SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALTER BRIDGE – ALTER BRIDGE

ALTER BRIDGE
ALTER  BRIDGE
NAPALM RECORDS

Alter Bridge has returned with their eighth studio album, the eponymous Alter Bridge. Following 2022’s Pawns & Kings – and a period which saw the reunion of Creed and the release of solo material from both Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti – modern rock’s most consistent band is back with a visceral collection of 12 hard-hitting tracks.

Kicking things off with the lead single, Alter Bridge opens their self-titled album with the roaring guitars and thunderous drums of “Silent Divide,” a rocker propelled by a massive chorus. The band sounds absolutely massive through pristine and polished production; despite the aggressive bombast of the song itself, every element sits perfectly in the mix, making for both a larger than life and a crystal-clear sound. This element has become as signature to the Alter Bridge sound as Kennedy’s soaring vocals, Tremonti’s riffs and the rocksteady rhythm section of drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall. The album continues with “Rue The Day,” perhaps the grimiest we’ve heard Alter Bridge thus far. There is a haunting air to the track as Kennedy plays with subtle vocal harmonies atop dissonant guitars. In addition to a stellar bridge section, the song features a spectacular solo from Tremonti that begins melancholic before tastefully erupting into a flurry of notes.

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Beyond the opening two tracks, there is no doubt that Alter Bridge is the heaviest endeavour from the band to date. With only a single moment of respite in the album’s lone ballad, “Hang By A Thread”, Alter Bridge indulges in their heaviest of influences for a truly dark album. Still, their ability to toe the line between hard rock and metal remains uncanny as the band navigates the dense soundscape of Alter Bridge, taking unexpected turns with no warning, shining enough light into each song through one anthemic chorus after another. From the breakneck pace of “Power Down” to the suspenseful feeling evoked by the dystopic riffs behind “Disregarded,” or the heavy hitter of a chorus on “Playing Aces” to the dissonantly eerie “Scales Are Falling,” Alter Bridge can stand among the best work from the band. This notion is only furthered by the album’s closer, “Slave To Master,” the longest song in the Alter Bridge catalogue, clocking in at just over nine minutes. Leaning into progressive songwriting – without feeling like prog – “Slave To Master” is a crowning jewel on an exceptional album that plays with all the dynamics central to the Alter Bridge sound. Capped off with lengthy solos from both Kennedy and Tremonti, the monolithic “Slave To Master” brings Alter Bridge to a climatic close.

Alter Bridge has finally taken the final step forward, embracing the heavier edge that has always been present in their work, but by shifting it to the forefront, they have delivered their darkest and among their most exhilarating albums to date on their self-titled. Furthermore, Alter Bridge stands as a masterclass in both songwriting and performance as the band continues to push the limits of their sound while remaining true to the essence of what makes Alter Bridge so unique among modern rock. Alter Bridge captures a band revitalized as they double down sonically, delivering a momentous record that speaks to a legacy of enriched musicality, that, ultimately, is worthy of its namesake.

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