Committed as ever to delivering new music to their fans every three years, ‘Pawns & Kings’ sees Alter Bridge back on top form. Not that ever lost their way per se, it’s just that ‘Walk the Sky’ wasn’t exactly on par with their previous stuff, it seemed maybe like they had reached a plateau. This time, the band oozes the confidence that comes along with songs that creators can stand behind with absolute certainty and conviction.
Ten tracks of top-tier, first class hard rock with a metallic edge in the guitar-playing, since every band on the planet would want to write the riffs of ‘This is War’ (by Myles Kennedy) or ‘Sin after Sin’ (by Mark Tremonti). Moreover, for fans of their epic/progressive side, there are many choices available, from the catchy title track and ‘Last Man Standing’, stadium-worthy chorus and all, to ‘Fable of the Silent Son’: clocking at eight and a half minutes, this is the longest and also the most ambitious song of their career. ‘Pawns & Kings’ is without a doubt the best Alter Bridge album at least since 2013’s ‘Fortress’, as well as one of the releases of the year. It would be a shame for one more touring cycle to pass without a stop in Greece.
