Album Review: Fortress by Alter Bridge

There doesn't appear to be a historical record of the moment the words "side project" became dirty. Like the term "sellout", it appears to have become an easy shorthand for people to use when naming why a band doesn't work for them anymore. A band changes their style, the fan doesn't want to grow and evolve, so the band "sold out". A member didn't need to do something different, something that if a fan truly appreciated him as a musician they would support despite it being different, he got distracted by side projects. In Flames was a side project, and the Gothenberg scene would either have taken longer to evolve or possibly not even become what it was without them. Regardless of the reputation A Perfect Circle and the individual members have gone on to attain, it started as a side project. At some point, Alter Bridge joined the ranks of the side projects that seem to have overtaken the "main" bands they emerged from. Creed was one of the biggest names in rock for a decade, and they had a very successful reunion tour a few years ago, but that momentum appears to have stalled and a promised follow up to 2009's Full Circle has not appeared as of yet. In the meantime, Alter Bridge has continued to rise, to the point of being able to headline Wembley Stadium in the UK and attaining domestic sales figures that rock bands struggle to reach today. The spotlight has never shined brighter on this band, but does Fortress hold up under scrutiny like that?

It should keep fans in the stadiums. The band continues to refine themselves and these songs are among their heaviest and most complex yet. Mark Tremonti continues to amaze, packing the disc with solos and making sure people are aware that his severely underrated 2012 solo album was not an anomaly. His kind of virtuoso guitar work just isn't heard enough on rock radio these days. Also a standout here is drummer Scott Phillips, who along with bassist Brian Marshall provide an excellent rhythm section to serve as a foundation for Tremonti's flights of six string fancy. Myles Kennedy, an unknown quantity at the start of Alter Bridge, has risen right along with the band and now he plays with members of Guns N' Roses as his own side project. If that doesn't spell success, who knows what does, and thankfully it is earned success. There is a strong undercurrent of old fashioned boozy rock and roll to his voice, one that makes it easy to see what Slash saw in him. His lyrical subjects may be the same generic points that many a vocalist in this genre has become stuck on (Lover? That track's about what you would think, just in case you were wondering), but he's able to bring a fresh approach to them that keeps things interesting. He will never be a favorite, primarily due to a previously mentioned issue with higher pitched rock singer, but he is certainly proving himself to be versatile, and the band along with him.

People keep saying rock is dead. To be fair, there have always been people that have made that argument, but these are dire times to be certain. We need bands like Alter Bridge with hit singles on the radio to keep proving them wrong. Thankfully, this is a band people can actually stand behind unashamedly, especially with the release of Fortress.