ALBUM REVIEW: Pawns & Kings – Alter Bridge

Inanely loathed by certain areas of the music fandom, The Hard Rock Kings are back with their seventh album Pawns & Kings to once again prove to the naysayers around the world why they are wrong about one of the best bands still going today

ALTER BRIDGE have been the masters of the epic opener and This Is War doesn’t buck that trend. It’s an extravagant and powerful call to arms that starts Pawns & Kings off in spectacular fashion. There’s no lengthy intro here which has been heard on previous starting numbers. Instead, it kicks into gear at full pelt with that now classic chunky Mark Tremonti riff and a colossal vocal hook in the chorus from Myles Kennedy. It’s an admirable battle cry that sets up the album perfectly.  

Luckily the momentum carries on into the hard-rocking Dead Among The Living. It features another earworm vocal line from Kennedy which is backed up by Tremonti as usual. The track features one of their heaviest riffs in some time and will be sure to get heads nodding. It’s a track that wouldn’t be out of place amongst Ties That Bind and Come To Life on their incredible Blackbird album.  

By this point, you’d be expecting a change of pace from the band but not a chance here. The opening trilogy of rock ragers is finished off by the low-end rumbling juggernaut of album highlight Silver Tongue. This is what ALTER BRIDGE do best: hit hard with an urgent pace but never lose an ounce of their grandeur and scale. Kennedy‘s lyrics “You’re over the line, under the gun” will make permanent residence in your brain for many months to come. Lyrically and musically the album feels heavy, akin to their 2013 masterpiece Fortress.  

Those wondering when the ballads will arrive will have to wait until the Tremonti vocal-led Stay. There will no doubt be big shouts for this one to be played on the live circuit. While there’s enough cheese here to give those with lactose intolerance a problematic time, you cannot deny their genius songwriting capabilities. It’s catchy and packs an emotional punch. The same can be said for the later album ditty Seasons Of Promise, although it does go on a tad too long to make it a classic.  

Speaking of long, the album features the band’s longest track to date, Fable Of The Silent Son. The track clocks in at a meaty eight minutes and 22 seconds, beating out the previous title holder, Blackbird. The heroic number doesn’t waste a single second and is arguably one of their greatest songs to date. It opens with the spotlight on Kennedy before it erupts into a pounding riff. Tremonti and Brian Marshall both work in unison to lay down hulking guitar lines while the vocals soar over the top. It weaves through the runtime without ever dragging its feet and by the time the solo rolls around you’ll be fully invested. The band’s prog rock elements are evident within both this track and the decadent Sin After Sin – a mid-tempo rocker which showcases the rhythm section as the unsung heartbeat of the band.  

While by now you’ll know what to expect from an ALTER BRIDGE album, you cannot deny that what they do is done to perfection. The grooving Holiday is a perfect example of how they expertly flick between heaviness and melody and marry up the down-tuned riffs with the high-pitched heavenly bellow from arguably one of the best vocalists in the game.  

After the decent but not overly exciting last two records, it’s safe to say to boys are back and are once again making the most ALTER BRIDGE album that ALTER BRIDGE can make. This is the band realising what they do best is just be themselves and the fans will love them for that. There’s no denying Pawns & Kings is up there with their best work.  

Rating: 9/10

Pawns And Kings is set for release on October 14th via Napalm Records.

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