Qulture Magazine

Photo of Alter Bridge: Chuck Brueckmann

Words: Tyler Murphy

Alter Bridge are a band who played a large part in my early awakening for alternative music and have certainly earned their place in the pantheon of modern metal giants. However, as my tastes evolved, they were swept under the rug. I had felt that what I’d heard was too polished or overwrought and I preferred to listen to Myles’ work with Slash. I’d not given credence to much of their work since ‘Blackbird’, although the band were always on the periphery of my interest. That was until a cheesy yet admittedly charming teaser for their upcoming album popped up on my Instagram feed, I felt myself do a proverbial double take, and I was sold.

‘Silent Divide’ is the first taste of an upcoming album from Alter Bridge set to release in January of 2026. This will be a self-titled body of work, an interesting move to do this later in their career rather than at debut. The implication would be then, that this is no throwaway release. Something substantial has been forecast.

Right out of the gate, the guitars are f***ing huge. This is raw, unfiltered, nasty (in just the right way). Thrashy, if you like. It certainly wouldn’t feel out of place sitting in a playlist amidst songs from the big 4. Yet, this feels more expensive than your typical cutthroat crash course.  Alter Bridge have always felt a bit posher than their allies and adversaries. At least that’s how I perceive their sound and brandished aesthetic. Front-runners in a genre known for its barbarism, these guys have an air of the highbrow, like a wasp in a waistcoat. Perhaps this is in the grandiose production value, or the intricacy of which Kennedy and Tremonti’s guitar parts are interwoven into eruptive synergy. For me though, it all boils down to the vocal delivery from Myles Kennedy itself. After a riff such as the intro to ‘Silent Divide’, you might expect a razor in the throat style guttural or indecipherable whale, but no. Kennedy brings clarity, precision, a smooth and almost operatic timbre. As if he’s smoothly surfing over a torrent of rogue waves in the Atlantic. This single being no outlier, Myles’ verse melody glides effortlessly atop the leviathan wave of distorted power chords.

Reaching the pre-chorus, an element of theatre is given through sharp vocal pulses and dissonant harmony breaking up thick guitar chugs. These are the touches of class which elevate the band’s dynamic scope. What I love about this instance is that they’ve still managed to achieve these symphonic overtones without oversaturation, this remains a barebones performance of guitar, bass, drums and vocal (albeit with some production wizardry).

The chorus demonstrates quintessential melody writing from Kennedy, blending major and minor tonalities, crafting a wider emotive landscape. I must say, for me this lacks a compelling hook. It is not a bad chorus by any means; I just feel it doesn’t quite cut through and leave an imprint like some of their earworms have before now. It does fall back perfectly to the main riff and subtle development in the second verse onwards.

At first I didn’t quite connect with the lyrics, being too quick to dismiss them as too ephemeral or needlessly edgy (one of the reasons I stopped listening previously). These have grown on me the more I’ve listened and the meaning imparted has taken on profound relevance. My interpretation of these cryptic stanzas is that this song is an ode to apathy and fear of judgement in times of division.

Crossing over the midpoint of the song, engagement is quickly snatched and retained as we’re spun into a dizzying frenzy of guitar and vocals akin to a Gregorian chant, only releasing us to throw us into a whaling solo from Myles on guitar. Just as I thought we’d hit the climax, Tremonti slides in for a harmonised solo double trouble.

Don’t worry, if you thought you were reaching the end of the tune without a blinder from Tremonti, after a blistering final chorus he sees us out in true fashion. A flurry of high-speed runs keeps pace with the chaos, before the riff collapses into itself and leaves a puddle of feedback and harmonic squeals in its wake. Textbook.

Coming in at just five minutes, the boys in Alter Bridge have engineered heavy metal mastery. Safe to say I’m back onboard, let’s hope they deliver come 2026. Alter Bridge are set to be touring extensively in support of their eponymous 8th studio album. You can catch the band in Europe from January 15th followed by a North American leg of the tour commencing in April.

Their very own ‘Blackbird Festival’ is on 27th June 2026 with some big names joining the lineup and tickets can be found here!