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Blackbird, Alter Bridge’s sophomore effort, is a surprisingly optimistic effort, considering the genre within which the band works. Part of the general uplifting spirit on Blackbird no doubt stems from the fact that the project almost did not happen, due to contractual problems which resulted in what has a three year hiatus between Blackbird and ONE DAY REMAINS, the band’s debut project. Blackbird was recorded while matters were being worked out, and the disc was actually finished before Alter Bridge signed with Universal Republic. The spirit of the recording shines forth in the titles of the songs, such as Come To Life, Brand New Start, and Rise Today, even as the music will more than satisfy those followers of the band who have been waiting for the new disc.

Blackbird is nicely balanced between power chord anthems and power ballads, with perhaps more of a nod toward the latter. What is perhaps most impressive about this release is the care with which it appears to be crafted, from initial song composition to final recording. Written almost entirely as a collaboration between band members Myles Kennedy (vocals) and Mark Tremonti (guitar) there are several potential singles, including Brand New Start, Before Tomorrow Comes, and Rise Today (which, indeed, is the first single), and the remainder of the disc, even with the weakest tracks (which, surprisingly enough, are the title track, which threatens to sink under the weight of its own grandiosity, and Ties That Bind, which introduces the disc) are winners.

Alter Bridge’s greatest strength is its sharply honed sense of dynamics and its seeming unwillingness to engage in repetitiveness throughout Blackbird. Every track on Blackbird, I would hazard, would be thoroughly welcomed in any medium to large-sized hall which the band would grace with its presence. This is one that you’ll play over and over, and the louder the better.