8. Alter Bridge - Blackbird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz_j7nVCJJ0 Rising from the ashes of one of the most hated bands in the history of music by ditching crooning spotlight-hogger Scott Stapp, monster-shredder Mark Tremonti grabbed bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips before also nabbing the messianic vocal chords of Slash's now-favourite frontman Myles Kennedy, coming together to form the best rock band the noughties would ever create; Alter Bridge. As their debut still slightly leant on the old Creedian tropes of ballads over pure rockers, as soon as the band realised Myles was so much more than a singer (the dude taught jazz guitar and won several guitar competitions in his teens) he promptly took up a much larger position in the songwriting process, producing this timeless album whose title track went on to win Best Guitar Solo of All Time from Guitarist magazine. Yes, it is that damn good, opening with the pummelling psychotic riffage of Ties That Bind, written about the need to get away from record companies who insisted on marketing them down the soppy crooner-route the band new all-too well, this album resembled a complete cutaway from what had gone before, culminating so far not only in arena tours last year but a slot under Aerosmith at this year's Download Festival. It's impossible to get sick of: The title track. It continues to be Myles' magnum opus; a tribute to the man who sold him his first guitar and the song that established the band meant business, obliterating the Creed-comparisons into a fine dust.