Ab 3.5

Excitement and anticipation were the feelings just before I played this CD! Alter Bridge deliver with full force here, the 3 year wait was worth it! I read that this is a loose concept album of sorts. And believe me, there's 14 songs here, but none of them tend to bore you half way through. And after listening to this cd for 3 days straight now - in the car, Home, Office Radio.. & so on.. Below is my track-by-track review of this album. 01. Slip Into The Void - Myles starts off this dark mood setter with soft sung, creepy vocals, something unheard in previous albums. Soft guitar picking in the background begin to paint a picture and give you a taste of things to come! The Riff here reminds me of "Find The Real"... Only darker and more twisted! 02. Isolation - this is the albums First single, all round fast paced and heaviest song on the album. There's some good drumming here.. Around 2m 19sec, Tremonti breaks into a brilliant odd / even time signature speed metal riff! Totally takes you by surprise... and of course, its followed by Myles' guitar solo. 03. Ghost of Days Gone By - The intro to this song brought a big smile on my face.. its very up beat with an almost punk feel to it... again, different! & a sound that's reminiscent of Alter Bridge's ghost of days gone by . . . . . ;o) But around the 2m 21sec mark, the song takes a complete 180° dive into darkness, reminding us what ABIII is all about \m/ 04. All Hope Is Gone - This song is a highlight... its got a very different sound than other AB songs. Big Riffs combined with Myles' more soulful vocals. Its probably got the best lead solo of the album. 05. Still Remains - This song is all MeTaL! Its got a BIG Stop Start riff going with a few Mid Eastern elements in the beginning & end of the song.. Highlight here is the crazy chug chug riff around the 2m 40sec mark. 06. Make It Right - A very positive message in this song... Myles sings, "Only you can Make it right" This is a trademark AB track.. its got all the elements that make AB songs stand out and different from any other artists music. Big Chorus + Constant picking and a Good closing solo. 07. Wonderful Life - This is the ballad of ABIII and a possible second single. It will easily relate with anyone. Its up there with "In Loving Memory", "Watch Over You" & "Blackbird" I'd like to hear an acoustic version of this! 08. I Know It Hurts - Another heavy / fast paced song with a great ending solo. Reminds me of similar AB songs like "Metalingus" & "White Knuckles" 09. Show Me A Sign - Clocking in @ 5m 56sec, this is the longest track on ABIII. It has a Doomy feel to it and its mid tempo takes you back in time and seems to venture into Creed's Weathered ~ Human Clay territory... definitely not a bad thing! That funny saying truly fits here... "you cant make this $#!T Up!" ;o) 10. Fallout - Good Mid paced heavy track, which gives us a glimpse of Myles' Country / Blues Roots. its got a very anthemic Chorus and a sweet Solo by Tremonti. 11. Breathe Again - Really sweet song, its pure AB Style and on a similar pace as their songs "Down to my last" & "Before Tomorrow Comes" A good showcase of Myles dynamic range vocals. 12. Coeur D'Alene - A very smart thing Mark Tremonti does here, by filling in guitar parts while Myles sings. It makes the song sound very guitar driven! A very straight forward rocker with a sweet closing solo. 13. Life Must Go On - The moment I heard this song, the intro stuck in my head, cuz I knew I had heard it before, but just didn't remember where... Turns out Mark had played an acoustic version of it on his "The Sound & The Story" DVD, under the Alternate Tuning / Finger-style chapter. Its a beautiful mid paced track with a big chorus, definitely making it a worthy crowd sing-along-song! I like the way Mark plays the same intro towards the end of the song along with Myles Vocals, and the short sweet epic solo in the end. (My personal favorite song) 14. Words Darker Than Their Wings - This song is a duet of sorts, between Myles and Mark. Showcasing more of Mark's vocal skills, which is not a bad thing, because He's quite a capable singer in his own right. The song itself is done very differently though, its not just two individuals singing, rather its more like a conversation between the two. Its on the lines and pace of their epic "Blackbird" , it's got a very distinctive 12 string guitar tone and it couldn't be a better closing song. Myles takes his vocals here to their peak which for sure is the highlight of this song! In closing I'd like to say, If One Day Remains was a transformation for them from Creed to AB~ and Blackbird was all about shedding old skin and out with the new~ I'd say over all this album boasts just one thing... and that is progression! They're not Stagnant, but Constant and innovative in their own unique style! Hats off & a Personal Thank You to Alter Bridge for this offering. PS. Still waiting for the 3 bonus tracks, probably will review those too when they become available ;o) Update - US Bonus#1 - Zero - this ones got a familiar riff to it.. reminded me of a song by 12Stones.. but how AB own it is amazing.. strong bass here and as usual, good solo by Mark. The song may be named Zero but definitely there's nothing Zero about it. Good addition to the album. US Bonus#2 - Home - this song's similar to "Make It Right" & "Words Darker Than Their Wings" off the same album.. straight up rocker.. the reverb echo effect used in Myles voice makes the song sound epic.. Japan Bonus#1 - Never Born to Follow - This song is very different from anything AB have done, yes it's the typical AB sound, but has a very 90's feel to it with an almost dreamy hook.. the ooohhhs & whoaas are a give away! Almost sounds like something that Myles would have done when he was in Mayfield Four.. probably we will get to hear more of this on his upcoming solo. (My suggestion.. get the US version & just D/Load this song.. or get it off itunes.) Pulling off a feat like this is not easy.. These guys recorded a total of 17 outstanding Rock Anthems for ABIII, which is probably 3 tracks short of a Double Album.. in only 3 to 4 months ? Songs here might not be breaking new ground, but its an evolutionary growth process for the Band, to expand to the full potential of their sound. Kudos & All The Best to the band members for their hard work! Rock On \m/ \m/ UPDATE - Hey guys, I finally got my hands on the ABIII.5 CD/DVD Pack so I thought I'd just leave a quick update.. the album .. well.. nothing more to say than I've already said.. just a quick update on the One By One DVD, as it's mentioned in the Product description, its the Making of the ABIII album.. its not entirely.. its got Production manager interviews, Slash speaks about the band.. of course the band members themselves also talk about life on tour, good times and hardships.. how they bought their way out of Wind Up Records to Universal.. & then again from Universal to their own.. it does have a couple of songs from all three albums filmed at various live shows... the highlight definitely would be "Rise Today" featuring a guest appearance by Slash on guitar of course ;o) he just ripped through the song and his solo towards the end was just epic \m/ \m/ - you have to check it out for yourself to believe it! (poor Mark :p) So.. in conclusion id like to say that either way, whether you get the standard edition.. or the import with this dvd.. its totally worth it. P.S. - The new Slash album with Myles, & Mark Tremonti's Tremonti Project would definitely be on the top of my list to look forward to this year.

The last library of music that was as impactful as ABIII, was "Operation Mindcrime" by a little band called Queensryche. ABIII is a masterpiece of material. Mark Tremonti is one of the better rock guitarists of our generation. Mark can bring the heat with power chords and plays very beautiful melodies. Myles Kennedy has an Ethereal, Haunting voice. I'm not sure of his octaves but his vocal range fits the music perfectly. The first track "Slip to the Void", take a listen to that , you will recognize my definition of "haunting" vocals. Of course the bass and drums hold up very well, Alter Bridge are one of my favorite bands in the Post-Grunge era. In my opinion for an album to be great, it should have 5 great songs, I have always said, if 5 tunes are great, then its one to purchase. This album has well over 10 great tracks! I read somebody's review of how the mixing is less than stellar, I disagree. I think Alter Bridge records tracks more as a band , as opposed to each musician doing their own parts and mixing together,I think AB goes for that "live" sound. I don't think guitar tracks should be overdubbed and layered, to sound more full. You can tell on this album, that both Myles and Mark play to acheive that cohesive blend of sounds, Myles Kennedy is a decent guitarist, considering the quality of his voice. There are parts of this album that remind me of Queen's opera-esque melodies and vocals, there are parts that are just in your face ROCK and there are tracks like "Slip to the Void and "Show Me a Sign" that are eerie and very sonic. Songs that stick in your head and make you feel like you are taking a journey with the band, lost in this album... I would have never imagined a better follow-up to Blackbird, but this album reaches that pinnacle and goes past it. If you can ever catch this band live, do so. They are gifted musicians and put on a great show. To sum it up, if your library is missing a recent album that can played again and again, with the likes of Def Leppard's Pyromania , AC/DC's "Back in Black or Queensryche's "Operation Mindcrime", ABIII is in that same company. Perhaps I am biased, for I am a big fan of Creed but I feel it is safe to say that Alter Bridge is a better band and writes better songs. Some day, they will have to tour as Alter Bridge and Creed, when Creed plays, just throw Myles on guitar and backing vocals. You have two HUGE bands at a lower touring overhead! If you have been lacking a big time band, a big time album in the 2000's(2012) era, get this album and see what rock should be in this day and age. Alter Bridge's time is now, lets hope they continue to churn out new material.

These guys are amazing. Emphasize not only the work of Tremonti and Kennedy, also the Marshall but especially that of Scott Phillips, giving many nuances to the music of Alter Bridge with his fantastic way to play drums. The album is the perfect continuation and evolution of THE BLACK BIRD album. The songs are darker, as an example SLIP TO THE VOID or SHOW ME A SIGN. the cd also have a beautiful ballad WONDERFUL LIFE ,with a final part is also an example of the dark of the instrumental compositions,and a half-time song LIFE MUST GO ON that is amazing. For me the best songs are SLIP TO THE VOID, ALL HOPE IS GONE, I KNOW IT HURTS and FALLOUT but all the songs have a high level. The only "bad" is that I liked more the production of ONE DAY REMAINS than the production of Michael Baskette in the last two albums.Finally say that five-star rating, believe me, is short. I would give ten stars

It's official. These guys are unstoppable. What with Mark's guitar prowess, Myles' superb vocals, and the rhythm section, Brian's learned bass playing and Scott's absolute drumming, you have the rock band of these early 2000s. There's chemistry here between all four band members, and it shows through clearly on this album. You will hear Myles take the lead on guitar more than previous releases, and the same idea applies to Mark's vocals. On almost every track, Tremonti's backing vocals here or there, and on "Words Darker Than Wings," he even sings lead. Mark's actually an excellent singer in his own right, as revealed on the aforementioned track, and the same is also with Myles' guitar work. All this considered, I couldn't want anything more. And I never have, which is why I esteem this group so highly. As a side-note, Brian Marshall's bass is killer on this album, and Scott Phillips' drumming is infectious. Check out the bonus track "Zero" for Marshall's bass, and "Isolation" for Phillip's drumming.

i first was exposed to this band with their excellent Blu-Ray release live in Amsterdam. Absolutely a first rate performance! Miles kennedy is so far ahead of Scott Stapp that comparisons are simply not possible. Mark Tremonti has never played better or as inspired. I have been a fan of rock for 40 years and my favorite bands are iron Maiden, Rush, Judas Priest, Y & T, Eric Johnson, Pat Travers, GnR, Metallica and countless others but I have to say no band has captured my spirit as much as Alter Bridge. A few of the reviews have been neutral to negative and I cannot understand that mentality at all. These guys are absolutely on top of their game and have never sounded better. For the Creed fans out there, listen to Creed albums and the work that Tremonti did on those albums. Then listen to Alter Bridge and his work on the first three AB albums...there is no comparison. He is a much better guitarist with Alter Bridge. Miles Kennedy vs Scott Stapp, Miles hands down is a better vocalist. Enough said! AB III is one of the best rock albums I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. For all you fence sitters out there, simply buy it! You will not regret it.

The general consensus is that Blackbird was the promise and AB III is the delivery of that promise. It's true, AB III is an extraordinary album on many levels. What you will find here upon first listen is a cd filled with thundering riffs and soaring choruses. However, listen a little deeper and you will also hear songs with intricately woven melodies, thoughtful lyrics, gorgeous guitar tones and incredible production. They make it all sound effortless, a mark of master craftsmen. When you add all of these elements together you get a rock album destined to be a classic in the very truest sense of the word. AB III will be remembered years from now as The bands true breakout album. This was the moment that everyone stood up and took notice of this stunning piece of work and recognized it for the genius that it is.

I was a big fan of Creed but quickly grew tired of the Scott S. stuff...A friend at work introduced me to Alter Bridge about 4 years ago..I was hooked immediately. The vocals of Kennedy make the creed vocals sound like a high school choir boy. The driving guitar and amazing vocals including lots of nice harmony make for an amazing album! The songs all have a different vibe but darker than the previous AB albums. These guys are probably my favorite group out there right now..good rock....good message to most of the songs. In a day where the lyrics of most pop music is absolute crap--these guys at least sing about something that has meaning to them. Anyway--this is a must have for rock fans.

This 2010 release is absolutely amazing. All 16-tracks are totally pure, raw, and dam* near perfect! When I was in middle-school, my absolute favorite band was Creed...mainly because of Mark Tremonti. Mr. Tremonti is arguably one of the best guitar players ever!!! I can’t text enough about how great this band is...Alter Bridge is one of my generation’s BEST hard rock bands. Their passion and love for musical expression shines through in this CD...one can tell they need music to survive as much as any human-being needs water to survive...music is in their blood and runs through their veins!