Alter Bridge – The Last Hero (Alter Bridge Recordings)

English:CD-review
  Van Muylem    10 oktober 2016

Heroes push us to excel. Their will, courage, and sacrifice can bring out the best in the world around them.  This is the story of their fifth full-length album, The Last Hero, a huge one for our beloved hard rockers! They show us timeless heroism …


As mister Myles says in the short promo talk: “While recognizing where we’ve come from, we wanted to expand what Alter Bridge is. This record is definitely an exploration of the hero theme—whether it be the lack of heroes, the need for heroes, or a tribute to heroes. There’s a story in there.” 

Show me a leader is a strong opener bringing in some critics about our actual world and politics in general. Our world needs a leader, but do we have a leader worth it? Where are the heroes hiding? The song explodes, is sharp and yet catchy with a raw edge. The solo is just great: it’s hot and steamy! Another hard and heavy, but o so melodic and catchy one is The writing on a wall! Nice to see that graffiti can have consequences, as it’s like starting a riot! The music goes very well along with the story and the lyrics! The new concept works just fine!

The other side starts with a dark sound, almost like as if the villains are attacking the world! It’s a dark and very sharp song. We get some light with My champion however the lyrics still point out that you have to loose and learn out of it: keep on fighting and come back stronger! All in all it’s a pretty hopeful song with a good drive and great guitar work! Poison in your veins: serving as reminder to live life courageously, take chances, and ultimately believe in yourself! In a musical way we get a great track: it’s a whirlwind and will be a perfect live track with lots of energy! Guitars and drums are on fire! Cradle to the grave is it the same song as Five finger Death Punch? Nope, it sounds more like a blues rock ballad with enough pathos in it to make it feel like real!

Losing patience explodes almost from the start. It’s a page turner, goes fast, sounds sharp and is about moving on and grasping that second chance! This side of Fate is another hard hitter with a melancholic twist. You will be remembered is a powerful ballad: a strong song for all our heroes, all those who died to give us a better world! We hear a sharp and true story during Crow on a Wire. I like the way the lyrics are combine with the riffs and drums! In Twilight gives us some hope, sound wise it sounds a bit like the U2 track Where the streets have no name mixed with some Aerosmith and it sounds pretty cool. Island of Fools is a nice rager with heavy drums and guitars on fire. The last hero is already the last track, sounds a bit melancholic and leaves us some hope. Still unsure if we still have a future, but at least we stand a chance. The music has something bombastic and epic.

I must say I had a nice time and can’t wait to see them on stage! The lyrics touched me as they feel like fitting for this moment and for the future as if it was a political statement. Thumbs up for that!