Alter Bridge – Blackbird / 2007 Republic / 13 Tracks / http://www.altarbridge.com / http://www.universalrepublic.com /
As most individuals may know, Alter Bridge consists of three-fourths of what was Creed. To those ranks, Myles Kennedy (formerly of The Mayfield Four) provides lead vocals and guitar. “Blackbird” is the band’s second album, and the disc’s first single is “Rise Today”. For those wrestling fans that happen to read NeuFutur, “Rise Today” was the track that was played to all hell during WWE’s Unforgiven 2007. While this album did not peak as highly as their debut album, “One Day Remains”, did (#13 compared to “One Day Remains'” #5), there is a certain evolution to the band’s sound that will only impress listeners.
“Brand New Start” is a misnomer. The band builds off the themes and styles that were first present during “One Day Remains” in providing a style of radio rock that touches Soundgarden-like sounds at points. While there is much more attention paid to the instrumental interplay on the disc, the band is able to immediately fly off the handle and go off into a style of rock that calls forth all of the classics of nineties rock, whether it be the aforementioned Soundgarden or Guns N Roses (pre-“The Spaghetti Incident”). Finishing this out is the soulful singing, which provides vocals that will be sang by countless youth in the years to come. Alter Bridge is like that Everclear song – they provide everything to everyone, and they do it in such a way that individuals that even don’t consider themselves music buffs can appreciate without having to invest much.
“Ties That Bind” is yet another track that creates this intricate interplay of different instruments. If anything, the band somehow ties together a Helloween type of symphonic metal with a Lynyrd Skynyrd type of southern metal to create something that is completely and utterly new. While individuals may be apt to compare the band to Creed due to the connections that the bands share, this is not a tenable comparison. The instrumental virtuosity, the emotional intensity, and the arrangements’ intricacy on this album far outstrip anything else that is present on rock radio during this day and time. Pick up this album if you have any love for rock that you have to dissect; Alter Bridge are perhaps the one band that can save rock from being the stale creature that it has resembled in the era of Three Days Graces and Papa Roaches.
Top Tracks: Ties That Bind, Rise Today
Rating: 7.2/10