Alter Bridge // Pawns & Kings // Album Review

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For nearly twenty years Alter Bridge has been one of the most consistent bands around, delivering brilliant albums one after the other and this latest offering is no different, and in my humble opinion, it tops anything they have done previously.

This is typical AB but with the intensity dialled up quite a bit, opener “This Is War” is a banger with massive chugging riffs and thumping drums, the heaviness as always is tempered by Kennedy’s amazing voice, pitch-perfect and really melodic against the madness that is going on around him namely in the shape of Marshall’s deep bass and Tremonti’s savage guitar play. “Dead Amongst The Living” has a heavy bouncing drum and bass opener paired with a down-tuned riff that runs throughout, you can see crowds going mental when this is played live as it defies you to stay still, reminiscent of some of their earlier work but a lot heavier with Kennedy once again on top form.

And the hits keep on coming with the likes of “Silver tongue”, built off a blistering drum beat and some groovy riffs with a chorus that is so catchy it’ll be stuck in your head, and “Sin on Sin” a slower, heavy number with a crushing drum beat and grinding riff, the vocals match the intensity of the track giving you an amazing track. Possibly the best track on the album comes in the shape of the Tremonti lead “Stay”; pulling double duty on this rousing anthem, soaring riffs and killer melodic chorus’ are the order of the day, having the backup of a master vocalist like Kennedy doesn’t hurt either, but there is just something so infectious about this track that from first listen you know it is something special. There is an edgy feel to “Holiday” with a heavy bass and gritty riffs that are offset perfectly by Kennedy’s near-bluesy crooning, an odd mix that works to great effect. The epic “Fable Of The Silent Son” is a combination of the band’s renowned melodic side, a bass-heavy midsection blended with a proggy kick, as is the running theme on the album the guitar interplay between Tremonti and Kennedy is sensational and is brought to the fore here with some amazing fretwork, a serious contender for track of the album.

“Seasons Of Promise” is a melodic hard rocker that is packed full of uplifting riffs, more phenomenal drumming and bass work from Phillips and Marshall respectively and of course Kennedy’s soaring vocals making this a well rounded track. “Last Man Standing” is a juggernaut that hits you right between the eyes, with Marshall putting on a clinic in the fine art of bass playing as Phillips’ not so subtle drumming comes crashing in over the top, Tremonti and Kennedy again trade off on the guitar with some groovy riffs before Tremonti shows why he is one of the best guitarists around with a couple of tasty solos, Kennedy’s immense vocals give the song that extra bit of class. The album closes with the title track, “Pawns And Kings”, an all out rocker; colossal riffs to a backdrop of a thumping drum and bass line as Kennedy lets rip with all his vocal might with Tremonti slaying in a way only he can, this track has the feel about it that the band put every last ounce of energy into creating this masterpiece and leaving you wanting more.

Review: Conor

Pawns & Kings is available for pre-order in the following configurations at: https://lnk.to/PawnsAndKings

  • CD Digisleeve
  • 1 LP Gatefold BLACK Vinyl
  • 1 LP Gatefold INKSPOT BLACK/GOLD Vinyl w/Slipmat and Record Butler(Napalm mail order only, limited to 500 worldwide)
  • 1 LP Gatefold MARBLED WHITE/CRYSTAL CLEAR Vinyl (Napalm mail order only, limited to 400 worldwide)
  • 1 LP Gatefold MARBLED ORANGE/BLACK Vinyl (Band Shop only)
  • 1 LP Gatefold MARBLED WHITE/BLACK Vinyl (Band Shop only)
  • 1 LP Gatefold CRYSTAL CLEAR Vinyl (Band Shop only, limited to 300 only)
  • Deluxe Box Set w/ CD Digisleeve, Pendant, Tote Bag, Guitar Pick tin (Napalm mail order only, limited to 700 worldwide)
  • Music Cassette BROWN TRANSPARENT (Napalm mail order only, limited to 150 worldwide)
  • Digital Album
Pawns & Kings tracklisting:

1)  This Is War

2)  Dead Among The Living

3)  Silver Tongue

4)  Sin After Sin

5)  Stay

6)  Holiday

7)  Fable Of The Silent Son

8)  Season Of Promise

9)  Last Man Standing

10) Pawns & Kings

ALTER BRIDGE will tour extensively in support of Pawns & Kings. The band announced a tour of Europe that will make 25 stops over the course of six weeks, kicking off November 1 in Germany and making stops in Denmark, Sweden, Spain and others before ending on December 12 at London’s O2 Arena in the United Kingdom. Longtime friends Halestorm and Mammoth WVH will lend their support on the upcoming European tour.

The band also just announced a North American tour for 2023 – their first in the market in almost three years. The 30-city tour – split into two legs – kicks off on January 25 in Tampa, FL and wraps up April 1 in Highland, CA. Mammoth WVH will join them as direct support on the entire tour, with rockers Red playing on the first leg of the tour and newcomers Pistols At Dawn playing on the second leg. Tickets for all shows are now available and more information on tickets and VIP experiences can be found at https://alterbridge.com/pages/tour.

European Tour Dates

Nov 1 – HAMBURG, GERMANY – Sporthalle

Nov 2 – COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – Falconer

Nov 4 – PARTILLE, SWEDEN – Partille Arena

Nov 5 – OSLO, NORWAY – Sentrum Scene

Nov 7 – KATOWICE, POLAND – MCK

Nov 9 – ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE, LUXEMBOURG – Rockhal

Nov 11 – BERLIN, GERMANY – Columbiahalle

Nov 12 – HLAVNÍ MĚSTO PRAHA, CZECH REPUBLIC – O2 Universum

Nov 14 – BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – Budapest Arena

Nov 16 – PARIS, FRANCE – Palais Des Sports

Nov 18 – MADRID, SPAIN – Vistalegre

Nov 20 – BARCELONA, SPAIN – Razzmataz1

Nov 22 – MUNICH, GERMANY – Zenith

Nov 23 – ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND – Samsung Hall

Nov 25 – ASSAGO, ITALY – Mediolanum Forum

Nov 26 – ZAGREB, CROATIA – Dom Sportova

Nov 28 – VIENNA, AUSTRIA – Wiener Stadthalle

Nov 30 – KÖLN, GERMANY – Palladium

Dec 1 – AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Ziggo Dome

Dec 5 – NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – Motorpoint Arena

Dec 6 – GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – OVO Hydro Arena

Dec 8 – DUBLIN, IRELAND – 3 Arena

Dec 9 – MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – AO Arena

Dec 11 – BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – Resorts World Arena

Dec 12 – LONDON, ENGLAND – O2 Arena

North American Tour Dates:

Jan 25 – TAMPA, FL – Seminole Hard Rock *

Jan 27 – ORLANDO, FL – Hard Rock Live *

Jan 28 – ATLANTA, GA – Coca Cola Roxy *

Jan 30 – NASHVILLE, TN – Ryman Auditorium *

Feb 1 – MONTCLAIR, NJ – The Wellmont Theater *

Feb 2 – HUNTINGTON, NY – The Paramount *

Feb 4 – SILVER SPRING, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring *

Feb 5 – PHILADELPHIA, PA – Franklin Music Hall *

Feb 7 – WALLINGFORD, CT – The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre *

Feb 8 – BOSTON, MA – Roadrunner *

Feb 10 – WATERLOO, NY – Del Lago Casino Resort (On sale soon) ^

Feb 11 – TORONTO, ON – HISTORY ^

Feb 14 – DETROIT, MI – The Fillmore *

Feb 15 – INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Murat Theatre at Old National Centre *

Feb 17 – PRIOR LAKE, MN – Mystic Lake Casino Showroom *

Feb 18 – CHICAGO, IL – The Riviera Theatre *

Mar 10 – QUAPAW, OK – Downstream Casino Resort #

Mar 11 – KANSAS CITY, MO – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland #

Mar 14 – CHESTERFIELD, MO – The Factory #

Mar 15 – OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The Criterion #

Mar 17 – HOUSTON, TX – 713 Music Hall #

Mar 18 – DALLAS, TX – South Side Ballroom #

Mar 20 – DENVER, CO – Mission Ballroom #

Mar 21 – SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Union Event Center #

Mar 23 – SEATTLE, WA – The Paramount Theatre #

Mar 25 – AIRWAY HEIGHTS, WA – Northern Quest Resort & Casino ^

Mar 26 – AIRWAY HEIGHTS, WA – Northern Quest Resort & Casino ^

Mar 28 – ANAHEIM, CA – House Of Blues #

Mar 29 – TEMPE, AZ – Marquee Theatre #

Mar 31 – RENO, NV – Silver Legacy’s Grande Expo Hall #

Apr 1 – HIGHLAND, CA – Yaamava Theater at Yaamava Casino Resort ^

^ ALTER BRIDGE – Mammoth WVH

* ALTER BRIDGE – Mammoth WVH – Red

# ALTER BRIDGE – Mammoth WVH – Pistols At Dawn

ABOUT ALTER BRIDGE

Alter Bridge have steadily climbed to the forefront of hard rock worldwide. They’ve exceeded all expectations and benchmarks with over a billion streams, millions of units sold, glowing critical acclaim, real estate on the covers of Classic Rock, Kerrang!, Guitar World (and more), plus storied sets at Royal Albert Hall, London’s O2 Arena and Download Festival. On this journey, 2004’s debut LP One Day Remains bowed in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top 200 and went gold. In 2007, Blackbird’s title track took flight on the wings of the “Greatest Guitar Solo of All Time,” as voted in Guitarist, while countless fans etched its lyrics and logo onto their bodies. That album also recently went gold in the United Kingdom. Critical plaudits surrounded the 2013 opus Fortress with “5-out-of-5 stars” from Kerrang! and Total Guitar, as well as Eddie Trunk’s declaration of, “A Top 10 album of the last 10 years.” 2016’s The Last Hero saw them return to the Top 10 on the Top 200. Maintaining this momentum, Walk The Sky made impressions around the globe when it reached #1 on the US Billboard Top Albums, Top 200 Alternative Albums, Top 200 Hard Rock Albums and Top 200 Rock Albums charts, as well as #1 on Canada’s Top Hard Music Albums chart. The album also hit #1 on the Swiss Album charts, landed in the Top 5 on the Canada, UK, Germany, Austria, Scotland and Switzerland charts and closed out the year on Loudwire’s “The 50 Best Rock Albums of 2019.” These musicians have unassumingly done all of this with a quiet dedication to writing meaningful songs and performing unforgettable shows (and they’ve delivered both with almost alarming consistency). Still, the influential quartet ascend to yet another level on 2022’s Pawns & Kings [Napalm Records]. It is the culmination of almost two decades together soaked in blood, sweat, tears, and the triumph earned through never giving up. It represents the bandmates’ dedication to one another and their collective devotion to a devout fanbase.

Alter Bridge are:

Myles Kennedy Lead vocals/rhythm guitar

Mark Tremonti Lead guitar/ backing vocals

Brian Marshall Bass

Scott Phillips Drums

FIND ALTER BRIDGE ONLINE:

Spotify: Alter Bridge

Apple Music: Alter Bridge

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