AB III is the third studio album by American rock band Alter Bridge, released on October 8, 2010. Produced by Michael Baskette, the album is a departure from the band's first two albums; lyrically, it is a loose concept album dealing with darker lyrical themes of struggling with faith, while musically, the album's sound is more dynamic and progressive than previous recordings. AB III is also the first Alter Bridge album to be released on Roadrunner Records, making it the band's third consecutive album to be released on a different label. The album was released on Roadrunner Records worldwide except North America, where it was self-released on Alter Bridge Recordings via Capitol Records.
The first single off the album, "Isolation", is the band's most successful single to date and was released on September 26, 2010, in the United Kingdom and November 9, 2010 in the United States. AB III received acclaim from music critics; for example, Artistdirect called it a "masterpiece". The album was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry, the same certification as Alter Bridge's 2007 album Blackbird.
Background
AB III was written throughout 2008 and 2009, but the songs were arranged generally quickly. Regarding the arrangement and recording process of the album, lead singer Myles Kennedy said that the creation of AB III was different from that of the band's previous album, Blackbird, because the band had about six weeks to put the music together before they started to work with their producer, Michael Baskette. Kennedy said, "I think it actually worked out well, because it's a very spontaneous record."
On June 21, 2010, the band announced that the recording, mixing, and mastering of the album was finished and all that was left was to decide on was the official title, song titles, track listing, and album art. On August 9, 2010, the band announced that the working title of the album, AB III, would actually be the official title after all, stating they think it is "simple yet effective". On the same blog post, they announced each song on the record one by one throughout the day. Later that month it was confirmed that AB III would be released worldwide (excluding North America) on Roadrunner Records, making AB III Alter Bridge's third consecutive album to be released through a different record label. The same press release confirmed a European release date of October 11, 2010 for the new album. On October 6, the band announced that the album is scheduled for a North American release on November 9, 2010 on their own label, Alter Bridge Recordings, a subsidiary of Capitol Records. AB III was first released in Australia three years to the day after their previous album on October 8, 2010.
"Zero" and "Home" were included on the United States version of the album as bonus tracks. The Japanese version contains a bonus track called "Never Born to Follow". Guitarist Mark Tremonti said that AB III could be the band's final studio album and that future Alter Bridge releases may be released digitally or in the form of EPs.
On October 25, 2011, the band released a special edition of the album titled AB III.5, which included the three bonus tracks plus an hour-long documentary titled One by One.
Composition and lyrical content
AB III, initially described by the band as being very dark, heavy, and dynamic, is lyrically a very dark record and a radical departure from the band's first two albums, One Day Remains (2004) and Blackbird (2007), in terms of subject matter. It is a loose concept album, a first for Alter Bridge, about a character "desperately struggling to find their place in a world steeped in doubt and emptiness", whereas the other two Alter Bridge records primarily focus on themes of "hope and perseverance in the face of adversity". Kennedy has said that the album "touches on the thoughts and emotions of someone who has come to question everything that was once regarded as an absolute truth" and that it is about "the realization that everything you once believed in might not exist". However, on AB III, there are songs that touch on other emotions as well such as "Wonderful Life", a song that Kennedy claims was "an extremely emotional song to put together, it took a long time". He then adds, "The lyric was inspired by the idea that there will come a day when we all must say goodbye to the ones we love and hold dear in our hearts. Basically, I asked myself what would I want to say in that final moment, that last goodbye?".
The record is also much more intricate, progressive, and dynamic than their first two albums. It has even been described as progressive metal in some reviews.