There they are – they overcame the burden of their past. Creed released 4 albums, while Alter Bridge cemented their place in modern rock music with their fifth album. Without any redundant introduction of the band’s members, I will just say that Tremonti and Kennedy took some time off their other projects and came up with the successor of the great Fortress.
From the very beginning, Alter Bridge represented a positive story and absolute opposite of Scott Stapp. I was always patiently waiting for their albums, since the combination of Tremonti’s love towards thrash metal and pop-rock melodies traditionally brings some of the best riffs, choruses and verses of the rock-metal year in music. The Last Hero is right on the track.
This is a high quality release of Alter Bridge’s discography, but 66 minutes of anticipated product appears a little bit too much, even exhausting at times. These four simple guys know what they should do, and they also know what they need to do. No matter how powerful Show Me A Leader appears, their contemporary theme of political breakdown sounds too calculated to me. At first sight, it seems like another project that takes advantage of mega-irritating American fascination with Donald Trump.
On the other hand, every second of this album is intentionally bombastic, suitable for the stage of any size. It is not a secret that I adore Tremonti, his energy, his smile, his riff, his style, and his idols. That is why It is impossible for me not to ejaculate tears of happiness when I hear riffs on this record, especially in the songs like The Other Side and Island of Fools. Often, super metal riff stay just a wet dream because Alter Bridge can not avoid turning a song into a lame number. I also don’t appreciate when Myles’ vocal chokes me with pop predictability (You Will Be Remembered, Twilight).
If it’s already clear that their previous album will never be topped, then I should add that the title track is coming close with its brutal guitars. The Last Hero is an album that I don’t want to rate, but I have to conclude that there are some filler tracks here.
