1. Alter Bridge Fortress
What can be said about Alter Bridge's incredible fourth album that
has not been said before? Well, let's start with how well it's aged since that original September release date. Whilst I will implore you to check out my track-by-track breakdown linked above, for those with slightly less time on their hands, allow me to try and pinpoint exactly why these guys deserve every bit of your attention. The most obvious component needed for a successful hard rock album is the ability to write catchy vocal hooks that sit atop crunching rhythms. Four-octave messiah Myles Kennedy could twang a particularly engaging melody with a small packet of elastic bands if you gave him a few minutes, the guy is just that damn good. Add into the mixture one Mark Tremonti, a man who in 2013 is almost entirely indistinguishable from his Creed-days counterpart. So advanced are his techniques, and so far has he developed his playing, the aforementioned days back in that almost universally-hated band seem like a completely different person. Fortress features some of Tremonti's most passionate playing yet, as with third track Bleed It Dry he neglects to use a pick, instead shaking every last modicum of emotion out of each note with just his fingers. Other highlights include the band liberally messing with time signatures on opener Cry of Achilles, itself another career-advancing display of twin-guitar harmonies and vocal prowess from Myles and Mark. Oh and did I mention Myles is a jazz guitar teacher? If anyone knows how to convey the gamut of emotion on a guitar it's him, and with Tremonti providing some contrastingly searing licks, the combination of the two is list-topping in itself. Fortress is an album built from the ground-up to command both the Alter Bridge diehards and those on the fringe that may have heard the band in passing to stand up and listen in. From the razor-sharp riffage of Peace is Broken, to the feelgood message of All Ends Well, and even Waters Rising where Tremonti takes lead vocals for an entire song, this is a work that is unsurpassed in every way, and the number one album of the year for this writer by a rather large margin. So anything you think I've missed? Not anti-mainstream enough perhaps? Please throw in your suggestions in the comments below, and with the New Year just around the corner, perhaps we can make some of the best playlists to welcome it in style.