7. Calm the Fire
Another switch back to the subdued, as Myles speaks of the state of racism in 2013. After coming across a particularly bigoted site online, he felt compelled to write the tune, in an effort to metaphorically facilitate its namesake. Its been so long its tearing me apart, I cannot understand or comprehend, Where we went wrong, now weve come so far, The madness in our hearts will never end. Its pretty heavy stuff, but justifiably so considering the ludicrous nature that the subject matter still needs to be addressed in the modern world. Myles opening vocal is in an extremely high register, a tone that compliments Tremontis neo-classical playing underneath before Marshall and Flip provide the instrumental bedding to hammer the songs message home. Calm the Fire features some of the best lyrics of Myles career, and whilst Im not about to reprint the entire song, I found the middle passages in particular worthy of inclusion here. Is there no more, have we gone too far? Theres nothing I can do to make you sway, To see the blood running through our hearts, No different from the blood weve come to hate, When I close my eyes, I dream that we are colorblind, And now you know you cant deny, Only ignorance to blame
8. Waters Rising
A surprisingly inclusion for the fans is Mark Tremonti taking over vocal duties for the first time since his alternating verses on AB IIIs Words Darker Than Their Wings. Where there he was sharing lead duties with Myles, this time hes penned an entire song for the band to join in on. Apocalyptic lyricisms abound with talks of burning fields and new days rising as a thunderous descending riff is accompanied by Tremonti and Myles synching back up for a vocal breakdown of So let me drown!. Its one of the tightest, most accessible tunes on the album, featuring a great solo that starts with a set of bends youll be waking up to for weeks. Tremontis voice is one of tremendous power and warmth, he possesses nowhere near the godlike range of Mr. Kennedy, but is still able to create one hell of a definable presence on-album and live. Mark has come a very long way, from singing backup vocals to Scott Stapp in Creed, to his solo album, and now alongside his advanced guitarwork, he can easily hang with Myles in the frontman department.
9. Cry a River
One of the best things of proving yourselves early-on and having a production team take a back seat, is that it allows artists to fully flex their creative muscles. Opening the song with almost rap-like vocals that demand attention is a great way of letting Myles delve back into the trusty Book of Scorned Lovers collection, creating a page all his own. Like Lover that has gone before, the assumptions brought about through the naming of this track have almost no bearing on the finished article, instead weaving a revenge fantasy tale that works as a companion-piece to Lover, proving Alter Bridge can do even the most clichéd titles the utmost justice. As for Tremontis work on this song its the only time he revisits his trademark bank of legato-licks after a modified sweeping pattern that will keep those who study his newest techniques coming back for more. Mark had previously said he had gotten too comfortable with legato, hence the likes of Bleed It Drys fingerpicked first half and his incredibly technical patterns on Cry of Achilles. Even so, when Tremonti delves into his bank of signature runs, its a refreshing reminder of his previous techniques subtly injected into an album oozing with forward-momentum.