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Saturday, November 03, 2007, 11:43 AM

The sophomore album by Alter Bridge kicks ass. Entitled "Blackbird", this album holds a distinctive sound compared to their first album "One Day Remains". This may be due partially to the participant of Myles Kennedy, the band's vocalist, as he was not actively involved in the making of the first record. As far as the genre is concerned, it's like a mix of Hard Rock and Metal to me. You can hear the "mouthwatering" riffs from Mark Tremonti and for sure, that is harder than Creed. As for Myles Kennedy, not only did his vocals improve rapidly, his showmanship improved tremendously. I remembered when they first started, critics were comparing him and Scott Stapp intriguingly. But as time flies, the amount has decreased, at least a few. Tracks wise, "Ties That Bind" is a good song to kick start to. Cliche as you can say, the fast tempo and high vocal notes reached during the chorus will most likely bring you to life. "Rise Today" is the band's first single off this album and lyrics wise, it can be quite inspirational. Who knows but maybe this song is pinpointing to the current music scene where the trend of emo, powerpop and pop punk are on the verge of dominance. Well, maybe we never know. It might be due to the daily lives after all. Music wise, you can say it's the typical Mark Tremonti style. But hell yeah, after being inactive in the music industry for sometime (due to conflicts with record label and making of the album), it's great to listen to the maestro of guitars once again. For soft tracks, you can look deeply into "Watch Over You". I must say, it's a pretty good chilly song to indulge to, if you're having a hectic day. The lyrics talk sense, as it seems to be implying on someone to be self independence, perhaps. "White Knuckles" shows the Metal side of the band and it has influences of old school bands like Metallica, Megadeth and Pantera in it. Oh wait, don't the three of them sound the same? Well, it's trash metal, so to speak. Back to the real deal, it's a song that keeps me ongoing for sure. Lastly, "Wayward One". I find the chorus part kind of similar to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven", but with a heavier touch to it. Still, they make that song sound like their own. Overall, I find it indulging and it's an album that differentiates the band from the music these days. After hearing much to the typical rock-based music for sometime, it's good to rock out to something that I have been listening to since young. Ratings wise? You tell me.