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STTV is not the only song with keyboards and Mark does indeed play some bass on this album.
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| single 3 = [[Ghost of Days Gone By]]
| single 3 = [[Ghost of Days Gone By]]
| single 3 date = {{start date|2011|04|18}} (US)
| single 3 date = {{start date|2011|04|18}} (US)
| single 4 = Wonderful Life
| single 4 date = {{start date|2011|06|05}} (UK)
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Revision as of 00:11, 28 April 2011

Untitled

AB III is the third studio album by the rock band Alter Bridge, released on October 8, 2010. Produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette, the album is a departure from the band's first two albums for several reasons, the primary reason being that it is a loose concept album, a first for Alter Bridge, with lyrical themes of mostly struggling with faith. It is more dynamic and progressive, musically, and it features lyrics that are much darker than the lyrics on the band's previous albums.[1] AB III is also the first Alter Bridge album to be released on Roadrunner Records, making it the band's third consecutive album to be released on a different label.[2] The album was released on Roadrunner Records worldwide except North America, where it was self-released on Alter Bridge Recordings via Capitol Records.[3] The first single, "Isolation," the band's most successful single to date, was released on September 26, 2010 in the United Kingdom and November 9, 2010 in the United States.[4][5] AB III is the band's most successful album to date and has received general acclaim from critics, most notably Artistdirect, who called it a "masterpiece."[6]

Background

AB III was written throughout 2008 and 2009, but the songs were arranged generally quickly. Regarding the arrangement and recording process of the album, lead singer Myles Kennedy said that the creation of AB III was different from that of the band's previous album, Blackbird, because the band had about six weeks to put the music together before they started to work with their producer, Michael Baskette. Kennedy said, "I think it actually worked out well, because it's a very spontaneous record."[7]

On June 21, 2010 the band announced that the recording, mixing, and mastering of the album was finished and all that was left was to decide on was the official title, song titles, track listing, and album art.[8] On August 9, 2010, the band announced that the working title of the album, AB III, would actually be the official title after all, stating they think it is "simple yet effective". On the same blog post, they announced each song on the record one by one throughout the day.[9] Later that month it was confirmed that AB III would be released worldwide (excluding North America) on Roadrunner Records, making AB III Alter Bridge's third consecutive album to be released through a different record label. The same press release confirmed a European release date of October 11, 2010 for the new album.[2] On October 6, the band announced that the album is scheduled for a North American release on November 9, 2010 on their own label, Alter Bridge Recordings, a subsidiary of Capitol Records.[3] AB III was first released in Australia three years to the day after their previous album on October 8, 2010.

"Zero" and "Home" were included on the United States version of the album as bonus tracks. The Japanese version contains a bonus track called "Never Born to Follow".[10] Guitarist Mark Tremonti said that AB III could be the band's final studio album and that future Alter Bridge releases may be released digitally or in the form of EPs.[11]

Composition and lyrical content

AB III, initially described by the band as being very dark, heavy, and dynamic, is lyrically a very dark record and a radical departure from the band's first two albums, One Day Remains and Blackbird, in terms of subject matter. It is a loose concept album, a first for Alter Bridge, about a character "desperately struggling to find their place in a world steeped in doubt and emptiness," whereas the other two Alter Bridge records primarily focus on themes of "hope and perseverance in the face of adversity." Kennedy has said that the album "touches on the thoughts and emotions of someone who has come to question everything that was once regarded as an absolute truth" and that it is about "the realization that everything you once believed in might not exist." However, on AB III, there are songs that touch on other emotions as well such as "Wonderful Life," a song about a man losing his wife to disease.[1]

The record is also much more intricate, progressive, and dynamic than their first two albums.[1] It has even been described as progressive metal in some reviews.[12]

Kennedy plays more lead guitar on this album than he does on Blackbird. He said that "[he's] definitely doing things [he hasn't] done in a long time as a guitar player."[13] Tremonti's vocals are also more prominent compared to the band's previous releases, singing co-lead vocals with Kennedy on "Words Darker Than Their Wings."

Reception and chart performance

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Artistdirect[6]
Kerrang![citation needed]
Reflections of Darkness[15]
Rock Sound[16]
Type 3 Media[17]
Total Guitar [#207, p.27]
Ultimate Guitar[18]
411Mania[19]
Hard Rock Hideout[20]

AB III has received critical acclaim. Rob Laing from MusicRadar highly praised it and called it "one of the guitar albums of the year."[21] Claudia Falzone from Outune.net, an Italian music website, also praised AB III and said that it "reveals another unpredictable side" to Alter Bridge, but that because of that, "the earliest fan could not welcome this record immediately" and that the record "will require more than one or two listenings to be appreciated and understood at your best."[22] Petra Whiteley from Reflections of Darkness called AB III "impressive" and a "must-get," and stated that "the musicianship of this album is altogether honed to excellence." She also praised the band by saying that "they are more interested in making music and that authenticity of their art and integrity are more important to them than the commercial side of it." She later went on to say that Alter Bridge "will go far and shouldn’t be missed out on."[15] Rick Florino from Artistdirect gave the record an extremely positive review and a perfect 5 out of 5 score. He said that it is "one of the best rock records of 2010" and called it a "sprawling masterpiece that illuminates just how brilliant this band truly is" and "a juggernaut of an album that places the band firmly in the rock 'n' roll pantheon forever."[6] He expanded on this in an interview with Myles Kennedy by calling the album "everything 21st century rock music should be" and saying that it will "establish this band among the most important in the genre."[23] Entertainment Focus also reviewed the album positively, saying, "Overall this is a great album from the band that sees them all stepping up a notch." However, the reviewer noted that AB III will "test some listeners" and that "[f]ans of the previous two albums may find this one a bit more difficult to digest."[24] The Contrapuntist called AB III "a grand achievement and possibly the best hard rock album of the year."[25] Ultimate Guitar named AB III as the 7th best album of the year 2010.[26] However, not all reviews have been entirely positive. A reviewer from Type 3 Media said, "Overall AB III is a good effort, but it may not hold up to Alter Bridge’s previous releases."[17]

So far, AB III has performed better on the charts than any of the band's previous albums. On its first day, AB III reached the #1 rock album and #4 overall on the iTunes Store in Germany. In Australia, it reached the #2 rock album. On October 17, 2010 AB III reached #9 in the United Kingdom album charts and #1 in the rock album charts. AB III reached the #1 rock album, and #2 overall, on iTunes in the United States.[citation needed] For the week of November 27, 2010, the album reached #17 on the Billboard 200.[27]

Singles

"Isolation" was released as the first single in September 2010.[citation needed] It generally received very positive reviews from the critics.[citation needed] It became the band's first ever song to top the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, for 7 weeks.[citation needed] It also topped the active rock charts.[citation needed] It peaked #5 position in the Billboard Rock Songs, #20 in the Billboard Alternative Songs.[citation needed] "I Know It Hurts" was released as the second single from the album for radio airplay worldwide except the U.S.[citation needed] "Ghost of Days Gone By" will be the second in U.S. and third overall single, which is set to be released in April 2011.[citation needed]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alter Bridge

AB III
No.TitleLength
1."Slip to the Void"4:55
2."Isolation"4:15
3."Ghost of Days Gone By"4:26
4."All Hope Is Gone"4:51
5."Still Remains"4:47
6."Make It Right"4:18
7."Wonderful Life"5:22
8."I Know It Hurts"3:57
9."Show Me a Sign"5:58
10."Fallout"4:24
11."Breathe Again"4:24
12."Coeur d'Alene"4:33
13."Life Must Go On"4:34
14."Words Darker Than Their Wings"5:21
Total length:66:07
United States Edition
No.TitleLength
15."Zero"4:39
16."Home"3:29
Total length:73:48
Japanese Edition
No.TitleLength
15."Never Born to Follow"4:06
Total length:70:13

Personnel

Alter Bridge
Additional musicians
Production

Release history

Region Release date Label
Australia, Germany October 8, 2010 Roadrunner
United Kingdom October 11, 2010 Roadrunner
United States November 9, 2010 Alter Bridge/EMI/Capitol
Japan November 24, 2010 Roadrunner
Brazil March 22, 2011 Roadrunner

References

  1. ^ a b c "New Alter Bridge - AB III - Bio". Alter Bridge's blog. September 8, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Alter Bridge Join Forces With Roadrunner Records". Alter Bridge's blog. August 31, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "AB III to Hit Stores in USA November 9th Featuring Hit Single "Isolation"". Alter Bridge's blog. October 6, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  4. ^ "Hear a Brand New Track from Alter Bridge". Roadrunner Records. September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  5. ^ Isolation - Single by Alter Bridge - Download Isolation - Single on iTunes
  6. ^ a b c Florino, Rick (2010-10-12). "Alter Bridge "AB III" Review — 5 out of 5 Stars Review". Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  7. ^ Myles Kennedy Talks About The New Alter Bridge Album
  8. ^ "Entire Recording Process Finished on Third Alter Bridge Album". Alter Bridge's blog. June 21, 2010. Retrieved 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ Alter Bridge (August 9, 2010). "New Alter Bridge Album's Title and Tracklisting". Alter Bridge's blog. Retrieved 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ "AB III: Alter Bridge". Amazon. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  11. ^ Mark Tremonti speaks about the potential end of full length albums. This Is Listening. 2010. {{cite AV media}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |Show= ignored (help)
  12. ^ "AB III Review". Ultimate Guitar Archive. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
  13. ^ Rob Laing (July 13, 2010). "Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge, Slash) interview". MusicRadar. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. ^ Gregory Heaney (November 9, 2010). "AB III - Alter Bridge". AllMusic. Rovi Corportation. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  15. ^ a b Petra Whiteley (September 25, 2010). "Alter Bridge - AB III". Reflections of Darkness. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  16. ^ Moorhouse, Giles. "Alter Bridge - 'AB III'". Retrieved 2010-10-25.
  17. ^ a b P. J. (October 7, 2010). "Album Review: Alter Bridge – AB III". Type 3 Media. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
  18. ^ "AB III Review". November 24, 2010.
  19. ^ Shanbrom, Benjamin. "Alter Bridge - AB III Review". Retrieved 2010-2-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  20. ^ "Alter Bridge - AB III (2010)".
  21. ^ Rob Laing (September 17, 2010). "Alter Bridge – AB III: Track-by-track review". MusicRadar. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  22. ^ Claudia Falzone (September 15, 2010). "Alter Bridge: AB III première [English Version]". Outune.net 4.0. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  23. ^ Rick Florino (October 11, 2010). "Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge Talks "AB III," Slash and John Irving". Artistdirect. Rogue Digital, LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  24. ^ Justin Ng (October 15, 2010). "Alter Bridge - AB III". Entertainment Focus. Pip. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  25. ^ "Album Review: AB III by Alter Bridge". The Contrapuntist. December 15, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ "UG Top Ten Albums Of 2010". Ultimate Guitar. December 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ "Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  28. ^ Alter Bridge (May 11, 2010). "Alter Bridge in New York - Finalizing Mixing of Third Album". Alter Bridge's blog. Retrieved 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  29. ^ Mark Tremonti (June 3, 2010). "Short Update from Mark Tremonti About AB III". Alter Bridge's blog. Retrieved 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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