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Addicted to Pain

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"Addicted to Pain"
Single by Alter Bridge
from the album Fortress
ReleasedAugust 20, 2013 (2013-08-20)
Genre
Length4:16
LabelRoadrunner
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Michael "Elvis" Baskette
Alter Bridge singles chronology
"Ghost of Days Gone By"
(2011) 		"Addicted to Pain"
(2013) 		"Cry of Achilles"
(2014)

"Addicted to Pain" is a song by American hard rock band Alter Bridge. Written by lead vocalist Myles Kennedy and lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, it was featured on the band's 2013 fourth album Fortress. The song was also released as the lead single from the album on August 20, 2013, peaking at number 4 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and reaching the top 20 of several other Billboard charts.

Background and release

"Addicted to Pain" was one of the first songs written during sessions for Fortress, which vocalist Myles Kennedy claimed helped the band to progress with the writing of the rest of the album, as well as encouraging them to be "more experimental".[1] According to lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, Kennedy wrote the lyrics to the track in response to "somebody close to him ... venting about his problems".[2] The song was first made available for online streaming on August 7, 2013 on Alter Bridge's YouTube channel,[3] before it was officially released as the first single from Fortress on August 20.[4] Speaking in a track-by-track feature of the album, Tremonti explained that the band chose the song as the album's lead single due to the success of "Isolation", the first release from 2010's AB III, which he compared to the Fortress track as a "more aggressive song ... that's straight to the point".[1] The song was later featured as a playable track on the 2015 video game Guitar Hero Live.[5]

Music video

The music video for "Addicted to Pain", directed by Daniel Catullo, was released on September 5, 2013.[6] In North America, it was initially exclusive to the website Loudwire.[7] Writing for the website, Mary Oullette described the video as featuring the group performing "on a large stage decked out with three monstrous video screens towering behind [them]", interspersed with footage related to the lyrics of the song including "someone being set on fire in a crowd" and "an antique car [being] left on train tracks only to meet its impending doom".[7]

Reception

Commercial

"Addicted to Pain" peaked on several Billboard charts in the United States: number 4 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart,[8] number 8 on the Hard Rock Digital Songs chart,[9] number 12 on the Active Rock chart,[10] number 14 on the Heritage Rock chart,[11] and number 20 on the Rock Airplay chart.[12] Outside of the US, the single reached number 150 on the UK Singles Chart on August 24, 2013.[13] The single spent 30 weeks on the Mainstream Rock chart, more than any other release by the band.[8]

Critical

Media response to "Addicted to Pain" was generally positive. In a review of Fortress for Loudwire, Mary Oullette described the song as "a straight-forward screaming rocker with blazing guitar riffs and melody driven choruses", praising it as a "perfect radio-ready track".[14] Similarly, Chad Bowar for Loudwire noted that it "features first-class riffage and a blazing solo", describing it as "heavy, but still melodic and accessible enough that radio stations will be more than willing to play it".[15] Upon its release as a single, Rock Sound magazine called it "a hard rockin' banger",[16] while Irish news website Joe described it as a "proper head-banger of a tune".[17] Melodic magazine praised the track as the band's "fastest fist pumping anthem".[18]

Chart positions

Chart (2013) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 150
US Active Rock (Billboard)[10] 12
US Hard Rock Digital Songs (Billboard)[9] 8
US Heritage Rock (Billboard)[11] 14
US Mainstream Rock Songs (Billboard)[8] 4
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[12] 20

References

  1. ^ a b "Alter Bridge: New 'Fortress'Track-By-Track Breakdown Posted Online". Blabbermouth.net. September 25, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  2. ^ Bosso, Joe (September 4, 2013). "Mark Tremonti talks Alter Bridge's Fortress track-by-track". MusicRadar. Future plc. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  3. ^ "Alter Bridge: New Single 'Addicted To Pain' Available For Streaming". Blabbermouth.net. August 7, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  4. ^ "Addicted To Pain". Alter Bridge Official Website. Caroline Records. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  5. ^ Futter, Mike (February 12, 2016). "Here Are All Of The Currently Available Guitar Hero Live Tracks". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on 2015-11-21. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  6. ^ "Alter Bridge: 'Addicted To Pain' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. September 5, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Oullette, Mary (September 5, 2013). "Alter Bridge, 'Addicted to Pain' - Exclusive Video Premiere". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c "Mainstream Rock Songs: Alter Bridge - Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Hard Rock Digital Songs: Sep 07, 2013". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Active Rock: Nov 23, 2013". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Heritage Rock: Nov 23, 2013". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Rock Airplay: Alter Bridge - Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  13. ^ a b "CLUK Update 24.08.2013 (wk33)". Chart Log UK. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  14. ^ Oullette, Mary (October 8, 2013). "Alter Bridge, 'Fortress' - Album Review". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  15. ^ Bowar, Chad (August 7, 2013). "Alter Bridge Unleash Single 'Addicted to Pain'". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  16. ^ "Alter Bridge Release New Single 'Addicted To Pain'". Rock Sound. Freeway Press Inc. August 8, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  17. ^ "Exclusive: Check out Alter Bridge's new music video for 'Addicted To Pain' ONLY on JOE". Joe. MaximumMedia. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  18. ^ "Alter Bridge - Fortress". Melodic. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
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