Alter Bridge – Live At The Royal Albert Hall
Release date: September 7, 2018 via Napalm Records
September 6, 2018
There’s an old saying in music. Some bands are “album bands” and some are “live bands”. It’s rare that a group can do both well. I’ve heard people say, “that band is awesome but the albums don’t do them justice”. I’ve also heard, “I love these guys but I saw them live and they were awful”.
Come on. You’ve heard it too.
When I started listening to this live album, I was impressed at how Alter Bridge sounded so close to the albums. It’s no wonder this is the bands fourth live release. It also doesn’t hurt when you have The Parallax Orchestra behind you. Combined together, the sound is huge and there is much to take in.
The band was just as excited to play as their fans are to hear the performance. “I think out of all the years of doing this [music], this experience is in the top two or three highlights, without a doubt. It’s something that none of us are going to forget,” explains Myles Kennedy in a recently released trailer that can be seen here:
Singer Myles Kennedy’s voice is so strong and unique, it’s really hard to tell the difference between a studio recording and his live vocals. I would argue that Kennedy is among the best vocalists out there today.
The band is ultra tight during the entire performance. Mark Tremonti is his usual badass self. That explosive crunch surrounded by those sweet arpeggios when his tone turns clean. Brain Marshall plays his complicated bass lines that somehow seem to fall into place perfectly with Tremonti’s busy guitar work. Drummer Scott Phillips plays the necessary groove as his cymbal work provides that lift when the Orchestra is ready to accent a certain section of the song.
One of the greatest examples of a rock band and an orchestra coming together to create sonic bliss is in the song The Writing On The Wall. This is a must listen track. Like most of the performance, the energy here is amazing. The orchestra moves swiftly in between Kennedy’s vocal verses as the band flashes their raw power.
Live At The Royal Albert Hall is a 21-song collection that features some of Alter Bridge’s biggest hits, fan favorites and even a couple of rarities including “Words Darker Than Their Wings” – a song the band had never played live previously. Songs like “Before Tomorrow Comes,” “Ghost Of Days Gone By,” “The Last Hero,” and “Broken Wings” all find new life with the unique arrangements presented by Dobson and the Parallax Orchestra performing alongside the band. The pre-order for the release is live and fans can order various audio and video configurations including Blu-Ray, DVD, CD and Vinyl as well as other unique bundles with exclusive content. The pre-order is currently live here: http://smarturl.it/
All in all this is a something that any fan of the band should have in their collection. If you are lukewarm on the band, this album might be the record that makes you a full fledged member of the Alter Bridge fan club.
-Tommy Marz
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Alter Bridge is:
Myles Kennedy on vocals/guitars
Mark Tremonti on guitars/vocals
Brian Marshall on bass
Scott Phillips on drums
The Orchestra is:
The 52 piece Parallax Orchestra led by Conductor Simon Dobson
For more on Alter Bridge visit: