http://www.planetrock.com/Article.asp?id=1911118&spid=35830 "Alter Bridge Announce Album / Tour 11th August 2010 Alter Bridge – fronted by Slash’s current touring frontman Myles Kennedy - have announced a new album and tour. The band will release ABIII in September, and it will be the follow up to 2007’s Blackbird. Here’s the tracklist: 1) Slip To The Void 2) Isolation 3) Ghost Of Days Gone By 4) All Hope Is Gone 5) Still Remains 6) Make It Right 7) Wonderful Life 8 I Know It Hurts 9) Show Me A Sign 10) Fallout 11) Breathe Again 12) Coeur D’Alene 13) Life Must Go On 14) Words Darker Than Their Wings The band tour the new album in October with a series of shows across the UK: Oct. 16: Glasgow O2 Academy Oct. 17: Newcastle O2 Academy Oct. 19: Manchester Academy Oct. 20: Nottingham Rock City Oct. 22: London Hammersmith Apollo Oct. 23: Southampton Guildhall Oct. 25: Birmingham O2 Academy Oct. 26: Bristol Colston Hall " amazing band. glad to hear they have an album coming out soon
Eyeing up that thar Manchester date, just shy of 5 years since I last saw them live (FUCK I feel old saying that).
Is that a new frontman? That name isn't familiar. Anyhow, liked Blackbird. Never checked out the first. My complaint about BB, though (and it looks like it will be true for this one too), is that it was too long.
Nah, no new frontman. I'm also very intrigued by the Manchester date. I missed the opportunity to see them when they toured with One Day Remains, and wasn't interested after Blackbird came out (not a big fan of that album). I hope this album can deliver like the debut consistantly does.
Only song from One Day Remains that they didn't play in Nottingham in 2005 was Shed My Skin, I'd KILL to see that live.
Are they so popular that I should buy tickets for Manchester Academy straight away or can I afford to wait a little while?
I'm not buying mine for a while, you should be fine. That said, this isn't a high priority gig for me, considering some of the other gigs this year (i.e. 4 DEP+Rolo Tomassi gigs, one with Alcest )
Somewhat looking forward to the new album. I rarely listen to the first two but they are actually pretty damn good.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM17Nuiqw8U"]YouTube- Isolation - Alter Bridge [AB III Album][/ame]
Not bad. AB has always been a little... generic sounding, but it's good for what it is. It seems like they're at least trying to get a bit more creative with their song structure now. I will reserve judgment until the album leaks.
It's a pretty good tune. I like how although they're keeping their core melodic, radio friendly sound, some of the parts could be mistaken for some non-mainstream metal band.
Upon further review, that's probably the best AB song I've heard, and I tried both of the other albums. The groove in this one combined with those kickass vocals definitely elevate the track.
"Words Darker Than Their Wings" to be available for download on Friday: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/page/News?news_id=100763
track by track review: http://www.musicradar.com/guitarist/alter-bridge-ab-iii-track-by-track-review-278474 "Make no mistake, Alter Bridge's third album AB III is one of the guitar albums of the year. Doubted they'd be able to top 2007's Blackbird? They have – here's the Guitarist rundown of what you can expect on all 14 songs. Spoiler alert! 1. Slip To The Void This is different. Sets a very dark mood from the off with just Myles Kennedy's voice and minimal synth backing. Guitars start to ripple… "you don't belong here" sings Kennedy in a pretty creepy way – we've never heard him sound like this before. Then it breaks: a classic doomy Tremonti riff follows, flowing into a huge chorus and a harmonised bridge between the two singing that is surprisingly seventies classic rock. What a start! Guitar highlight: Tremonti's blackened riff kicking in and snaking under Kennedy's vocal switch to the higher range. 2. Isolation If you haven't already heard this, listen to it here. The fastest song on the album and where Tremonti's speed metal roots surface. A couple of Megadeth-esque frantic leads from Mr T before Myles takes the solo. A great mix of dark themes with an uplifting, anthemic approach – a common trait of AB III as it turns out. Guitar highlight: The breezeblock of a riff that powers the verses. 3. Ghost Of Days Gone By A standout song for us. The subtle finger-picked Tremonti part in the verses (Myles' favourite playing of his on the album apparenlt) is powered by an upbeat rhythm from drummer Scott 'Flip' Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall. However, Kennedy's poignant reflective lyrics begin to throw a melancholic shadow over proceedings. The chorus surges high even by AB's standards: Yesterday is gone / We Can't Go Back Again. But it's the arrival of Tremonti's unexpected heavy palm-muted riff like a black cloud that's really interesting – it takes the song to a very dark place. It's incredibly powerful. Kudos too to a brief shredless solo that really serves the song. Guitar highlight: The none more black curveball riff that breaks when Kennedy scream 'I don't want to die' and takes the song to an unexpected place. 4. All Hope Is Gone We told Tremonti we thought this riff had a medieval feel, he told us he thought it was more pirate (read more from Mark on AB III in a future issue of Guitarist). Whatever it is it's unusual and we like it a lot. A dark song (you'd never guess from the title would you?), this one just escalates through it's parts with satisfying ease – and the verses really bring out the soulful side of Kennedy's vocals. Ultra heavy mid section too – Tremont is clearly bringing out the best from his riff stock. We also think this one has the key Tremonti solo – follows the rhythm guitar changes brilliantly. A perfect mix of feel and technical panache. Guitar highlight: Tremonti's solo – both his and our favourite lead on the record. 5. Still Remains Alter Bridge at their most metal – and it suites them perfectly. The excellent stop-start riff has groove to spare (think Tremonti's work on Creed's Bread Of Shame). An eastern feel in places. Unusual for AB in that it's a vitriolic song aimed at an individual: 'How can you justify the life you're living?' Right hand picking fest in the mid section (Alter Bridge make their middle eight's ones to remember on every song on this album) before it drops into another very heavy riff, but with a lot of clarity to the tone. This is going to be very popular live. Guitar Highlight: The main riff will make you crank your car stereo. It's a belter. 6. Make It Right More of the upbeat side of Alter Bridge which brings a good balance to proceedings. Arpeggiated verses with build into a surging chorus – 'Only you can make it right' – and it maintains the energetic pace. Another strong middle eight with a blazing solo to close. Guitar highlight: The closing solo is trademark Tremonti. 7. Wonderful Life This band seem to be able to approach the subject of death and loss with a very rare poignancy. We heard it on In Loving Memory on their 2004 debut One Day Remains (Tremonti's moving tribute to his late mother) and again on Blackbird's title track. This is somewhere between the former and their hit Watch Over You. They manage to create something mournful about losing someone but celebratory of their life too. Mid section is a huge sweeping epic. This song will resonate with a lot of people. Guitar highlight: The melancholic finger-picked line in the verse – previewed briefly at a solo show by Myles last year – is the most delicate piece on the album but immensely effective. 8. I Know It Hurts We're over half way and there's no sign of the quality dipping yet. The mood switches here to more upbeat territory with an ode to overcoming struggles. We like the subtle use of delay through the verses. Another down-tuned sledgehammer riff comes in but again, it doesn't sound forced – it just fits. Another Tremonti solo to close – he's dazzling but constantly playing for the song. Not an easy balance but clearly something he's been working on from what we're hearing. We're hoping this one gets played on the UK tour. Guitar highlight: That mantric low-end riff in the chorus is used cannily. 9. Show Me A Sign Tremonti's favourite song on the album – dark and brooding. This mid-paced track is a grower and the most morose moment on AB III. Mid-paced riff that is remisncent in atmopsphere of some of his work on Creed's mega-successful Human Clay album. It surges into a dual vocal on the chorus – Tremonti is singing more this album than we've ever heard before. The first solo different for AB: short and eastern-flavoured with Myles on a Whammy. The second – again closing the song – is pure Tremonti, measured between feel and fury. Myles voice goes pretty high on this one. Powerful stuff. Guitar highlight: The main riff really sets the melancholic and doomy mood of this song. 10. Fallout Tremonti told us the band were working on the idea for this song during soundchecks of their last tour. Almost And Myles fans will note it's the name of his previous band Mayfield Four's debut. A connection? Probably not. This seems to be a narrative about a man's struggle. Flowing country-fied guitar line in the verse. Really anthemic chorus – no surprise there with this band, and good to hear a bluesy lick between the verses. The whammy pops up again after another strong middle eight but Tremonti's solo steals the show – it's not flash but it darts around the rhythm with such melodic skill that it's difficult to imagine anything that would serve the song better. Guitar highlight: Tremonti's melodic solo that closes the song 11. Breathe Again Chiming, strumming guitars – this one could have fitted on their debut quite comfortably. Guess what else it's got? Yep, big chorus. Pretty minimal musical backing on the verses that really showcases Kennedy's voice – in case you didn't already notice how good it was. A satisfying slice of life affirming rock. 12. Coeur d'Alene A song about the longing for home. One of our favourites on the album – maybe it's because of the way Tremonti weaves the heavy riff in and out of the melody so effectively. Backs off on the verses to dramatic effect. Guitar highlight: The recurring riff sets this song apart. 13. Life Must Go On A good choice for penultimate song. The intro isn't a million miles away from Creed's My Sacrifice and reminds us a little of One Day Remains' Down To My Last too. Tremonti cleverly integrates the finger- picked part back into the song later. It has a similar pace to Breathe Again with the strummed verses. Singalong chorus too and one of the strongest mid-sections on the album – arguably better than that chorus – it just keeps getting bigger. Tremonti's closing solo is melodic and subtle sitting behind the vocal and rhythm – none of his solos are as high in the mix on this album compared to Blackbird but his very musical approach suites that. Guitar Highlight: Intro chord sequence sounds immense and is reprised in the last section of the song to great effect. 14. Words Darker Than Their Wings This song is available to download from the Roadrunner website for the next 48 hours. Alter Bridge's first to feature a bonafide shared lead vocal between Tremonti and Kennedy, Words Darker Than Their Wings is a discussion of faith between the two musicians that is a highly effective closer. Trademark arpeggiated verses and largely chord driven elsewhere, it powers on to a stunning showcase of Kennedy's Jeff Buckley-esque falsetto at the end. A stunningly appropriate way to end the album. Guitar Highlight: 12–string arpeggios – never a bad thing."
Isolation is the "fastest" song on the album? Hmm maybe I won't be picking this up if it's an album full of 75bpm bore-rock.
lol @ taking my statement to an extreme and illogical conclusion. Tremonti has played plenty of faster riffs in his time. I hate it when he gets bogged down with the slow, boring chord changes though... he doesn't have a very developed sense of harmony in his songwriting. The riff-based songs are better.
Shitty quality 30-second clips: http://www.cede.ch/de/music-cd/frames/right.cfm?aobj=850201 some of this sounds like it's gonna be awesome
Why are shitty quality 30-second clips always on some German sites? edit: man those samples sound generic compared to Blackbird.
Blackbird had Ties That Bind, the title track, White Knuckles at least, while here every song (judging by those samples) is pretty much your standard alternative rock, the tempo barely varies, they are even of the same length. Still excited for the album though.
