Pawns & Kings
Alter Bridge · 2022
53 min · 10 tracks · hard rock
A powerful blend of soaring melodies and heavy riffs, underscored by introspective lyrics and dynamic instrumentation.
Top tracks — play these first
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This Is War Start here — The opening track sets a powerful tone with anthemic choruses and urgent lyrics that address conflict and resilience, showcasing the band's signature sound.
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Silver Tongue — This track blends catchy hooks with darker themes, illustrating the balance Alter Bridge strikes between accessibility and depth in their songwriting.
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Pawns & Kings — The title track encapsulates the album's overarching themes of struggle and perseverance, featuring intricate guitar work and a compelling narrative arc.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album combines heavy riffs with introspective lyrics, showcasing solid craftsmanship and thematic depth.
What we noticed
- The first three tracks feature aggressive guitar riffs and rapid tempos, while the fourth track introduces a slower, more melodic approach.
- Several songs incorporate dynamic shifts in intensity, with verses that build tension leading into explosive choruses.
- The album features a recurring theme of introspection, with lyrics that explore personal struggles and resilience across multiple tracks.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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7/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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6/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- steady pacing with gradual build
- introspective moments of resilience
- powerful anthems for reflection
- dynamic exploration of struggle
Maybe skip if you
- prefer short, standalone tracks
- seek instant gratification
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Late Career Highlight — Shows continued vitality and depth in themes as a later release.
- Career context
- Pawns & Kings is Alter Bridge's seventh studio album, following their 2019 release, Walk the Sky. By 2022, the band had solidified their status in the hard rock scene, exploring deeper themes and expanding their sound while maintaining a dedicated fanbase. This album further demonstrates their evolution as both musicians and storytellers.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Creed· Breaking Benjamin· Three Days Grace
Tracklist
- 1 This Is War Start here 4:03
- 2 Dead Among the Living 4:52
- 3 Silver Tongue 4:18
- 4 Sin After Sin 6:42
- 5 Stay 4:37
- 6 Holiday 3:58
- 7 Fable of the Silent Son 8:22
- 8 Season of Promise 4:51
- 9 Last Man Standing 5:33
- 10 Pawns & Kings 6:18
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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