In my opinion Alter Bridge will never better their second album Blackbird, released in 2007 it's the benchmark to which I hold not only all Alter Bridge records but all bands of they're ilk. I'll admit they have come close to the wall to wall arena ready anthems on that record but as much as I love Alter Bridge on record (live is different), they do tend to have albums with one or tow big singles and then just a lot of 'album tracks'.
Their seventh studio album Pawns & Kings looks to readdress that with the Myles Kennedy/Mark Tremonti songwriting team looking to craft 10 sure fire hits. Have they succeeded? Well we get started with the heavy and choral This Is War, the blasting double kicks of Scott Phillips balling out of your speakers like a steamroller, Brian Marshall's thick basslines giving a modern metal thump to the riffs of Tremonti and Kennedy.
They also add some progressive influences ala ABIII with the crushing Sin After Sin, the title track and the epic Fable Of The Silent Son all clocking in over 6 minutes letting them flex their creative muscles a little more. There's still some classic Alter Bridge that comes on Dead Among The Living where the big, boisterous riff is met with Kennedy's always perfect vocals the same can be said about Silver Tongue.
As always there's a track with Tremonti on lead vocals, this time on the emotive Stay, continuing a long running tradition, but without the longer tracks, this is basically another Alter Bridge album. It doesn't capture that magic of what I consider to be their best album, but it's still damn good. With nearly 20 years as a band and experience playing for longer you wouldn't expect anything less than high quality arena friendly heavy rock. 8/10
Lorna Shore – Pain Remains (Century Media) [Lee Burnell]
2018 proved to be a pivotal year for the band, with then vocalist Tom Barber joining fellow deathcore scamps, Chelsea Grin and recruiting Signs Of The Swarm vocalist CJ McCreery which proved to be short lived after allegations of Sexual Misconduct by multiple women emerged. Lorna Shore would tour Immortal with stand-in vocalist Will Ramos and this proved to be the winning formula for the band. The musical direction of Immortal with a more blackened/synth approach coupled with Ramos’ immense range of vocals sent the band’s trajectory skyrocketing.
Following on from the tremendous and genre re-defining …And I Return To Nothingness, the momentum continues, with Pain Remains. Pain Remains plays an important role in the deathcore genre as a whole as it shows another variation of what emotion can sound like within the genre. What I mean by this is giving examples such as Whitechapel’s Mark Of The Blade, Suicide Silence’s *cough* self titled album *cough* as well as bands such as Winds Of Plague greatly diversify deathcore and Pain Remains encompasses a bit of all of that, blackened synths, clean vocals in parts and pure raw emotion.
If the released singles (Cursed To Die, Sun//Eater, Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames, Pain Remains 2: After All I’ve Done and I’ll Disappear) are just a diverse sample of the brilliance this band offers and the remaining 6 songs on this album are just a continuous curb stomp of a band that have truly earnt their place on the pantheon of deathcore. 9/10
Skid Row - The Gang’s All Here (earMusic) [Rich Piva]
Skid Row is a band I go way back with but honestly lost interest in when Sebastian Bach left. Now I don’t immediately discount a band when they change singers (hell I love Sammy way more than Dave), but Mr. Bach had a certain something with the band that made their early catalog something special, especially their debut and Slave To The Grind, some of the absolute best output from that period. With now another new singer (they have had a few, it is now Erik Grönwall, formally of H.E.A.T.) let’s see if these guys can give us something memorable without that gigantic voice and personality in Mr. Bach leading the way.Well, this is kind of a mixed bag. Not that it is not an enjoyable listen but in parts it really has no identity. A few of tracks could be any band from that era putting out new material. But the good stuff is really good. Hell Or High Water is a strong ripper of an opening track, and right off the bat you can tell Grönwall will be able to hang vocally. Grönwall absolutely kills the vocals on Not Dead Yet, really showing an amazing range and is the track that to me is the most Skid Row out of all the ten tracks on The Gang’s All Here.
Time Bomb at first was a bit cringey but like the rest of the album it is a grower and the guitar work by Sabo and Hill is very much Skid Row. The most Skid Row song on the record is The Lights Come On, which immediately reminded me of the STTG track “Get The Fuck Out”. A few of the tracks are of the “it could be any band from that era with a new singer” category, like the less memorable Resurrected and Nowhere Fast. But the band stays super catchy on Tear It Down and super consistent with the by law required ballad October’s Song that is this record’ Wasted Time, but also not quite.
This is a solid hard rock release. If you enjoy Skid Row and can get past that Bach hasn’t been with them for like 30 years you may enjoy this. Grönwall is a great choice and hopefully he hangs on with the band for a while. Worth you time if you are a fan. 7/10
Counterparts - A Eulogy For Those Still Here (Pure Noise Records) [Zak Skane]
Counterparts have been a cult classic must listen in the underground scene since they have debut album Prophets. The band have gained a cult following through the blood sweat and tears of touring intimate venues for a good decade, winning over crowd with their intricate melodic lead lines wavering over hardcore beatdowns and harsh vocals.
Stemming from the final swell of their binary coded intro title in the first song Whispers Of Death, they start with their tried and tested formula of exotic leads played over deep and interesting extended guitar chords whist being accompanied with caffeine driven hardcore drum beats. Even though this approach has been rinsed and repeated by other bands that have paid homage to this bands style since their debut, they can still make it sound fresh an inspiring. Their vocalist can pour his heart into every lyric like it was still 2010. This band can still deliver the emotionally damaged goods. Bound To Burn shows the many influences that this band have up their their sleeve beginning with the melodic death metal sounding intro before the track swoons from their classic formula to mathcore bridges to classic riff driven metalcore.
Unwavering Vow beings the classic high tempo melodic hardcore that has crept into very hardcore kids hearts in the Twenty Tens. A Eulogy for Those Still Here is the albums most Emo/post-hardcore hit which clean vocals into the fold. With the albums lyrical theme of grief and loss, the emotions are hit twice as hard once the band add more melody to accompany the lyrics. Sworn To Silence bring in the bands brutality front and center by stripping away their layered guitar parts and pushed the riffs up to ten whilst throwing some blast beats in there as well. Other highlights are What Mirrors Might Reflect which continues the momentum of the classic riff heavy metalcore but with some well timed tasty breakdowns and the soaring closer A Mass Grave of Saints waving their listeners goodbye with its ambient layers and anthemic choruses that reassures that there is still life after death.
This album is just another reminder why Counterparts are still one of hardcore and metalcores favourite cult band. There melodic lead lines still sound fresh and innovative. The vocalist still puts his heart on his sleeve with every line and every track on this album sounds a breath fresh air. 8/10
This album is just another reminder why Counterparts are still one of hardcore and metalcores favourite cult band. There melodic lead lines still sound fresh and innovative. The vocalist still puts his heart on his sleeve with every line and every track on this album sounds a breath fresh air. 8/10
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