Metalwani: http://www.metalwani.com/2016/09/review ... -hero.html (9/10)
Screamer Magazine: http://screamermagazine.com/reviews/alt ... last-hero/With still a month to go, fan excitement is already beginning to peak as Alter Bridge gear up for a big return. Their new album, ‘The Last Hero,’ born of their endless striving to top their previous work, lurks just around the corner, with a world tour to go hand in hand with it for adoring fans. The band’s first release since their 2013 ‘Fortress,’ ‘The Last Hero’ will be their fifth studio album, set for release October 7th via Caroline Records in the U.S and Canada and Napalm Records throughout the rest of the world. And if the whispers are to believed, it just might be a doozy!
“We’re certainly not pushing any sort of agenda or political views by any means,” says vocalist Myles Kennedy speaking about ‘The Last Hero’ “but we’re definitely diving into and taking the pulse of the world around us.” With themes of political leadership and global warming this is open to debate, but dive they indeed do, with ‘The Last Hero’ also centering itself around themes of heroism and unity that are repeated throughout.
Kicking off the record, “Show Me A Leader” is evidence of exactly that. Not only the opening track, it also serves as the lead single for ‘The Last Hero’ and justifiably so. Played on seven string guitars with some alternative tunings, a big, larger than life A.B sound takes hold. The band aim big lyrically too, creating a strong sense of both music and lyrics coming together. If, for some,”Show Me A Leader” suffers unfavorable comparisons with similar songs such as Stone Sour’s “Come What(ever) May,” where Corey Taylor’s delivery feels like an all-out onslaught, that may have to do with the fact that Kennedy is taking a different route and the subtle shift in energy lets the song excel on its own merit.
“The Writing on the Wall”, written about those who deny global warming, also deserves to place high on pole position for standout tracks. Similarly, the feel good, singalong powerhouse “My Champion” which owns the line “you gotta keep fighting and get back up again,” a lyric that embodies much of the legitimacy and spirit that courses throughout ‘The Last Hero.’ Musically, Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti continue to set the bar when it comes to skills on guitar. The self-proclaimed “guitar nerds” playing is, unsurprisingly, incredible throughout the entirety of the record, further cementing their reputation as a byword of great guitar playing. “Yeah, that’s all well and good,” you might say, “but are there any guitar playing standouts?” Try “Poison In Your Veins,” for it will infect you in the best way possible.
From here on, the road weaves. “Losing Patience” blends the best of the bands new material with subtle hints of ingredients from ‘One Day Remains,’ the band’s debut album. This, just ahead of a track that is something else entirely. “You Will Be Remembered” doesn’t place as pole position for best track, it surpasses the pole completely. A chiming intro riff, verses that swoon and a chorus that unleashes such vocals, you feel yourself and everything in the room stop, as if it all purposely ceased, afraid to miss even a moment. With so much going on, listeners will find it’s easier to just sit back and surrender to it. Though fear not fellow guitar nerds, the interlocking riffs backed by the relentlessly brutal rhythm section that is bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips, soon return. “Crows On A Wire” will satisfy all these needs, as does the album closer “The Last Hero”, which will satisfy everyone’s needs, with a few surprises thrown in between.
A technically complex band, Alter Bridge know how to balance their dynamics. But there was always a question hanging over them when it came to the group dynamics. What started as a band cited as being a supergroup, and technically still is, with ‘The Last Hero’ Alter Bridge seem to have found a synergy and an identity uniquely, and cohesively, their own. If each record thus far was consciously made to be an evolutionary step, ‘The Last Hero’ succeeds in respecting their past, owning their present and fighting loud and large into the future.
Orlando based rock band Alter Bridge is set to release their fifth studio album titled The Last Hero on October 7th produced by Michael “Elvis” Baskette. Since their last album Fortress in 2013, lead vocalist Myles Kennedy and lead guitarist Mark Tremonti have been exceedingly busy with Kennedy fronting Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash’s solo band and Tremonti releasing his second solo album Cauterize. The much anticipated release of The Last Hero reuniting Brian Marshall (bass), Scott Phillips (drums), Tremonti and Kennedy is sure to be Alter Bridge’s most memorable album to date.
Show Me A Leader, the first single off of this 13 track album features a sophisticated and classic rock vibe as Tremonti takes you on a musical journey from one extreme to the other on the opening seven-string guitar solo accompanied by Kennedy’s forceful vocals reflecting the world’s need for leadership and clearly, Alter Bridge proves they can show us the way with this track.
Pleasantly leading into the second track called The Writing On The Wall and track three The Other Side which has a sultry energy but lyrically, the depth digs deep into the heart and minds of what is going on in the world today. My Champion starts off with a psychedelic 60’s riff and rolls into Alter Bridge’s familiar sound and hooks you as it transitions through. Inspired by Kennedy’s childhood is manifested through the lyrics he has reportedly mentioned in interviews.
Versatility is transparent throughout the album and becomes even more clear with Cradle To The Grave and This Side Of Fate which bring the album into a deeper state of musical bliss. You Will Be Remembered has a lot of the same feeling as 2007’s Watch Over You from the album Blackbird.
The Last Hero which is also the final and title track of the album, seemingly alternates a frenzy of The Eagles’ Hotel California until it rages onward back into what fans love about Alter Bridge which is Tremonti’s commitment to his guitar solos, Kennedy’s passion and as this song takes turn after turn, it is easy to get lost in such a wonderfully executed song and album. It has been well worth the wait!