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Label: Republic
Sound/Style: Hard rock with equal parts aggression, invention and lyrical substance
By Steve Morley
Historically, the styles of hard rock and heavy metal have not been compatible with Christian doctrine, given their association with Satanism and the occult—a connection that is often, though not always, deserved. Nonetheless, the topic of religion has become more evident in recent years. But in the hard rock world, an open admission of faith can polarize a band’s fan base between Christian and secular camps, thanks to the music industry’s insistence on forcing product into narrow categories. Creed, one of the most popular mainstream rock bands to wrap faith-based themes in a hard-rock shell, steadfastly avoided any collective public claim of Christianity right up to their breakup in 2004. The band that would rise from Creed’s ashes, Alter Bridge, maintained their secular stance on their 2004 debut, One Day Remains, an album that veered further away from Christian influences and revealed more melodic appeal and sonic light than Creed’s gray-toned and weighty fare. On their long-awaited follow-up, Blackbird, Alter Bridge offer credible and innovative hard rock that deftly straddles the line between gritty reality and the hope of a better world.
Modern rock’s oppressively dense roar frequently accompanies antagonistic lyrics sung in dour tones. By contrast, Alter Bridge’s aggression is more appropriately aimed at cultural ills like the war in Iraq and the growing indigent population. “The Wayward Ones,” a plea for the homeless and disenfranchised, both offers compassion and challenges us to “make things right” and “dress the wounds in love’s pure light.”
“Buried Alive” and “Watch Over You” deal with the weakness and low self-regard that can lead to addiction and destructive patterns. These could easily be interpreted as references to former Creed vocalist Scott Stapp, whose arrests for public intoxication and domestic abuse are factors behind his now-floundering career. While care is taken not to condemn those who struggle with such demons, the ugliness and tragedy of alcoholism is painted in vivid detail: “I twist and turn in the darkest space/ Can’t find my worth as I numb the pain/ Blast to the sky with a blacktooth grin/ This whiskey smile takes me down again/ I’m cold and I’m so afraid/ That I’m too weak and I can’t change/ I’ve been buried alive and I don’t want to be here anymore/ Reached out a thousand times for a hand to pull me from below.”
More often, the songs speak pointedly to today’s youth, giving voice to laments of emptiness and lack of purpose. (“We are the disillusioned/ We’ve been left wanting more/ Before every aspiration hits the floor/ Hold on for your life/ All we feel is so far from alive.”)
But the band doesn’t stop at simply identifying the problem, offering potent songs that rally a sense of possibility for positive change. “Rise Today” doesn’t shy away from thorny questions, but responds with a battle cry for social transformation. (“ Feels like we’re all alone/ Running further from what’s right/And there are no more heroes to follow/ So what are we becoming?/ Where did we go wrong?/ Yeah, Yeah/ I want to rise today and change this world.”)
With its socially conscious and hopeful lyrics, Blackbird is a welcome blast of intelligent and melodic hard rock that soars boldly through darkness while pointing the way towards the light.
Audio Clips
"Ties That Bind"
"Come To Life"
"Brand New Start"
"Buried Alive"
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