Alter Bridge's Blackbird: Early Album Review

The rock band Alter Bridge is back on the scene with its sophomore album Blackbird. Their debut album One Day Remains was certified gold in the U.S. and three times platinum overseas. The band is made up of former Creed members Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall. They are joined by vocalist Myles Kennedy of The Mayfield Four fame. This is the first album where Myles Kennedy truly has a hand in the creative process as Myles joined the band late in the creative process for the last album. Will Alter Bridge be able to use their previous success to make Blackbird and even stronger commercial success?

The first single off of Blackbird is Rise Today. The song is a very solid rock song which features strong lyrics and instrumentation. The song is very melodic and the vocals from Myles Kennedy are extremely soulful for a rock track. The song is very catchy and well mixed. The song is extremely commercial as it has been featured in promo spots for the television show CSI, ESPN's College Gameday, and the WWE's Unforgiven Pay Per View event.

Watch Over You is the closest thing on the album to a power ballad. The song is much more intimate than the other tracks on the album. The song features deep lyrics over a softer, more melodic track. The song is one of the better tracks on the album and has tons of crossover appeal.

Coming Home is a harder geared track. The song is catchy even though it is much harder than some of the other tracks on the album. The song features almost haunted vocals from Myles.

Brand New Start is a heavier ballad than Watch Over You. The song is a solid rock ballad but nothing out of this world.

The title track Blackbird is an epic rock song. The track runs nearly eight minutes in length and rises and falls several times from power ballad to hardcore rock anthem. The track is one of the most creative in recent memory.

Blackbird is progressively darker than One Day Remains and that is not a bad thing. The band seems to have found their niche in the marketplace. Blackbird is a solid rock album. The songs are catchy and the band is tight musically. From listening to this album you can figure out who the true creative geniuses in Creed were. Overall Blackbird gets 7.5 out of 10. If you're a fan of the former members of Creed or Alter Bridge make sure you get their new album Blackbird when it is available in stores later this month.