Number twelve was a huge, HUGE surprise for me.
ALTER BRIDGEFORTRESSHeavy Metal with little progs here and there, 2013 When I say surprise, I mean that I bought this record completely randomly. Of course, I knew about Alter Bridge, and I knew some songs (Metalingus, Blackbird, Ties That Bind etcetc) but the moment when I finished listening to Fortress, I was between heaven and earth. Pure metal, melodic and catchy, brutal riffs, neat time signatures changes, stunning solos... wow.
So yeah, Fortress is really stunning. Another all killer no filler album for sure, it has all the potential to be considered a metal classic here in the '10s as Master Of Puppets and Reign In Blood did back in the eighties.
The opening and closing songs (Cry Of Achilles and Fortress) are two relatively long tracks, that kinda take you on a journey, either because it has different feels in it, or because the sound of the song is actually epic and anthemic. That's the case with COA, and its amazing beautiful acoustic intro that directly pushes you in a
Addicted To Pain, the single, features one of the most massive riffs ever, it sounds like the end of the world, literally. I love Bleed It Dry's structure and riffs, and that solo, dear god, Mark Tremonti is the man! Lover has one of the most beautiful and dark choruses in the album, but Peace Is Broken is a complete masterpiece. From one of the heaviest riffs that I've heard (not coming from Gojira or Pantera) we go to a melodic and anthemic chorus, that I always have stuck in my head, infact
THE PEACE IS BROOOOOOOOOOOOOKEN, YOU DID IT ALL YOURSELF WITH YOU AND NO ONE ELSE TOOOOOOOO BLAME. Sorry about that, it just had to be done.
The Uninvited is another favorite of mine, it kinda sounds like Tool, and I love the middle breakdown. Another riff worth mentioning is the one in Farther Than The Sun. Good god, that's heavy! It's really nasty and full of hate and reckless... just
- And yeah, along with these fine metal pieces there's All Ends Well, which has a really motivating chorus. And positive too. Not "NEVER FEAR LOOOVE" levels of positivity, but it's almost there.
So yeah, I think you got what I wanted to say: Fortress is a near-perfect heavy metal album that unites melody with brutality, and with some technicality to create a perfect combination, thus the high spot.
Tracklist:Cry Of Achilles
Addicted To Pain
Bleed It Dry
Lover
The Uninvited
Peace Is Broken
Calm The Fire
Waters Rising
Farther Than The Sun
Cry A River
All Ends Well
Fortress
--Performed by Myles Kennedy (vocals, guitar), Mark Tremonti (vocals, guitar), Scott Phillips (drums), Brian Marshall (bass)--
How I've discovered Alter BridgeTies That Bind on Guitar Hero Warriors Of Rock was my first song. Then I heard Before Tomorrow Comes on the radio and I was blown away, and I became a casual fan.