Album Review: Alter Bridge - The Last Hero

With each record Alter Bridge edge fractionally closer from critical darling/festival midcard status to globe-conquering hard rock juggernaut.

Aided by a taut rhythm section, the partnership of turbo-tonsilled Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti's monstrous riffage has more chemistry than a periodic table on their fifth LP. The pair also trade sterling leads effortlessly. Island Of Fools and The Other Side's metallic crunch faintly echo Tremonti's recent solo affairs; Poison In Your Veins and Crows On A Wire bristle with incisive hooks. My Champion errs too far into twee territory, but Kennedy soars with such gusto some will embrace it. Executed with characteristic self-assurance and melodic sensibility.