Customer Reviews

Blackbird

5 star:		(136)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay, so it's now official. Creed is dead, and Alter Bridge is here to stay.

Back in the summer of 2004, when AB's major-label debut "One Day Remains" was released, a lot of folks wrote these guys off as Creed clones or wannabes, merely because 3/4 of the band is made up of ex-members of Creed. And while some Creed-like sounds were present on that disc, on the whole it was fresh and exciting music from a completely different band. Guitarist Mark Tremonti was permitted to play in a fashion he never had before during his Creed days and the rhythm section, comprised of drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall (who actually left Creed before their 2001 release "Weathered"), really showed off its A-game. However, the true ace in the hole for these guys was new frontman Myles Kennedy, of Mayfield Four fame. With vocal range and passion that Scott Stapp couldn't match on his best day, Kennedy slowly emerged as a voice to be reckoned with in modern rock. The band had a few semi-successful singles in the form of "Open Your Eyes," "Find The Real," and "Broken Wings" (as well as WWE wrestler Edge using "Metalingus" as his entrance theme), but on the whole it seemed as if they couldn't escape from Creed's shadow. And although One Day Remains was certified Gold, the band's future didn't look too bright, as they remained unheard from for the better part of nearly three years.

Enter their Universal-Republic debut, just released today: Blackbird.

How does it sound? Well, to be perfectly honest, *much* better than the debut. These guys have clearly matured a great deal musically. Gone are almost any traces of the Creed sound that "remained." (No pun intended.) I suspect that a lot of that has to do with the fact that frontman Kennedy actually participated in the songwriting this time around, whereas the songs on One Day Remains were almost all Tremonti's work. And speaking of Mark, damn...how about those solos on this disc?! The man continues to push his own creative boundaries and make Alter Bridge's second release rock even harder than the first. Having only had this album for about four hours, I haven't had a significant opportunity to listen to it enough for it to sink in, but so far I like, no, *love* what I hear. Thus far, my favorite tracks are "Come To Life," single "Rise Today," "White Knuckles," and of course the epic, near eight-minute long title track dedicated to the memory of a friend of the band.

On a side note, the copy of Blackbird that I purchased from Wal-Mart included not any bonus track(s) but rather a bonus DVD, featuring interviews with Kennedy, Tremonti, and Phillips (and to a *much* lesser extent Marshall) about the songs and creation of the new album.

Take heed, rock fans. With Blackbird, this reviewer feels that Alter Bridge will finally get the respect they deserve.

Alterbridge return with an even better album than their powerful debut! This disc is filled with great rock tunes played by a tight band and the ever-impressive vocals of Myles Kennedy. On this new album guitarist Mark Tremonti is playing better than ever and achieves a nice wall of sound. Despite his increased presence, I really think that the highlight of this band is the intense vocals of Myles Kennedey. His dynamic voice is pure rock heaven and so enjoyable to listen to. Good solid production and a nice bonus track on the import version rounds out this great album. I think the only improvement could have been the flow of the album as I think the middle section is so strong that a bigger and more intense opening song would have been great. It feels like a long time since such a good rock band has been around and Alterbridge is definitely one of the quality bands out there.

Alter Bridge is 3/4 of what used to be Creed. On their debut they suffered associations with their former projects (mainly Creed, not so much Mayfield Four), and while being a fantastic cd, One Day Remains didn't do as well domestically as predicted. After much turmoil and three years, Alter Bridge is back with a new label and sound on their sophomore effort Blackbird. Songs such as Metallingus, Watch Your Words, Find the Real, and The End Is Here foreshadowed what Alter Bridge's main sound would become. Due to the full integration of guitarist and vocalist Myles Kennedy, the songwriting has changed and fresh new ideas and chord progressions are on display through out the album. With two guitars and improved bass, drums, and backing vocal work focusing on more agressive songs with stronger melodies and even more scorching solos can we really be dissapointed? If there's one fault it's that sometimes they emphasize their target notes (hooks) quite a bit and it can get tiring if you're not able to hear the bass, drums, and intricacies that beef up the sound and BUILD AROUND THE HOOK. There's quite a bit of diversity on here but for the most part the cd as a whole fits into the hard rock category.
Ties That Bind-Hard Rock with metal influences, fairly simple song structure but with HUGE riffs and beefed up final chorus with lead guitar and ending on a solo make the song a favorite. 9/10
Come to Life-Extremely downtuned groovy intro riff that rumbles into a driving verse followed by a dynamic pre-chorus and very melodic chorus. GREAT solo with backing rthym and again there's a final chorus with an added lead guitar riff. 9.5/10
Brand New Start-The power ballad of the album and it's a very good one with a bridge/solo that will have your mouth watering (jazz chords and shred+melody) until the very end. Myles adds mini-guitar intros to every verse over Mark's very bluesly clean progression. 10/10
Buried Alive-A hard rocker with a winding song structure littered with progressive influences. Two solos open and close the song. 9.5/10
Coming Home-One of the most unique sounding songs on the album. Very groovey but melodic metal riff controls the verse. While multi-layered guitar parts in the intro and chorus will have you listening really closely. No solo, but there is a a breakdown in the bridge that's very heavy and intricate. 9.5/10
Before Tomorrow Comes-One of the softer songs on the cd. Very major sounding with a lot of lead guitar touches and big harmonies and melodies through out the song. Has an almost progressive feel to it. 9.5/10
Rise Today-The single and the most generic sounding thing on this album without a doubt. Yet, despite all that, it's still a really good track because of the whole band working together and the intricacies between the guitars. 7.5/10
Blackbird-The highlight of the cd at 8 minutes long. Such an intense song about death and loss. The solos by Myles and Mark are amazing and aren't even the best parts of the song. Words cannot do the song justice. IT DOES NOT FEEL LIKE 8 MINUTES! 10/10
One by One-This one opens up really hard but then slows down and then becomes BIG but melodic in the chorus (heavy-agression=big). Very dynamic song that shows a lot of sides to the band. 8.5/10
Watch Over You-The softest song on the album. This is an acoustic driven soft rock song that has beautiful vocals and melodies in it. The bass line is an echo of the vocal melody and the song is just so sad...It's either gonna hit you really hard or you'll call it drivel 10/10
Break Me Down-A modern rock sounding song with major sounding verse. Good melodies but the song in itself is simple and doesn't do much but touches in the vocal melody and other intricacies make it a worthwhile listen. 8/10
White Knuckles-The most agressive track on the record. The chorus is complex but beautiful and the song shifts dynamics quite a bit. 10/10
Wayward One-The moodiest song on the record has a scorching solo, lead guitar intros to the verses, a great chorus, and an amazing bridge. One of the best on the cd. 10/10

Listen to this cd, I promise you won't regret it and chances are you'll become a new Alter Bridge fan before the last note of Ties That Bind hits.

Rock & Roll has RETURNED! ALL HAIL ALTER BRIDGE!!! Finally, TRUE music made by TRUE musicians has returned. Now, would someone PLEASE remove all the crap that's littering the airwaves?

This sophomore effort from Alter Bridge is more like a doctoral dissertation. In short, this album is nearly perfect. From the first track to the last----NO FILLER! The opening is like a punch in the face. And, if you like energy, well, huh, um, you've come to the right place. Blackbird is packed with the emotion that has been sadly missing from music for a long time.

Blackbird also contains the amount of energy that can only be compared with a grenade----with the pin pulled----thrown into a CASE of grenades----riding shotgun in a fully loaded fuel truck----driven straight into a nitro glycerin plant!!!

The track "Rise Today" has already been slated by CBS to appear as promotional use for SCI: Miami, as well as by the WWE for upcoming wrestling events. (This was decided before the album was even released.) "Rise Today" in incredible, but its definitely not alone on this album. (In fact, there are too many good hooks to mention in a review.) Also worthy to note is the very Led Zeppelin-like "Watch Over You", which you will get from the first note. All in all, the band's influences are obvious throughout this album.

Also, even though One Day Remains was, and is, a great album----you can definitely tell that lead vocalist Myles Kennedy had a hand in the songwriting for Blackbird. Not to mention, Alter Bridge enlists the guitar chops of Kennedy (which are huge) for this album; and, lead guitarist Mark Tremonti appears to not have any problem sharing the workload with Kennedy.

In short, Blackbird is beauty, brains, and tremendous amounts of brawn. You know, music that makes the hair on your arm stand up, and makes you want to sing and shout at the top of your lungs? That's Blackbird, and that's Alter Bridge.

I was a loyal Creed fan from the beginning, so I continued to follow the careers of Scott Stapp and the other 3 members who went on to form Alter Bridge. Alter Bridge's debut album "One Day Remains" was a very solid album, even better than Scott Stapp's solo album. Mark Tremonti had definitely made better use of his amazing guitar skills, and Myles Kennedy had a vocal range I haven't heard in years. Still, the album basically sounded like Creed with a new singer. 3 years later, the band has found themselves a new record label and new management, and have made the album they wanted to make.

"Blackbird" features 13 songs (15 if you get it at Best Buy) for a low price of $7.99! The band has made an album that truely brings back the spirit of rock n' roll, instead of adding to the pool of mainstream rock bands who make radio anthems. The first track "Ties That Bind" kicks things into gear with a fast and heavy verse and an epic chorus. "Come To Life" features a Korn-like guitar sound, which is certainly a new sound from these guys. This is definitely a darker, heavier band than we've seen before. Although it does feature a few radio-friendly tunes like the first single "Rise Today", overall this is more of a hard rock or metal album as opposed to a mainstream rock album. Mark Tremonti is the best guitarist to emerge in the last 10 years, and on this album he makes it obvious. Rather than playing the very polished, melodic and epic sounding riffs, his style is much grittier on this album, very Zakk Wylde esque. Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums) keep it interesting as well, but obviously it's Mark's guitar work and Myles' singing that will leave you stunned. I admit that Alter Bridge's first album sounded extremely like Creed, but they've completely dropped any similarities this time around. Rock & Roll is back, even if mainstream music doesn't give these guys the attention they deserve.

Such a strong and powerful music! Tremonti at his best and Kennedy even better! Highly recommend!

I had no idea that this band was releasing a sophmore record, I found out about it 5 days before it was released. I was wondering if Alterbridge was going to record another. Their first album was fantastic. As someone who did listen to Creed I was very upset that they broke up (wasn't a Stapp fan, loved the sound.) When I found out that Alterbridge was Creed without Scott Stapp I was very curious to hear what is was going to be like. The guys of Alterbridge have a huge passion for their music you could hear it in their first cd espeially with the freedom that Mark Tremonte had free from Scott Stapp's grip. This new album is much better than 'One Day Remains'. They have established their sound and the vocals of Myles Kennedy work much better this time around the rest of the bands music. It's also a harder album which is never a bad thing. The songs are great and again go get this album at best buy so you can hear two additional tracks that come with their album release. I sure hope that this band catches on with the masses they really are an underapprecitated band and should be noted for their great work.

THE BAND: Mark Tremonti (guitar & backing vocals), Myles Kennedy (lead vocals & guitar), Brian Marshall (bass), Scott Phillips (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (2007) 13 tracks clocking in at approximately 59 minutes. Included with the disc is a 5-page foldout containing song titles/credits, song lyrics, and thank you's. The CD is enhanced - featuring a 5 minute in-studio behind the scenes video for your PC. *Upon initial release, Best Buy offered this album with 2 bonus tracks "The Damage Done" and "New Way To Live" (bringing the total listen to about 68 minutes). Recorded at Blackbird Studio (Nashville, TN) and Studio Barbarosa (Bavon, TN). Label - Universal Republic Records.

COMMENTS: "Blackbird" is a solid hard rock album. In my opinion, harder overall in feel than their debut. Only one single has hit the airwaves ("Rise Today"), but it's still early in "Blackbird's" existence. Alter Bridge's debut, "One Day Remains" (2004), had several hits - "Open Your Eyes", "Find The Real", "Broken Wings" (and one semi hit with the title cut) - which made it pretty radio accessible. However, "One Day Remains" also had several filler tunes. Where I don't hear 3 or 4 bonafied singles (per say) on "Blackbird", I do hear solid track after solid track. "Blackbird" is a more cohesive and polished effort. The heaviest tracks include the quick paced opener "Ties That Bind", "Coming Home", "One By One", perhaps the two hardest tracks on the disc "Come To Life" (with a shredding guitar solo) and "White Knuckles". All are catchy tunes that get your blood pumping. The slower tracks include "Before Tomorrow Comes", "Watch Over You", and two of my favorites to date, "Brand New Start" (more great solo guitar work) and the title track. The bonus tracks are solid and worth the search - "The Damage Done" is heavy mid-tempo cut, while "New Way To Live" is a slower paced melodic gem featuring some great guitar work. In 2007, gone is Kennedy's old band Mayfield Four, as is Tremonti's Creed. Without drawing any attention to Scott Stapp (and a "where is he now?" kind of statement), it's clear to me that Alter Bridge has risen to the challenge (4.5 stars).

With three former members of a very popular band, Alter Bridge will probably always here the Creed comparisons. However, this album should really kill that talk. With Myles being fully incorporated with song writing and guitar playing, this album by far separates itself from any Creed album. Creed was from a different, more popular album sales type of era. So Alter Bridge may never surpass the number of records sold (they really should though); however Alter Bridge is already surpassed them for quality music. `Blackbird' really takes it to another level with a grittier, more intense sound, and a classic hard rock feel! It is a very well balanced album with some songs with radio friendly type of feel, and some songs that just rock out. Meaningful lyrics abound throughout the album, and guitar riffs to the max. FANS OF ROCK SWARM!!! Alter Bridge's `Blackbird' proves incredible rock bands still survive!!


Ties That Bind
Very good hard rock song. The song starts with a guitar solo with a very entertaining beat.

Come To Life
Pretty good rock song. Not one of my favorites, but nothing wrong with it.

Brand New Start
Slightly toned down. Awesome guitar solo. Super ballad.

Buried Alive
Very good hard rocking. A chorus towards the end really picks it up a notch and is very enjoyable.

Coming Home
Hard rocker. I sense a serious tone to it. Not bad. Towards the end the lyrics/pace picks up, which I like.

Before Tomorrow Comes
Slightly toned down, ballad feel. I love this song.

Rise Today
The first single and a perfect choice. Radio friendly, rocking, great lyrics.

Break Me Down
Great rocker. This album just continually spits out quality rock songs.

Blackbird
The 8 minute epic! Very intense. This song compares and ranks right up there with Zep's "Stairway To Heaven," and Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb;" and it may be even better. It has the meaningful lyrics, great music, invokes feelings.

One By One
This song has really grown on me. I find myself singing the lyrics in my head. Strong rocking tune!

Watch Over You
My favorite song. Softer feel to it, caring lyrics, great tune. Myles hits a brillant 'Who' high note throughout the song that is flawless and really adds to the song. I hope it is the next single.

White Knuckles
Top notch rock song, very enjoyable. Great guitar work, very cool sounding main chorus, "Only The Strong Survive."

Wayward One
The song kicks! Great hard rock song!

My experience has been that follow-up albums are usually let-down albums. But, I that is definitely not the case with this album! Maybe it's just me, but this album feels a lot more heavy (are there flashes of Iron Maiden in there or is it just me?!?). I was instantly captivated again my Tremonti's hard-rockin guitar prowess, and Brian Marshall is awesome on bass. Blackbird