With yet another epic piece of metal, the genre's finest is back with a bang.
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It’s already been three years since Fortress, Alter Bridge’s powerhouse fourth album and most successful yet. With the increasingly busy schedules of the in-demand lead duo of vocalist/guitarist Myles Kennedy and backing vocalist/lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, the band seems to have been on pause ever since the final show of the post-Fortress world tours. Yet, in October they are to return with album number five, The Last Hero, and ‘Show Me A Leader’ shows that the band most definitely still has it, signalling the band taking a permanent residency in a heavier sound and yet still distinctively what to expect from Alter Bridge.
Its opening riff and buildup has a Metallica-esque sound, with Tremonti’s guitar work outstanding as ever as he plows through riffs and solos with ease – providing a heavy and deep top layer structure to the song, there’s rarely a pause from the beastly guitarist. Kennedy too is on top form, with his banshee cries over the music proving that he still very much holds a claim to being the best vocalist in metal – eat your heart out, Robert Plant. All the while, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips provide a tight base, showcasing their own tremendous musical abilities in crashing through the song just as ferociously as Kennedy and Tremonti.
The lyrics are incredibly timely and show a more politically minded side to Alter Bridge. With lines such as, “They’re selling another messiah here tonight,” and, “Show me a leader so hope never dies / Show me a leader that knows what is right,” you can’t help but feel that Alter Bridge is providing its own two cents on the current political landscape in their American homeland and the tumultuous state of the wider world. It’s intelligent musicianship from the band, whose talents really shine through together in ‘Show Me A Leader’ to provide yet another spectacular song for their arsenal. If this is how the rest of The Last Hero is going to sound, October can’t come soon enough.
‘Show Me A Leader’ is out now via Napalm Records
