Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
411Mania	8.0/10
Allmusic
Artistdirect
Hard Rock Hideout
Kerrang!
Reflections of Darkness	9/10
Rock Sound	7/10
Total Guitar	[#207, p.27]
Type 3 Media

AB III is the third studio album by the 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 because it is a loose concept album dealing with darker lyrical themes of struggling with faith, and musically due to its more dynamic and progressive sound.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 of the last album Blackbird.

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.

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