Former Creed members Mark Tremonti, Brian
Marshal and Scott Philips founded Alter Bridge in 2003. Due to the demise of
their previous band, fans were equally sceptical and enthusiastic of what the
three could create without Scott Strapp, whom had spectacularly disintegrated
down an egoistical and self-absorbed path due to the huge popularity and
success of Creed. With the introduction of former Mayfield Four front man Myles
Kennedy and a mutual vision of hard and alternative rock roots, the newly
formed band hit the studio to contrive an out-and-out rock album minus the attitude
and arrogance that had been apparent in their previous stardom. Released on August 10, 2004 via Wind-up Records, the 11-song record opens
with "Find The Real," a heavy, hard rock monster of a song with its
down tuned metal guitar riffs, catchy choruses and a brilliant guitar solo. The
record commences with an instant classic, firmly distancing themselves from
their Creed roots with a more aggressive and heavier sound. Continuing the
heavy theme of the album, "One Day Remains", opens with a trail of
harmonics linking together immaculately before unleashing fast paced, heavy
driven verses and choruses and two impressive guitar solos from the ever
majestic Mark Tremonti on lead guitar. Tremonti establishes himself as one of
the most accomplished guitarists of modern times with his work on the album,
not just in his astounding playing but also in his now instantly recognisable
writing style. His playing reflects a new summit of sprightliness and excitement, purposefully unleashing his technical ability, something
he was restrained from displaying in the days of Creed. Before the album was
released the band made it perfectly clear that they didn't want to engineer the
distinguished post-grunge sound of their former band and with that said this
album goes beyond the Creed sound entirely. Embracing a vast range of sounds
and styles, "Metalingus," without doubt the finest track on the
album, invokes an opening that explicitly shouts out “Head bang you fuckers” with its ferocious drumming and
outstanding guitar riff, it oozes 80s metal. The gorgeous and highly emotional
"In loving Memory", an eminently sensitive track written about
Tremonti`s late mother is remarkably honest and sentimental for a hard rock
group to perform. Expertly written music and melodies are accompanied by the magnificent
vocals of Myles Kennedy. Drawing parallels in voice with Chris Cornell and Jeff
Buckley, Kennedy introduces a wonderful voice
possessing a tenor vocal
range that spans four octaves, superbly
showcased on the haunting ballad, "Burn it down", and the epically
over-the-top first single "Open your eyes", a true highlight of the
progression of the band from the days of Creed with sustained focus behind the
melody as well as the meaning of the songs being sang. Brian Marshall delivers
a bass groove throughout the record that is filled with a thick driving
undertone, muscling the force of the songs forward and pounding in your head.
On bass he is probably the only man who can compliment Tremonti`s
unique style. Scott Philip’s on drums, creates the powerful drive of the album
and commends the band brilliantly and enumerates a great solidity to the
four-piece. Clearly emphasised on the second single, "Broken Wings" as well as on tracks, "Down to my last", and "Watch your
words", the feel of the togetherness and chemistry of the band really
shine through. “One Day Remains” is a soaring, emotional modern rock
masterpiece and comes at a time when the rock genre is longing for something
new and vibrant to push it on again. Tremendous songs and melodies performed by
a band that have found instant chemistry, possessing unbelievable talent have
added a much-needed new sound to modern rock and fans of this richly
entertaining and engrossing music genre should seriously take note of their
presence. 2.Jeff Buckley - Grace 1994
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In August 1994, Jeff Buckley
released his debut full-length album “Grace.” The son of fellow
singer/songwriter Tim Buckley, mixed folk, jazz and alternative rock to
unimaginable brilliance to create possibly the most touching and compassionate
record ever released. After over a
decade of working as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley began amassing
a small following due to his prominent focus on his own original material as
well as frequent performances in New York. After signing with Columbia records,
he assembled a band featuring Mick Grondahl on bass and Matt Johnson on drums and percussion
and recorded “Grace” before going on tour around North America. Despite its
impact at the time of its release far from impressive as it is perceived now,
“Grace” introduced an extraordinary talent. Despite Buckley experiencing the
difficulties in escaping the shadow of his late father, “Grace” acquainted
audiences with a singularly artistic genius, furnished with a wealth of
potential. The 11-track record is enthroned with moments of salient and
seductive beauty, heavy influenced with its compositional cues from classic and
psychedelic
rock acts including Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and reflective of Buckley’s
myriad of influences stretching from Joni Mitchell to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. However the most distinguishable aspect of “Grace” is Buckley’s
astonishing voice. Endowed with a tenor vocal range, between three and a half
and four octaves, he made full use of this unique range reaching peaks of a
high E at the climax of “So Real” and the album’s title track “Grace.” His abnormal decision to sing high notes
with his head voice, rather than in a falsetto and for sustained periods was at
the time seen as an unfamiliar feature of a rock singer. However his refreshing and rejuvenating
vocals on “Grace” intensely provided a purposeful and sincere “stop you in your
tracks” feel to listeners and marked him down as an artist to follow
attentively. First track “Mojo Pin” depicts an equal balance of chaotic ferocity
and inobrusive beauty and this deviation of irregular characteristics as well
as exhilarating choruses and jangling chords are evident across the album,
especially on tracks; “Grace”, “Dream Brother” and “Lover You Should Have Come
Over. ” However the album peaks with mesmerising rocker “Eternal Life and the
poignant cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” two completely contrasting
songs proving Buckley’s talent for angry rock songs as well as emotive ballads.
Buckley’s powerful version of
“Hallelujah” is seen as his most applauded work in mainstream music and
is probably the finest example of a cover song that is more associated and
celebrated with it’s coverer than its original performer. His predilection of including covers on the album drew some listeners
to complain about the excessive nature of their existence on the record but
Buckley, like Johnny Cash possessed the ability to turn cover songs and make
them their own, implementing their personal unique style on them and bestowing
them to perfectly blend in with the rest of the record’s sound. Cohen’s lyrical
talent is undeniable but Buckley’s intense passion and audible pain on
“Hallelujah” make his version his own and providing it new life. Through
“Grace,” Jeff Buckley showed incredible promise and potential and was
anticipated to become the next big singer/songwriter of the 90’s. Had this
prognosticate come true, Buckley would surely have become as efficacious as Bob
Dylan, Paul Simon and Van Morrison. Instead, three years after the release of his
debut album, Buckley drowned in the Wolf River Harder, Memphis, aged just 30. 3. Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction 1987
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Once in a generation, an album is released that
changes the music world forever. A record that sticks two fingers up to the aristocracy
and legitimately enjoys inflicting controversy and disruption throughout
society, destroying everything in its path, including its own self. The
Eighties saw a fair few bands release memorable rock albums; Bon Jovi “Slippery
When Wet,” Van Halen “1984,” Ozzy Osbourne “Blizzard Of Ozz,” and Def Leppard
“Hysteria.” However none of them captured the attention and limelight like
“Appetite For Destruction.” Released in
1987, Guns N’ Roses debut album was a monster record, showcasing a band far
beyond a force of nature. If the technologies of the Internet had existed back
then, it would be a fair estimate that mass communication would have imploded
under their incredible popularity. Guns’ were beyond a collection of simple
misfits with an adolescent and immature approach to life. They were five
extremely skilled musicians driven for fame, women and success, emphatic rebels
and all held together by a troubled but equally brilliant lead singer. W Axl
Rose, like most geniuses had an astounding array of issues and flaws. However
his were so crippling and relentless, they perfectly illustrated what a
single-minded, obstinate and abhorrent prick looks like. It was these hosts of
problems that precisely define him, as the brain’s responsible for the greatest
hard rock album of all time. “Appetite,” delved listeners into a booze-soaked,
sexed up and smack addled tour of Sunset Strip and the LA rock underground. It
is without doubt the most “Rock N’ Roll” album of its genre, exhibiting the
clichéd traits of sex, drugs and rock n roll to the absolute max. The record
captured Hard Rock in all its extravagant, reckless and preposterous glory.
Full of anger and furious aggression, mainly down to Axl Rose furiously
spitting out degrading tales of LA with sharp-tongued wit, “Appetite” was a
compelling, addictive and uncompromising masterpiece, holding fixated teenagers
across the globe hostage to its terrorising sense of belief. Throughout the
album, Steven Adler’s thunderous drumming, Duff MacKagen’s solid and free flowing
bass grooves, the masterly duelling guitar performances of Izzy Stradlin and
Slash and Axl’s four octave eviscerating rock screech spectacularly transformed
the hard rock movement of the eighties and in itself Guns N Roses became the
envisage of classic rock. Despite heading up the rock scene along with their
hair metal peers, Guns N’ Roses were completely opposite in both image and
mood. Whilst Mötley Crüe and Poison were glam, Guns were grit. Whilst Bon Jovi were
livin’ on a prayer, Axl and co were dancing with Mr Brownstone. When Def
Leppard were pouring sugar on love, Guns’ were taking their credit cards to the
liquor store for another bottle of Nightrain. With the release of “Appetite,”
Guns’ were expected to become the Led Zeppelin of their generation. However 6
years after its release, they failed to live up to the prospect and the
original line up was consigned to history. Despite this, “Appetite For
Destruction” lives on as a memoir of the sleazy LA underground, full of
prostitutes, dealers, dope friends and the escapism of the American dream.
Widely regarded as the greatest rock album of all time, comprised of some of
rock’s most popular anthems; “Welcome To The Jungle,” “Paradise City,” “Sweet
Child O’ Mine,” “Appetite For Destruction” has become the most successful debut
album of all time, selling in excess of 30 million copies worldwide. 4. Pearl Jam - Ten 1992
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During the late 60’s Led Zeppelin had become the biggest
band on the planet. They had progressed to nothing short of a sensation with
fans and critics alike with their phenomenal live shows, exaggerated arrogance
and debauching
off-stage antics that had erupted to legendary status. “Led Zeppelin II”
released in 1969, emerged with a tighter, heavier and more polished effort than
their debut release but still remained true as well as amplifying Jimmy Page’s
musical vision. Mostly written and recorded in between touring commitments, the
album introduces Robert Plant’s advanced assertion as a songwriter and gave
birth to the Page-Plant writing partnership that would contribute the bulk of
Led Zepp’s songs. “Led Zeppelin II” commences with a menacing riff comprising
of “Whole Lotta Love” and from then on the album is nothing short of a
masterpiece. Despite Page being the dominant instrumentalist in the band,
throughout the record each member conveys effortlessly their unique talents as
well as the impeccable chemistry between the foursome heavily flourishing. John
Paul Jones’s soft keyboards and Plant’s tender voice on “Thank you” can only be
described as pulchritudinous and the two-minute John Bonham drum solo featured
on “Moby Dick” still to this day leaves the listener completely exhausted.
Among the record’s most distinguished attributes are the avant-garde mid
sections of certain songs such as “Heartbreaker” and “Whole Lotta Love”
featuring some of the most advanced studio experimentation of the time. The band,
along with engineer Eddie Kramer who had previously collaborated with Jimi
Hendrix, were able to create mystical and unearthly sounds in the middle of
accessible and rhythmic songs, something that had not been attempted before in
mainstream rock and roll. Despite Black
Sabbath establishing the genre of heavy metal, “Led Zeppelin II” has been cited
as the blueprint for heavy metal and hard rock that many bands have pursued.
With a guitar infused riff, rather than a vocal chorus or a verse, defining the
song’s signature and sound, Zeppelin have influenced a whole host of rock acts
including Guns N Roses and Aerosmith. Since its release, the album has been
acknowledged as one of the most decisive and influential rock records that has
sold nearly 13 million copies worldwide. In a nutshell, “Led Zeppelin II” is 40
minutes of rock history, a fundamental listening experience that should not be
missed by any fan of rock music. 6 . Alice In Chains – Dirt 1991
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Alice In Chains second studio album “Dirt” released
in 1992 was the band’s defining record release and also their most successful.
Focusing on themes such as depression, anger, war and drug use, the
Seattle-based band rose to International fame as part of the grunge movement in
the early 1990’s alongside bands such as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
Prognostic in its intent and appeal “Dirt” is a major artistic statement
delivering a musical masterpiece and producing one of the most harrowing
concept albums ever recorded. Even considering its dark nature, “Dirt” is heinously unadorned,
similarly resembling the haunted landscape of its cover art and holding out no
sense of utopia or belief for its protagonists. (Aside from “Rooster,” a
survival story in tribute to guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s Vietnam-vet father)
However “Dirt” compensates its demeaning themes and values by the genuineness of its self-revelation and acute focus of its music
and direction. Despite embodied in the bracket of grunge bands of their
generation, Alice In Chains infused metal and punk qualities in their music,
which was embraced by fans of all three genres. Marketed as the most metal of
the Seattle bands, Alice In Chains, whilst refusing to acknowledge any genre
labels thrown their way, instead churned out some the finest alternative metal
songs including “Would,” “Down in a Hole” and “Them Bones.” Technical abilities
of the members shine throughout the record, contributing almost equally to the
aptitude and dynamism of the music experience. However, the
highest approval centres on Layne Staley’s and Jerry Cantrell’s combination to
create such a surreal and disturbing atmosphere on the album with possibly one
of the greatest ever examples of two singers harmonising perfectly together to
create a discomforting envisage of pain and suffering. “Dirt,” spawned five top
30 singles and remained in the charts for over a year and is widely considered
as one of the greatest albums of the 90’s.
7. Metallica – Ride The Lightening 1985
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Released in July 1984, “Ride The Lightening” was
Metallica’s second album release and the first to feature new lead guitarist
Kirk Hammett after the release of previous axe wielder Dave Mustaine. Despite a
music war that still to this day rages on as to what album is better; “Master
of Puppets” or “Ride The Lightening” the former conquers the bands third
release due to Ride The Lightning’s ability to induce melody and atmosphere
into their Thrash attire. Aggressively expanding their compositional technique
and range of expression as well as distinguishing a viridity between every
track, every musical experiment and composition on the album succeeds
mightily. The record was a huge step
for Metallica after their first album “Kill em’ all” and firmly established the
band as the true Four Horsemen of Metal. Whilst sounding a little premature on
their debut, Metallica stepped it up in their following release, including
eloquently written and catchier songs as well as delivering a much more precise
and highly motivated record that would secure their status as one of Metal’s
biggest and most important bands. The record commences with “Fight Fire With
Fire,” freely displaying the band’s evolved and elaborate concentration on
delivering a more harmonically complex style of song writing. Throughout the
album, the bands individual and combined brilliance is evident especially in
the Hemingway novel inspired “For Whom The Bells Toll,” the energetic thrashers
“Trapped Under Ice,” and “Ride The Lightening,” the astounding instrumental
“The Call of Ktulu” and of course the haunting power ballad “Fade To Black.”
Beginning with an acoustic-driven minor key serenade, “Fade To Black” then
proceeds to get slashed open by euphoric distorted guitars and climaxes with a
fleeting, yet emotional guitar solo. “Ride The Lightening” showcases Metallica
at their absolute brilliance, brandishing ambition and an appetite that Heavy
Metal had not experienced since the introduction of Sabbath. Featuring
attributes such as maturity, melody and above all, musical intelligence, “Ride
The Lightening” delivered a broader metal scope for the band as well as
developing the capacity and dimension of Thrash Metal forever. 
One of Britain’s most endearing and successful
rock bands, Pink Floyd had already enjoyed relative success during the
mid-sixties with their experimental mix of psychedelic and progressive folk
rock. However in 1973 with the release of their eighth studio album, “Dark Side
of The Moon” Pink Floyd achieved incredible commercial and critical prosperity,
firmly announcing their popularity on the music scene, both sides of the
Atlantic. The concept album is one of the most commercially successful rock
albums of all time. When it peaked at Number 1 in the US, it remained on the
Billboard chart for over fourteen years and sold in excess of 40 million copies
worldwide. In Britain, the album reached number 2 and spent 364 weeks in the UK
chart. Building on experiments the band had attempted in previous shows and
recordings, “Dark Side of The Moon”
combines themes and emotions including greed, insanity and conflict as well
passionately exploring the nature of human experience. Using some of the most
advanced recording equipment and techniques available at the time, the album
displayed what could be eloquently achieved with four intelligent musicians,
utilizing electronic instruments and wielding an armoury of sound effects with
confident mastery and finesse. Whether its “Breathe,” “Money,” “Time,” or
“Brain Damage,” the tracks on “Dark Side of The Moon” disseminate a record with
textual and conceptual richness, demanding the listener’s involvement in their philosophical and
abstract world. Frequently ranked as one of the greatest
albums of all time, “Dark Side of The Moon” has also been a major influence on
bands such as Tool, Dreamthreater and Queensrÿche.
9. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik 1991
During the eighties, The Red Hot Chili Peppers
had contrived their own brand of alternative pop, punk and funk metal/rock. Confidentially
progressing this contemporary and increasingly popular genre through albums
such as, “Freaky Styley,” “The Uplift Mofo Party Plan” and “Mothers Milk” it wasn't until “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” under legendary music producer Rick
Rubin, that the Chili’s finally found a sound that both blended their own funk
fusion as well as introducing them to worldwide popularity and critical
acclaim. The album whilst integrating their typical funk style, focused more on
structure and melodically driven songs, shifting away from the heavy distorted
guitar riffs and slap bass techniques of previous album, “Mothers Milk,” “Blood
Sugar” focused more on traditional and symphonic playing. The record expanded
the Chili Peppers' musical horizons and emotional range, blending soul-funk and a
heavy influenced blue’s style with a raw and powerful tone, creating an
explosive formula that has yet to be matched or even duplicated by any band
since. Despite the release of the album in conjunction with the explosion of
Grunge music that captivated teenagers in the early 90’s, “Blood Sugar” served
as a step away from this newfangled musical revolution, proving to be a
fundamental foundation for alternative rock and in the process soaring the band
to unprecedented heights of success. Tracks including, “The Power of Equality,”
“Suck My Kiss,” “Give It Away,” and the emotional ballads “I could have lied,”
and “Under the Bridge,” fully emphasise their unparallel dexterity of genre
bending as well as defining “Blood Sugar” as a phenomenal record and a true
advancement of modern rock.
10. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath 1970
Released in January 1970, Black Sabbath’s
official debut album was a monumental record release that consummated the
development of 60’s post Led Zepp hard rock and perfected a whole new rock
sound rock for a generation. Lauded by
many as perhaps the first true heavy metal album, Black Sabbath’s introduction
into the music sphere has been credited for pioneering such music genres including
“doom metal,” “death metal,” and “Stoner rock.” Between four ordinary men from the Black Country; Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and
Ozzy Osbourne, Sabbath (formally know as “Earth”) tore up the rule book of rock
n roll and in their own druggy state of consciousness, released a record
containing some of metal’s most legendary songs including “Black Sabbath,” “The Wizard,” and “NIB.”
Transfiguring blues and psychedelic rock into something more sinister and
uglier, Sabbath’s characteristics of evil, paganism and cult worshipping accompanied
their simple but incredibly effective use of pentatonic blues scales and swift
power chords to create the 70’s most defining rock album. 