20 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Albums Of 2016
5. Alter Bridge - The Last Hero
Alter Bridge's fifth album, The Last Hero, appropriately clocks in at number five. A sonic firestorm of near-biblical proportions, The Last Hero just might be the best record this Floridian quartet has come out with since the acclaimed Blackbird from the bygone days of 2007.
Not only is it possibly the heaviest Alter Bridge album, it also packs an absolute ton of refreshing melodies, with entries like "Show Me a Leader", "My Champion" and "Writing on the Wall" feeling borderline anthemic in a live setting.
The hard rock bangers are counteracted by the more emotive title track and "Cradle to the Grave", both of which balance powerhouse riffing from band leaders Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti (yep, him again) and an undertone of sombre yet high-flown vitality.
The Last Hero continues the Alter Bridge evolution by once more seeing them become heavier. At this rate, the band's sixth record could well go on to be a slice of Tremonti-esque melodic thrash.