Album Review: Alter Bridge - 'One Day Remains (20th Anniversary Reissue)'
The trends of the rock world change year by year, almost month by month, and sounds can come into play or go out of style in a near meteoric timeframe. For American rockers Alter Bridge, they have managed to navigate every twist and turn in their industry and have made it to a memorable milestone: celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut record.
Upon its original release, One Day Remains became an instant classic in its genre; reaching a number-two position on Billboard’s Top 200 and charting with singles such as ‘Find the Real’ and ‘Open Your Eyes’. The band have even found streaming success with non-single tracks from One Day Remains, most notably the anthemic ‘Metalingus’, which has been used by WWE Hall of Famer Adam Copeland (fka Edge) since the record’s original release. The track’s use in the sport entertainment circuit only brought more positive attention and album sales for the Florida-based outfit, and since then, they have been moving strength to strength with every following album release.
For this special 20th anniversary reissue, Alter Bridge have added six new tracks to the already fantastic track listing. This includes B-Side track ‘Save Me’, followed by live studio versions of ‘Burn it Down’, ‘Open Your Eyes’, ‘Broken Wings’, title track ‘One Day Remains’ and the aforementioned ‘Metalingus’. ‘Save Me’ is a pleasant addition to celebrate this 20-year-long span, as a favourite track for fans and non-fans alike due to its appearance on the official soundtrack for the 2005 Marvel movie Elektra. The movie’s own critical reception may not have been as positive or full of praise and cheers, but Alter Bridge still managed to be a silver lining in a grey cloud of media and this is still a track that deserves to be remastered, re-released and re-loved.
Similarly can be said about the 2005 Phase One Studios live recordings. Some fans may be put off when their favourite musicians re-release a record and only include live versions of already established singles and non-singles; however, this should be treated as an aural treat for Alter Bridge’s biggest and best fans. The mixing and mastering is mean, clean, and so serene. Astounding guitar work courtesy of rock royalty Mark Tremonti, alongside the inspiring vocals of the one and only Myles Kennedy, makes these live recordings worth their metaphorical weight in gold. It’s a piece of the band’s history and should be treasured, listened, heard, and accepted.
If this is what 20 years of Alter Bridge has given us, then the next 20 will be a hell of a journey. Sit tight, strap in, and enjoy the rest of the ride.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
