In the second song shared from forthcoming studio album Pawns & Kings, Mark Tremonti decommissions the guitar solos to go all in with Myles Kennedy on the riffs
(Image credit: Jessica Sigmon Wallace/WireImage via Getty)
Last month, Alter Bridge announced Pawns & Kings – the band’s seventh full-length studio record, due this October, which was previewed with the effort’s hard-hitting title track.
Now, the acclaimed rock outfit, which is spearheaded by electric guitar heavyweights Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy, have dropped the album’s second single, Silver Tongue.
The third song on the Pawns & Kings tracklist, Silver Tongue follows its predecessor's penchant for explosive guitar action, underpinned by scorching lower-fret action, sizzling six-string jabs and oversized, drop-tuned tones.
It’s been teased as one of Alter Bridge’s “heftier songs” of recent times, and it's an observation that rings true: there are no flashy solos here, just four minutes of bruising, destructive dual-guitar riff action.
Accompanying the track is the Silver Tongue music video, an animated film directed by Ollie Jones that “follows two characters who fall under the spell of a painting that comes to life”. Supposedly, this painting forces our protagonists into a “dark world” where a classic battle of good versus evils rages on.
Silver Tongue is yet more evidence that Pawns & Kings will make good on Tremonti’s promise that the album will feature some particularly “heavy riffs” – a tease Tremonti issued to My Planet Rocks prior to the album’s announcement.
Tremonti also hinted that Pawns & Kings will see him and Kennedy swap their usual roles more regularly: Kennedy took on more lead action, while Tremonti handled more vocal work.
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“At this point, Myles loves playing guitar solos, and I love singing,” Tremonti said. “So we like to do each other's roles, because I think he doesn't feel the pressure as a guitar player because he's known as a singer; I don't feel the pressure as a singer because I'm known as a guitar player. So we liked filling the other person's role. It's fun.”
(Image credit: Napalm Records)
Pawns & Kings will arrive October 14 via Napalm Records, and will be promoted via an extensive headline tour. So far, the band have announced dates for a European tour, which starts on November 1 in Germany and concludes December 12 in the UK.
For the European tour, Alter Bridge will receive support from Halestorm and Mammoth WVH.
To find out more, and to preorder Pawns & Kings, head over to Alter Bridge.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
