Alter Bridge Contributes a Track Worth Championing

I love it when a rock song goes all over the place musically. You know...not staying content to let one guitar riff be what a band coasts on until you forget why you liked the song in the first place. Alter Bridge does a tremendous job of demonstrating how mind blowing it can be to use the full range of chords to amp up their artistic intentions. "My Champion" gets the spine shivering thanks to equal contributions from the entire unit. Mark Tremonti is at his best vocally. His focused pipes can't be denied. He inspires at every level imaginable. Myles Kennedy does some incredible guitar work, particularly at the bridge. If he represents the pied piper he provides convincing proof that following him around is well worth the trouble. Over on bass Brian Marshall lays down the thunder, letting us know we're officially on notice that both spiritually and professionally he's bringing in the big guns. Drummer Scott Phillips adds stick work that's going to have you scanning the floor looking for your missing jaw bone. Mark carries hints of his tenure with Creed in that there's a highly potent spiritual message at work. He hopes "My Champion" serves as victory song for the downtrodden who've lost the will to continue. He sincerely hopes clarity counts as part of the reward for taking a moment to heed his words. In order to rise you must fall first. To know true gain you must first experience loss on an intimate level. The vigor of "My Champion" goes a long way. Everything takes on an electrified sheen that bathes this effort in enough light to power a mid-sized metropolitan area. Back to Mark for a little bit. His voice doubles as a mandate, a call to action that can only bolster the spirit. The guitar chords give you the roller coaster ride you secretly have been craving. It gets you psyched and ready to not be a passive observer in life. We live in an intimidating era. Uplift would be greatly appreciated. One of Mark's key stanzas happens to be "May this lift you up when you feel you'll fall again, you cannot win, no. Hope these words are enough for you to be strong my friend. Well Mark, having sampled "My Champion" for the first time I'd have to give you an unqualified yes vote. For Alter Bridge "My Champion" beats back the competition to emerge as a real heavyweight contender.