By Jason D. Greenough
Break out the sweaters, ghost stories, and your best pair of speakers, because this fall is going to be ushered in by some of the most highly anticipated albums of 2016!
While the summertime was graced with a one-two pop-punk assault, seeing the returns of two of the genre’s most adored giants, with Good Charlotte’s Youth Authority and Blink-182’s California, and a triumphant attempt at Rock redemption for the Red Hot Chili Peppers with The Getaway, October will welcome a more diverse herd of music, allowing fans of almost every mainstream genre to submerge themselves into rock n’ roll bliss.
While releases from hair-metal mainstays Bon Jovi and Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider make their way to shelves later in the month, and a truckload of historic re-issues from rock titans like David Lee Roth, Phil Collins, and Carlos Santana land in stores, there are two albums I am especially excited to see released. The first of which is Alter Bridge’s The Last Hero, the fifth addition to their 12-year catalog, dropping on October 7th.
Why am I excited for this album? Two reasons. The first being that I was not a huge fan of Fortress, the band’s previous album. Personally, I feel Fortress lacked that signature Alter Bridge determination and drive, accompanied by the recycled Alter Bridge sound. It was too cookie-cutter for me, if you will. The second reason is because it is politically fueled, and in a time where we might need more awareness brought to the forefront by alternative means like music, poetry and other art forms, this is a perfect them to write a record around. The first single off the album “Show Me a Leader” is, while not directly pointing fingers at specific government officials, showcasing the band’s frustrations with the circus on Capitol Hill. The singles off the record, which also includes the anthemic “My Champion”, shows growth in Alter Bridge’s musical arsenal, while also incorporating what worked best on their previous four efforts. I would suggest Alter Bridge to anyone who asked, but I can’t stress this enough…if you are a fan of prog-rock, and you somehow haven’t heard of Alter Bridge, or have heard them and wasn’t a fan, I urge you to take a gander at this album is on shelves.
Also dropping on October 7th was the record I have been waiting for since my senior year of high school, and definitely the album I was anticipating the most this fall. Green Day’s Revolution Radio is, by many regards, a comeback for the East Bay kings of pop-punk. It was no hidden reaction that the Uno!, Dos!, Tre! Trilogy was a letdown in many ways after its release in 2012, with the goofy lyrics, bubble-gum riffs, and all-around feeling of the production being rushed watering down its overly-anticipated release. But the announcement of Revolution Radio came as a refreshing drink of ice-cold pop-punk Gatorade by serving up the record’s first single, “Bang, Bang!”, which I can only describe as the product of Dookie and American Idiot making a baby, with its Gilman Street-rooted inner-rage and political outrage busting through the seams from the very beginning. The second single, the title track, is a bit more reminiscent of the 21st Century Breakdown sound, but still packs a punch when it comes to being enraged at the current state of political vanity. To say I was excited for this album is a gross understatement, and picking it up the day it came out was like Christmas for me.
October is sure to bring back many lifelong fans for many different bands, but these releases will surely also bring a new wave of fans, continuing the legacy of each group for even longer than some of us expected. And get this…November is already shaping up to be just as good for music lovers!
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