Alter Bridge’s New Song Proves Why They’re “Leaders” in Hard Rock

Of the many joys that come with being a world-renowned metal blogger, one of the greatest is watching our commenters become ragingly stangry when we give positive press to bands they perceive as not worthy of inclusion on a metal site.

Alter Bridge are one such band who always get the hoi pollou riled up. Despite Mark Tremonti’s well-documented metal cred and undeniable chops, Alter Bridge will always be tainted by the stench of three of their members having been in Creed (even though the two bands sound nothing alike), which, I admit, is a hard stink to shake.

But look, this is just fact: Alter Bridge are really fucking good. Beyond Tremonti’s aforementioned badassitude, Myles Kennedy’s pipes are a delight to listen to and the unit, collectively, has always had a knack for writing catchy, meaty hard rock songs that don’t pander to the lowest common denominator. In a modern rock radio world that hasn’t changed a lick in 15 years (and wasn’t inventive even then), Alter Bridge are one of the few bands doing it right and doing it differently.

Alter Bridge will release new album The Last Hero this fall, and they’ve just put out the album’s first single “Show Me a Leader.” It’s a perfect example of all of the above: it’s not METAL but it rocks really hard, it’s catchy without being dumb, and there’s an absolutely righteous guitar solo. This is the hard rock you’re looking for.

Check it out below; The Last Hero comes out October 7th via Caroline Records and can be pre-ordered here.