October 2017 Alter Bridge crossed off one of the few remaining items on their bucket list by playing two sold-out shows at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall backed by the 52-piece Parallax Orchestra led by conductor Simon Dobson. Fortunately for those of us that couldn’t cross off seeing this performance live for our bucket lists it was captured and released recently on Napalm Records.
Over the years many bands such as Metallica and the Scorpions have teamed with orchestras to give the fans a unique experience and for Alter Bridge that’s exactly what this is a unique experience that works on so many different levels. As it is the Alter Bridge 5 full-length album catalog is already a collection of complex compositions it only made sense to pair these songs with an orchestra to provide the fans with a full on eargasmic experience.
The 21-song setlist is filled with some of the band’s biggest hits, coupled with many fan favorites and some rarities including one that has never seen the stage – “Words Darker Than Their Wings”. This in itself makes the album worth the purchase. This song was made for this stunning arrangement. As it stands “Words Darker Than Their Wings” is an epic journey of leads and rhythms with Myles and Mark trading off lead vocals capped off by Myles hitting one of the most powerful high notes of his career to close out the number that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Absolutely amazing!
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The set opens with the perfect single, “Slip to the Void”, one of their most powerful songs with the perfect intro to kick things off. The journey will then take you to one of their most popular hits off their forth album Fortress, “Addicted to Pain”. Throughout the set Brian Marshall (bass), Scott Phillips (drums), Myles Kennedy (guitar and vocals) and Mark Tremonti (guitar and vocals) give the listener a great balance from their entire catalog. Another deep cut to make it in to the set is from their debut album One Day Remains, “The End is Here”. Another masterpiece perfect for this type of arrangement.
Listen for all the diehard Alter Bridge fans out there this is a no brainer and by this time I’m sure you’ve played this record throughout more times than President Trump tweets. But for the casual fan or the few not familiar with this hard rock juggernaut, Live At The Royal Albert Hall is a great place to begin your journey into one of this centuries most talented bands. It gives you a flavor of all things Alter Bridge from the heavy thrashing metal licks of “Writing On The Wall” from their latest studio release The Last Hero. Then there’s the emotional dedication to Tremonti’s mother “In Loving Memory” (try listening to this song without shedding a tear). And no Alter Bridge set is complete without the critically acclaimed title cut off of their second album Blackbird, which Guitar Magazine listed as having the greatest guitar solo of all time which was performed by both Kennedy and Tremonti.
This album is a must have for any hard rock or music aficionado. Pick up a copy of Alter Bridge’s Live At The Royal Albert Hall now. And while you’re at it be sure to check out other projects by the band members including Mark Tremonti’s latest solo record A Dying Machine (which he’s currently touring behind) and Myles Kennedy solo effort Year Of The Tiger (who just announced another round of tour dates). See you at the show!
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Review by RockRevolt photojournalist Brett Tully
