I’ve been digging through some of my old faves recently. Specifically, ones with standout guitar riffs and arrangements as I’ve been planning to get back into playing guitar. While some may brush off Alter Bridge given the group is made up of most of the former members of Creed with the exception of vocalist Scott Stapp, their music has always been a standout for me.
Not only due to singer Myles Kennedy’s powerful, operatic vocals but also because of the fantastic synergy between Kennedy’s guitar work and that of lead guitarist Mark Tremonti. In no album is that synergy reflected better, in my opinion, than the Fortress album which first dropped back in September of 2013. Almost 10 years later, Fortress still stands as one of the strongest in Alter Bridge’s discography.
Of the 12 tracks featured on the album, my personal favorites include the first three tracks (Cry of Achilles, Addicted to Pain, Bleed It Dry), as well as Farther Than The Sun and Fortress. The latter two in particular have some of my favorite guitar segments, with a screaming solo in Farther Than The Sun and an unexpected tonal shift in the middle of Fortress that really knocks you off your feet.
You can get a better feel, and visual idea, in regards to the pairing of each guitar arrangement in this video of Kennedy and Tremonti performing Farther Than The Sun. Really phenomenal stuff.
If I had to rank Alter Bridge’s albums, it’s tough but I’d probably put the top 3 (in no particular order here) as Fortress, AB III, and Blackbird. While not in my personal top 3, the latest album the group released last year, Pawns & Kings, is also stellar and worth checking out.
So there you have it, if you’ve been looking for some hard rock bordering on metal to get into I highly recommend giving Alter Bridge a listen!
