The Last Hero (album)

The Last Hero is the fifth studio album by American rock band Alter Bridge, released on October 7, 2016, by Napalm Records worldwide except in North America, where it was released on the band's own vanity label. It was produced by longtime collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette. The album's first single, "Show Me a Leader", was released digitally and to rock radio on July 26, 2016.[2] On September 8, 2016, "My Champion" was released as the album's second single.[3] The album's third single, "Poison In Your Veins", was released on June 12, 2017.

This article is about the album by Alter Bridge. For the album by Kino, see Posledniy geroy.

The Last Hero
Studio album by
Alter Bridge
ReleasedOctober 7, 2016 (2016-10-07)
RecordedJanuary–April 2016
StudioStudio Barbarosa, Orlando, Florida
NRG Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length66:12
Label
Producer
Alter Bridge chronology
Fortress
(2013)		 The Last Hero
(2016)		 Live at the O2 Arena + Rarities
(2017)
Singles from The Last Hero
  1. "Show Me a Leader"
    Released: July 26, 2016
  2. "My Champion"
    Released: September 8, 2016[1]
  3. "Poison in Your Veins"
    Released: June 12, 2017
  4. "Cradle to the Grave"
    Released: June 23, 2017

Background

The Last Hero was written during the winter of 2015, while both singer Myles Kennedy and guitarist Mark Tremonti were on tour with their respective projects (Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators and Tremonti), with the recording process being finished during the spring of 2016. Regarding the sound of the album, Tremonti stated it to be similar to Fortress and Blackbird but they were planning on a darker sound. The album name comes from the subject of being a hero in society and people's feelings of disillusionment with their current leaders. It also marks a departure from the band's previous visual style, with the grungy aesthetic of previous albums replaced with a more streamlined logo.[4]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Classic Rock[7]
The Guardian[8]
Rock Sound7/10[9]

The Last Hero has received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its lyrical themes and the band members' musicianship, though some criticized Michael Baskette's production and the album's long length. It has a score of 74 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5] Dom Lawson from The Guardian gave the album a mixed review with a rating of three out of five stars. He praised the album's heavy sound, but said he felt that nearly "every last second of The Last Hero is purposefully, relentlessly bombastic" and that listening to the album from start to finish is an "exhausting" exercise. He concluded by saying that he felt the band was "trying too hard".[8] Timothy Monger from AllMusic felt that the album stays within the band's "tried and true" sound and does not stray far from what listeners will expect, but overall liked the album, praising Tremonti's guitar playing and Kennedy's vocal performance. He gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five.[6] TeamRock's Grant Moon gave the album four stars out of five and highly praised its lyrical themes, but lambasted Baskette's production, saying he "produces this all to within an inch of its life". He concluded by calling the album "a bold, bombastic rock album that really chimes with our troubled times".[7] In a review of the band's performance with Parallax Orchestra in October 2017, writer Dom Lawson referred to The Last Hero as "stodgy and overproduced".[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alter Bridge

No.TitleLength
1."Show Me a Leader"5:05
2."The Writing on the Wall"4:28
3."The Other Side"5:55
4."My Champion"4:41
5."Poison in Your Veins"4:19
6."Cradle to the Grave"5:41
7."Losing Patience"4:10
8."This Side of Fate"6:48
9."You Will Be Remembered"4:42
10."Crows on a Wire"4:27
11."Twilight"4:15
12."Island of Fools"5:01
13."The Last Hero"6:42
Total length:66:12
Limited edition
No.TitleLength
14."Last of Our Kind"5:34
Total length:71:46
Best Buy exclusive edition
No.TitleLength
14."Last of Our Kind"5:34
15."Breathe"4:17
Total length:75:55

Personnel
Alter Bridge
Production
  • Michael "Elvis" Baskette – production, mixing, string arrangements, keyboards
  • Jef Moll – engineering, digital editing
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Daniel Tremonti – cover art
  • Ben Grosse – production, mixing on "Breathe"
  • Tom Baker – mastering on "Breathe"

Charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 6
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] 6
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] 19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] 30
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] 15
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] 10
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] 44
French Albums (SNEP)[18] 82
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 5
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[20] 24
Irish Albums (IRMA)[21] 30
Italian Albums (FIMI)[22] 8
Japanese Albums Chart[23] 72
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[24] 1
Scottish Albums (OCC)[25] 2
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[26] 93
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 33
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 5
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 3
US Billboard 200[30] 8
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[31] 1
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[32] 1

References
  1. "Mainstream Rock Songs: Alter Bridge Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  2. "Listen To New ALTER BRIDGE Song 'Show Me A Leader'". July 25, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  3. "Alter Bridge Premiere New Song, 'My Champion'". September 8, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  4. "ALTER BRIDGE: The Last Hero Album Artwork Unveiled". July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  5. "The Last Hero by Alter Bridge". Metacritic. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  6. "The Last Hero - Alter Bridge - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  7. "Alter Bridge - The Last Hero album review". September 27, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  8. Lawson, Dom (October 6, 2016). "Alter Bridge: The Last Hero review – exhausting bombast from arena-metal tryhards". The Guardian. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  9. "Alter Bridge - 'The Last Hero' - Reviews - Rock Sound Magazine". Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  10. Lawson, Dom (October 3, 2017). "Alter Bridge review – a stunning, symphonic metal band reborn". The Guardian.
  11. "Australiancharts.com – Alter Bridge – The Last Hero". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  12. "Austriancharts.at – Alter Bridge – The Last Hero" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Alter Bridge – The Last Hero" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Alter Bridge – The Last Hero" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  15. "Alter Bridge Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Alter Bridge – The Last Hero" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  17. "Alter Bridge: The Last Hero" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  18. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes - SNEP (Week 41, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. June 10, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Alter Bridge – The Last Hero" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  20. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2016. 40. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  21. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 41, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  22. "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 41 (dal 2016-10-07 al 2016-10-13)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  23. "「ザ・ラスト・ヒーロー」 アルターブリッジ│オリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  24. "NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 17, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  25. 14, 2016/40/ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  26. "TOP 100 ALBUMES — SEMANA 41: del 07.10.2016 al 13.10.2016" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  27. "Swedishcharts.com – Alter Bridge – The Last Hero". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  28. "Swisscharts.com – Alter Bridge – The Last Hero". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  29. "Alter Bridge | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  30. "Alter Bridge Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  31. "Alter Bridge Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  32. "Alter Bridge Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
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