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It's been 3 years since Alter Bridge released their second album Blackbird. Now their 3rd album is ready to hit the stores and again Michael Baskette took care of the production.
Slowly they kick off with Slip To The Void, Myles Kennedy almost whispers the first words, but then they head into a heavy progressive metal tune. Lyrically the songs are loosely tied, not a real concept album, but all songs are about the struggle with faith and believes. And so the songs are dark without being melancholy. Isolation is a guitar-driven rocker with a great hookline. An ear catcher! No surprise it was the first single off AB III.
Less metallic is Ghost Of Days Gone By, a bit moody but with a spark of hope in the music. Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti offer heavy riffs and melodic leads while bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips deliver the rhythmic basis. One of the highlights is All Hope Is Gone, even if it's quite different. The opening part has a Tull-ish atmosphere, almost as Alter Bridge took a Jethro Tull tune and changed it into a heavy rocker in the Alter Bridge way. Very cool.
With Make It Right they should please fans of alternative rock, especially with it's slow melancholy passages. Wonderful Life is an enchanting ballad. Touching.
Time for another heavy, riff-based rocker! I Know It Hurts will win you over the first time you hear it. And again Kennedy / Tremonti show their skills on the guitar. After the rockers Show Me A Sign and Fallout the Floridians offer a balladesque rocker called Breathe Again. Coeur d'Alene starts slowly, then a heavy guitar-driven part - and they slow down again. A sonic roller coaster ride and definitely one of the highlights off AB III. After Life Must Go On they present the closer Words Darker Then Their Wings. And this emotional tune will touch you! And make you play the album again!
Actually you can pick any 2 songs, you won't find a filler! Perhaps not every one is a killer, but it's more a matter of taste then a lack of quality or craftsmanship.
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