For the first time in four years, Alter Bridge is back with a brand new record. The band’s self-titled record follows the success of 2022’s Pawns & Kings. After the tour of the previous record, which saw them also extensively tour, the band took a small hiatus. The band’s hiatus saw Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips reunite with Scott Stapp to reignite Creed. While Myles Kennedy pursued his solo career. But, as many fans know, Alter Bridge doesn’t stay away too long before greatness strikes again.
The record kicks off with the heavy-hitting “Silent Divide.” A tough riff is spat out by Tremonti and is followed by an equally heavy beat from Phillips. This tune is a perfect opening track and is a true Alter Bridge to its core. Kennedy’s vocals are spectacular as usual and mesh well with the tone of the band. Around the three-minute mark, Kennedy’s vocals are dubbed and echoed to match the beat of the drums, creating a tight and narrow feeling. This opens the door for Tremonti to solo before the song heads towards the finish line.
Alter Bridge’s heavy tones continue with track three, “Power Down.” The kicks off this song as if shot from a cannon. There’s a terrific driving beat that allows room for listeners to headbang to the fullest. “Power Down” is an intense listen that feels like riding a hard rock rollercoaster. What Alter Bridge does so well is that they change the pace of songs halfway through, adding in new emotions before returning to the original rhythm. This would not be the first song on this album that they do this.
“Trust In Me” comes in as song four. What is most notable about this track is how, in the chorus, Kennedy and Tremonti’s voices blend. While listening to the track, it’s challenging to pick up who’s singing. The crew working behind the mixing board did a fantastic job at capturing the vocals and blending them into the perfect organized chaos. Throughout the tune, the band keeps a steady beat. While the song isn’t as intense as some of the others, there’s a level of hunger that seeps out of the speakers.
On at least one or two songs per Alter Bridge record, Tremonti sings lead vocals. For this particular album, which came in the form of “Tested and Able.” For his vocal range, the song is lighter than some of its peers but still packs a punch. There’s a unique rawness to Tremonti’s vocals. It’s not as polished as Kennedy’s and acts as a nice counterbalance to the fact. The song opens up the same way it ends, with a crunchy guitar riff that gets pounded by the drums. I liked that Alter Bridge took a rougher and more aggressive approach to this record.
It wouldn’t be a rock and roll record without the typical ballad inserted somewhere in the record. For the band, it’s “Hang By A Thread.” The band takes a complete step back from their typical sound to let their softer side open up. Electric acoustic guitars and easier-on-the-ears chords take the place of the tough power notes of other tunes. Throughout the song, there are tiny traces of the band’s other massive ballad, “Watch Over You.” Whether the band intended to use a similar chord structure and notes is a mystery. If that is the case, though, then it’s a bone-chilling, subtle, perfect nod to a previous tune that’s almost 20 years old.
The soft pitter-patter of the guitar opens up song nine, “Scales Are Falling.” The title perfectly sums up the intro, as the feel of music scales falling can be pictured in listeners’ minds. I love the beat and groove that Phillips and Marshall get into. They both find a galloping beat and a pocket to nestle into. Tucked away in the background, Tremonti is heard padding Kennedy’s vocals, creating deeper vocals. The Kennedy-Tremonti vocal duo is very underrated when paired with other bands. “Scales Are Falling” clocks in at just shy of six minutes. The band lets up on the heaviness to allow a softer and more melodic solo to pierce through before returning to the soul of the tune.
The band’s longest tune is the very final song on the album. “Slave To Master,” song 12 is a nine-minute song. The intro is haunting and calm before Phillips blasts through with a blistering drum beat to drag the song in a different direction. The overall feeling of this song is great; there’s an awareness that this is the massive “go out with a bang” moment on the record. Honestly, there’s no better way than going out with a nine-minute tune. No, this isn’t your Grateful Dead nine-minute jam tune. It’s a nine-minute hard rock tune that dips its feet into the metal section. Between Tremonti and Marshall clunking away on guitars to Phillips beating the daylights out of his drums, the band makes one last stand on this tune.
It truly was only a matter of time before Alter Bridge released new music. For the fans, it was very much worth it. It seems that Alter Bridge brought a more aggressive and hungry edge to this album, which allowed them to explore darker, more edgy, and deeper topics. Overall, the album is a great listen and is a great way to start the new year. The band has a highly anticipated tour coming up, and with a new arsenal of tracks ready for live consumption, Alter Bridge will yet again be prepared to conquer the world.
Rating: 8.5/10
Alter Bridge track listing:
1. Silent Divide (5:06)
2. Rue The Day (4:46)
3. Power Down (4:08)
4. Trust In Me (4:48)
5. Disregarded (3:55)
6. Tested And Able (4:36)
7. What Lies Within (5:07)
8. Hang By A Thread (4:11)
9. Scales Are Falling (5:54)
10. Playing Aces (4:05)
11. What Are You Waiting For (5:00)
12. Slave To Master (9:03)
“What Lies Within” Tour With Dates in Europe and North America Starts January 15, 2026
Ticket Info Available HERE
European What Lies Within Tour 2026:
Jan 15 – HAMBURG, GERMANY – Sporthalle
Jan 17 – OSLO, NORWAY – Sentrum Scene
Jan 18 – OSLO, NORWAY – Sentrum Scene
Jan 20 – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – Annexet
Jan 22 – HELSINKI, FINLAND – Ice Hall Black Box
Jan 24 – COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – KB Hallen
Jan 25 – BERLIN, GERMANY – Columbiahalle
Jan 27 – GLIWICE, POLAND – Prezero Arena Gliwice
Jan 28 – BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – Barba Negra
Jan 30 – VIENNA, AUSTRIA – Gasometer
Jan 31 – ZAGREB, CROATIA – Bocarski Dom
Feb 02 – ROME, ITALY – Atlantico
Feb 03 – BERGAMO, ITALY – ChorusLive Arena
Feb 05 – ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The Hall
Feb 06 – LYON, FRANCE – Halle Tony Garnier
Feb 08 – BARCELONA, SPAIN – Razzmatazz 1
Feb 10 – LISBON, PORTUGAL – Sagres Campo Pequeno
Feb 12 – MADRID, SPAIN – Palacio Vistalegre
Feb 13 – BORDEAUX, FRANCE – Arkea Arena
Feb 15 – LUXEMBOURG, LUXEMBOURG – Rockhal
Feb 17 – OBERHAUSEN, GERMANY – Oberhausen Turbinenhalle
Feb 18 – PARIS, FRANCE – Zenith
Feb 20 – MUNICH, GERMANY – Zenith
Feb 22 – AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Ziggo Dome
Feb 23 – BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – Ancienne Belgique
Feb 25 – NEWCASTLE, UNITED KINGDOM – Utilita Arena
Feb 26 – MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM – AO Arena
Feb 28 – DUBLIN, IRELAND – 3Arena
Mar 02 – GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM – OVO Hydro
Mar 04 – LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – The O2
Mar 05 – NOTTINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM – Motorpoint Arena
Jun 27 – CARDIFF, WALES – Blackbird Festival @ Cardiff Castle
What Lies Within U.S. Tour
Apr 25 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues – TM
Apr 26 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy – 7D/TM
Apr 28 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center – F/TM
Apr 29 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom – F/TM
May 1 – Tulsa, OK – Osage Casino Hotel, Skyline Event Center – F/TM
May 2 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha – F/TM
May 5 – Green Bay, WI – EPIC Event Center – F/TM
May 6 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed – F/TM
May 9 – Atlantic City, NJ – Event Center at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa – F
May 10 – Boston, MA – Citizen House of Blues Boston – F/TM
May 12 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount – F/TM
May 13 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater – F/TM
May 18 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Roxian Theatre – F/TM
May 19 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit – F/TM
May 21 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle – 7D/TM
May 22 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company – F/TM
May 24 – Tampa, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Event Center – F/TM
Alter Bridge L to R: Scott Phillips, Myles Kennedy, Brian Marshall, Mark Tremonti
Photo Credit: Chuck Brueckmann
About Alter Bridge:
Back in 2004, four lifelong musicians got together down in Florida. Even though they had traveled separate paths, similar lessons learned, wisdom earned, and dues paid united these gentlemen—Myles Kennedy [vocals, guitar], Mark Tremonti [guitar, vocals], Brian Marshall [bass], and Scott Phillips [drums]—as Alter Bridge. Over the ensuing two decades, the band endured countless trials and tribulations, defied every odd, and rose to the head of the pack as a hard rock juggernaut, cementing a singular legacy by selling out arenas, gathering nearly 1 billion streams, inciting international acclaim, and quietly attracting a diehard audience. Beginning with the Top 5 entry of 2004’s gold-certified One Day Remains, the band have scored six consecutive Top 20 debuts on the Billboard 200. Among a myriad of highlights, Guitarist Magazine applauded “Blackbird” for the “Greatest Guitar Solo of All Time,” the ABIII single “Isolation” vaulted to #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart, 2013’s Fortress received rare perfect scores from KERRANG! and Total Guitar, and Walk The Sky shook the Top Rock Albums Chart at #1. Beyond packing O2 Arena and Royal Albert Hall, Classic Rock hailed 2022’s Pawns & Kings as “the Rolls-Royce of Alter Bridge records” in a 4.5-out-of-5 star review. Plus, the latter LP garnered praise from American Songwriter, Guitar World, and Loudwire, while Billboard christened them “one of America’s premiere hard rock quartets.” Channeling the same hunger, the band continue to push themselves on their self-titled eighth full-length offering, Alter Bridge [Napalm Records]. It embodies everything they’re known for such as the precise riffs, towering hooks, and solos that practically break guitar strings as they burst through the clouds.
Follow Alter Bridge Online:
My love for live music started with my first concert ever, Guns N’ Roses back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been able to capture photos of some amazing artists like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Ace Frehley, and Post Malone. I am based in the Boston, Massachusetts area. I am always looking for the next concert to attend.