AB track along with Blackbird and CoA.

The Other Side and Crows are also good.

You Will Be Remembered is just bad in my opinion though. It's especially unfortunate because this album is one amazing ballad away from being incredible. I'm still waiting for something as simple and powerful as Watch Over You. I really wish they'd even do something really stripped down for a song next time.

I feel like there is also wasted potential to a few of the songs. Twilight for instance has an incredible bridge/solo, but the chorus has such odd phrasing. Twaaiii Laaiii.

Also, I wish they'd not feel the need to go heavy just for the sake of going heavy. I absolutely love Island of Fools, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't a bit disappointed that after such an epic intro it again goes into the low tuned chugga chugga riffage that Mark has been so into post bread of shame. Regardless, the song is still incredible.

Anyway here's how I rate each song:

SMAL - 7 Catchy. But don't dig the sing along "nooooo" in the chorus, feels like a beefed up shinedown song. Would have been cooler if the noooo melody was done on guitar.

Writing - 6 Decent banger

Other Side - 8 Great lyrics. Awesome bridge

My Champion - 5 I like the melody, but the lyrics are mediocre. I feel like they're trying to give a "rise today" style track on each album, when in reality I would much prefer something more along the lines of Brand New Start.

Poison - 6 Kind of catchy, but a little annoying too. Feels too biker bar rock for me. I will admit it's grown on me from my initial listening though. Has a cool solo.

Cradle - 9 Amazing song. This, to me, is most representative of the AB I fell in love with long ago. Beautiful, melodic rock. On my first listen through the album I was getting pretty worried as it wasn't until 6 songs in that I found a track that gave me those AB chills.

Losing Patience - 6 Chorus melody is pretty decent, but the sing along woahs bug me. I hate the repetitive riff during the verses. Mediocre bridge section. Hate the ending with the megaphone effect and the verse riff.

The Side of Fate - 9 Great song. Love the prog breakdown and especially enjoy the part when it gets stripped down at the 4 minute mark and everything after through the solo.

You Will Be Remembered 3 - I reallllly wish I could like this song. I look forward to AB ballads. ILM and Watch Over You were incredible. ABIII had two pretty good ballads. Even though I love Fortress, I wished it had a ballad, so was hoping this time around would make up for it. But boy was this a let down. The song starts out okay through the first verse. But the chorus is soo bad. The lyrics just seem so uninspired and generic. I also don't like how often they use the song itself as a lyrical devise. It kind of breaks the third wall for me. "I'm giving you this song." It's one thing if it's in something like ILM since there is a personal connection as it's about Mark's mom. But not here. Also, I hate how layered the vocals are on the chorus. Before one Myles can finish singing, another Myles starts the next line. Really takes you out of it as you can't picture that in a live performance.

Crows - 8 Great heavy song. I love how Myles sings this chorus and think the attitude works perfectly here.

Twilight - 7 This song had such potential. Intro and verse are great, has a vintage AB sound. But that chorus is soo odd with the vocal phrasing. Such a bummer, as the bridge is phenomenal and the solo is one of the best on the album.

Island of Fools - 9 Killer song. One of the best intros to any AB song. Almost wish this had been the intro to the whole album, though I do think finishing with the one two punch of this and Last Hero is effective. Best chorus of any song on the album. Both solos are great, bridge is amazing. Really love how the chorus following the bridge changes up the vocal phrasing from the earlier choruses, lending to the sense of desperation in the lyrics.

Last Hero - 10 This song is just about perfect to me. Possibly my favorite song they've done since Blackbird. I'm honestly surprised that a few people seem to find fault in it. But I guess that's how subjective music is. I think the message is powerful. I kind of interpret it as asking how, throughout history, certain authoritarian regimes came to power and why weren't there those who were willing to initially prevent it before it was too late (i.e. nazi germany). The music and vocals are spot on throughout. Both solos are incredible. The CoA like build up at the end works perfectly as a way of closing out the record.

Last of Our Kind - 7 Good song, better than a few on the album, so shouldn't have been the choice of being the b-side.


Album rating - 7/10

I'd rank the albums currently as:
Blackbird
Fortress
Last Hero
One Day Remains
ABIII

[nildiven]

edit: duplicate post