Alter Bridge - Musical Style

Musical Style

Alter Bridge's music is often characterized and described as "heavy, yet melodic." Their music has been listed under several genres including rock, hard rock, alternative metal, post-grunge, heavy metal, and progressive metal.

Alter Bridge's music is co-written by Kennedy and Tremonti and arranged by Alter Bridge and the band's lyrics are written primarily by Kennedy, although Tremonti wrote most of the lyrics and all of the music on One Day Remains. The lyrics on the first two Alter Bridge albums mainly touch on hope and overcoming regret, sadness, grief, loneliness, pain, and addiction. The subject matter on their third release, AB III, is noticeably darker, with lyrical themes mostly based on struggling with faith and a loss of innocence.

Often recognized for their live performances, the band generally does not perform in larger venues such as arenas and amphitheaters. Instead, Alter Bridge regularly plays smaller venues such as House of Blues, as was their intention from the start. Myles Kennedy said in an interview with Artistdirect, "We're definitely a live band. That's what it's all about for us. We make records so we can go out and play for people." The band has been joined on stage by several surprise guests, including Slash, Paul Reed Smith, Wolfgang Van Halen, and Eric Friedman, and several notable musicians, such as Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones, have been reported to have attended an Alter Bridge concert. Alter Bridge's live performances are generally praised.