Essential Alter Bridge Songs

Alter Bridge was formed from the ashes of Creed, the band who went uber times platinum with their album, Human Clay. I had that album, years later I discovered a girlfriend of mine had that album too, even her mom had it! I'm sure just about everyone has at one time owned a Creed album, whether they'll admit to it or not. Although that's why I initially overlooked Alter Bridge- they seemed just like Creed with a new singer. Boy, was I wrong....

10. "Ghost Of Days Gone By" (III)
I took notice of Alter Bridge with the release of this album, their third release, simply titled III. The first single, "Isolation", was a blazing rock song that caught me by surprise, since I wrote them off as a 'Creed clone.' The second single "Ghost Of Days Gone By" was even better, and I really wanted to check out the rest of the album and I recall one of my online buddies urging me to get it. Shortly after, Alter Bridge played a concert just outside of Peoria, and the station staff was able to do a meet-n-greet with them and the other bands on the bill. Since then I've meet the band on a few other occasions and saw them live, and I think of this song as my launching pad into my love of Alter Bridge.

9. "Peace Is Broken" (Fortress)
After diving into Alter Bridge and becoming a huge fan, perhaps I had high expectations for their 4th album, Fortress. It took quite a while for it to sink in aside from the opening and closing epic songs. In fact, it took at least a year, until I popped it on during my lengthy drive home to Peoria after a concert in Chicago. I cranked the album nearly the whole way home.

8. "Brand New Start" (Blackbird)
Another song where Myles' lyrics are full of positivity. I liked that their songs seemed to have a 'message'. It's not like they're trying to preach to their listener but more like encourage them..... maybe I've just listened to so much 'angry metal' growing up, that it was refreshing to have a band that wasn't writing about the same things.


7. "Before Tomorrow Comes" (Blackbird)
"I curse my worth and every comfort
That blinded me for way too long
Damn it all I'll make a difference from now on
Cause I'm wide awake to it all"
Yeah, cool lyrics there, Myles.


4. "Slip To The Void" (III)
This the opening track on III and it's somewhat eerie, with Myles Kennedy singing in a hushed voice, over some type of synthesized guitar. My friend Denny mocked Myles' vocals and used the words "wah nah nah", which others have told me they think he's somewhat "whiny" too. I feel like this is a fine example of his range since it's not a typical Alter Bridge song. This is another that sold me on Alter Bridge back in 2011; in fact those first four tracks on this album are all incredibly solid and it's really hard to not list them all as one entry.

5. "Broken Wings" (One Day Remains)
I really dig Mark Tremonti's guitar tone on this song's intro. It seems like this song is kind of a like a 'bridge' between Creed and Alter Bridge, which is what most of their first album is like. Seems like they were straddling the line of their former band and going in a new direction, perhaps that's why their debut One Day Remains is my least favorite, though it's not without it's share of strong tunes.

4. "Coeur d'Alene" (III)
I took more notice of this song because of Myles Kennedy's introduction on their Live in Wembley album. He said it was about a lake or some kind of body of water near his home, with the lyrics seeming to reflect that as a place of solace for him. I'm sure everyone has their own 'Coeur d'Alene', whether it's a place, an item, or a hobby.


3. "Metalingus" (One Day Remains)
WWE wrestler Edge began using this as his entrance music in late 2004/early 2005 until his retirement in 2011. I wasn't aware of it being an actual song until some later, since WWE has often used rock bands to record entrance themes in the past, and even released albums full of them. Now that I've become a fan of the band, I like it for it's lyrical content too, not just for it's connection to wrestling. It appears that Myles uses the same lyrical themes in many songs- changing your attitude and leaving negativity in the past, which is a constant struggle for me.

2. "Calm The Fire" (Fortress)
I have no idea if the song shares any relation to these events, but when I first heard it in 2013, I thought of the Trayvon Martin incident from 2012. Even now there's been greater tragedies and growing racial tensions, so the song is constantly in my head when I read or hear the news. 

1. "Blackbird" (Blackbird)
Many of these songs in my 'top 5' could be interchangeable but this song was the definite top of the list, even as I shuffled a few around the list. I love the epic tone to the song as it begins as a softer ballad but erupts into a full-on rock song.