Eighth album, self-titled cover, and a press won over from January: 85/100 across seven reviews. Blabbermouth (9/10) sums it up — Alter Bridge « create a moment and a feeling » where others stack riffs — and Kerrang! (4/5) anoints « one of this century’s most unflappably awe-inspiring rock acts », with a Myles Kennedy who is « one of the few vocalists in rock who can elevate a song by himself » and a Tremonti channelling Cantrell and Rhoads.
The consensus: twenty-two years of craft, « no weak entries » per Kerrang!, and a heavier turn fully owned. « Silent Divide », « Rue The Day » and « Scales Are Falling » draw unanimous praise, with « Hang By A Thread » as the semi-acoustic breather. Only real press reservation: Metal Hammer, cooler at 7/10.
The catch lies elsewhere: the public checks out at 65/100 on 770 ratings — twenty points under the critics, one of the year’s widest gaps. Too smooth, too long, too Alter Bridge? The public verdict costs the final score half a point. The journalists adore it; the base has started counting the repeats.