Well this is metal. Alterbridge’s most recent album, their fourth to date, is a solid and uncompromising slice of thrash influenced metal that blasts through 12 tracks with energy and a drop of melodrama.
The actual music here is very hard rock influenced, and one of the band’s strongest points is their clean vocals.
These give Fortress something of a classic metal atmosphere and certainly set them apart if only for their uniqueness in a genre dominated by guttural growling.
The band is tight and they’re into what they’re doing. The riffs chug along at a solid pace and the choruses are remarkably big. One of the best examples of just how catchy Alterbridge can be is on “Lover”, a ballad that would have put the 1980s to shame.
This song’s loud/quiet moments seem well thought out and the song is a great break from the faster paced music.
On the subject of tempo, the band can rip when they want to. The album’s opener, “Cry Of Achilles” blasts into a great riff after a slice of virtuoso acoustic guitar. Throughout Fortress, Alterbridge aren’t afraid to play to their strengths, making hook laden heavy metal the formula.
If the album has two problems they are that the high pitched and theatrical vocals can get tiresome after 60 minutes of trills and melodrama.
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Additionally, like many genre albums, Fortress does get a little samey. The album is a good one though, and possibly the best that Alterbridge have come out with thus far. This is by no means the most original album in the world. It will keep any metal or hard rock fan interested though.
