Alter Bridge Is Back with Fortress
By Seth M
It’s been a few years of a wait and although Alter Bridge as a whole has been silent, the individual band members haven’t. With Myles Kennedy working with Slash, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips reuniting with Creed, and Tremonti working on his own solo album/tour, they’ve been pretty busy ~ but the end of 2013 finally them all back to us, united, for Fortress.
When asked about Fortress, Tremonti said, “We wanted this album to be our most unpredictable and exciting one yet. From the early feedback we have received, it looks like we have achieved what we set out to do.”
I couldn’t agree more; once again, Alter Bridge have succeeded in revamping their style enough that Fortress sounds decidedly different from their previous releases yet still sounds like an Alter Bridge album.
Kicking off the album is one of its best tracks, “Cry of the Achilles,” which gets you excited for what’s in store. It starts off with a more laid back acoustic guitar but then quickly becomes a serious rock song ~ and chances are you will listen to this one again before moving on to “Addicted to Pain.” “Addicted” is another straight forward rock song and now only two tracks in you know you are hearing some of Myles’ best work.
If you enjoy the heavier side of Alter Bridge, then your ears will be drawn to “Bleed it Dry,” one of the heavier tracks, along with “The Uninvited,” “Peace is Broken,” and “Father Than The Sun.”
For AB fans who love their more melodic side, “Lover” will appeal to you, as will “Water Rising” ~ which takes a page from Tremonti’s solo work , All I Was, and features him doing a hell of a job on vocals.
Overall, I wouldn’t say there is anything groundbreaking about “Fortress,” but not every album has to forge new paths. I would, however, say it provides a full hour of no-nonsense rock n roll; it may be a bit overproduced for some, but my guess is that the overproduction creates the style that is most popular today, so all in all, there’s little negative to say about the latest work from Alter bridge.
With the release of Fortress coming on October 8th, the band isn’t waiting any time: their only scheduled US show happens October 4th at the House of Blues in Orlando and is followed by a headlining world tour that will run from October 16th through November 16 (featuring Shinedown and Halestorm on select dates). It’s just a matter of time before they make it to your town ~ and when they do, go. If Myles, Mark, Brian and Scott impress you when you listen to their album, wait ‘til you see these guys live!!
For dates and more information, check out alterbridge.com.