Alter Bridge: ABIII

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ashesofphoenix

ashesofphoenix

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I live in the US and ordered a copy of ABIII from Germany because I was so amped up for the album I couldn't wait a month, obviously a pretty big fan. I'll start with the good parts of the album. It was really well produced, I enjoyed hearing Mark Tremonti sing more, and the songs flowed rather nicely in to each other, however I must say I am dissappointed. I am not saying its a bad record, I am saying that at this stage of Alter Bridge I expected more.

AB III would have been a terrific first record for them. It has some good songs on it, but for the Hard Rock fans out there it is much to be desired. I expected to hear more Mark Tremonti melt your face off riffs and melodic epic solos; I was expecting to hear Myles Kennedy show more range and having better melodic hooks. Also, some of the song titles felt "borrowed" from other artists. "All Hope is Gone," being the most apparent to me. I notice similarities to STP and Breaking Benjamin songs as well. Maybe I'm over thinking this but its the first thing I noticed before opening the CD.

I feel that this is a much more "pop" oriented album that I'm sure will win them countless new fans and more radio play, but for me, IMHO, I feel like following "Blackbird" with this is hard to swallow. "Blackbird" is a record filled with emotion, great hooks, epic lyrics, big chorus', etc. I guess I hyped this up too much in my mind, or maybe the return of Creed will be the demise of Alter Bridge (I Hope Not). One thing is for certain, they are great musicians and great songwriters and I hope that the next record is "AB IV: The Return to Awesome".
 
I'm curious for other's thoughts on this record so if you have heard it please let me know your thoughts. This album is currently streaming online if you live in the US.
 
As another huge Alter Bridge fan I must say I was a little thrown off by this record as well. When I think of what I loved about Black Bird, I loved the epic "Black Bird" or other songs like "Watch Over You," but what I feel is missing from AB III is those amazing riffs and choruses found in songs like "Buried Alive," "Ties that Bind," "Come to Life" etc. We get a taste of it in "Isolation," and "Still Remains" but it the rest of it seems to be a little too focused on Myles' melody. Interestingly enough they said they weren't going to do anything commercial, and it was purely artistic. However this formal seems to have made many songs sound even more main-stream just as you said. They stated in the documentary of AB III that the melody was most important so perhaps the over-the-top guitar riffs were "sacrificed" to not distract from melody?

At this point my theory is the "fire-drill theory." The same thing that happened to this album is exactly what happened to Full Circle by Creed. They simply were under the gun to write and record this CD in comparison to the amount of time they had on their previous albums. AB says it gives the album a more "spontaneous sound," but I prefer the sound of them analyzing and critiquing every little part over many months like they did with Black Bird. Like Full Circle, some of the songs start to feel repetitive, especially in the choruses. I also wonder what effect the Slash tour has had on Myles' singing style. Another possibly is that with each member in two bands at once they lack the creative breaks they used to have. Instead they are pumping out music all year long, year after year.

This is not to say I think AB III is a bad album. It's very good, it's just missing some of my favorite qualities that Black Bird had. You still do have some kick ass guitar riffs, great sining by Myles, and Myles' guitar work just puts more polish on it. And of course, Phillips and Marshall keep the rhythm section rock solid. I think the problem for us is that with Alter Bridge our expectations are set very, very high after Black Bird. Had this been Myles' Solo CD, or another band that we had run across it would have been amazing. But we just expect more from AB III.

Interestingly, again the "unreleased songs" are very good and I find myself again scratching my head as to why they were not released. (I loved "We Don't Care at All" and "The Damage Done"). I'm not saying they are amazing, but I really like "Zero" and "Home" over the other songs that were standard for the album. I'm sure you've listened to these, but if you haven't you should check out the US bonus tracks.

Just my thoughts on the album so far, but I haven't had as much time to fully digest since I've waited for the US release. Perhaps in a few months I will have a better perspective.
The documentary I'm referring to can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNayhS7W9G0&hd=1
 
I thought it was a good album. Not the best thing they have done, but really pretty good. I had to listen to it a few times to connect with it. Miles is a killer singer. I like Blackbird better too, but most non-musicians remember a good melody rather than killer hooks and chops (although I love killer hooks and chops) Maybe they were trying to put out something people would remember by the melodies (not sure)
I'm sure they look at it now and wish some things were different, I think everyone does once they release it. Hopefully the next one will show a little more focus. They still have some great tones in there, and some solid songs. I bet its hard to follow up an album like Blackbird when you've been on the road as much as they have. ;)
 
I agree with being on the road, but also with all they're other priorities. Creed getting back together, Miles being in "England" (Zepp) and doing the Slash record, etc. I guess its hard to swallow as a die hard fan... If you can't put ur best work forward don't do a record. But what do I know I guess lol. I hope we see a change in their next release back to the AB style.
 
I have to say that I am happy with ABIII. I loved Blackbird as much as the biggest fan but III has some great tunes. Show me a sign and Coeur d'Alene and Words Darker Than Their Wings are Master Pieces to me!! I feel all the emotion in them. Just like I did with the track of Blackbird. I have to agree my 7yr old likes the rest of the album more than I but the recording was a better mix than the previous and that was hard to accomplish. I think Myles guitar was more pronoun and I loved it. His mix of the Diezel and Mark IV is supurb. Tremonti's use of the Bogners seem to me greater too. Personally I cant imagine what they will achieve next.
This is a great discussion of a killer band!!! Thanks for the read.
P.S. As far as used song names I believe Blackbird was previously used as well. ;)
 
Haha good point!!! AB is a killer group. and after a few months the record is growing on me a little more. The fire-drill theory is defenatley holding tru tho. I dont feel they spent the time to produce an all around AB record. To me a lot of the songs sound "creedish." i dunno just my opinion
 
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