With every Alter Bridge album, there’s always a fan favourite that emerges, and Scales Are Falling looks to be the one from their self-titled 8th studio album.
Released in January 2026, Scales Are Falling isn’t built for immediacy; the intro’s progressive, haunting nature sets the tone for one of their most progressive tracks, and showcases how the band is still trying to push their own boundaries after 20 years in the game.
The Truth Behind Scales Are Falling
Speaking directly about the track, vocalist Myles Kennedy says:
It’s when you realize the reality of a situation where you’ve been deceived. You see the truth and how harsh it is.
Mark Tremonti: I was excited for this one. It has an atmospheric vibe with a lot of peaks, valleys, and moods. I solo over the bridge, and Myles plays the outro.
The lyrics draw on the biblical imagery of scales falling from one’s eyes; the repeated address to “father” remains deliberately ambiguous, reading as a religious-like authority, parental figure, or symbolic stand-in for systems once trusted without question.
The female figure within the song is a fascinating addition, as she recognises the cost of her actions and chooses sacrifice anyway, driven by love rather than obedience. That choice becomes the catalyst for the song’s awakening, and what once felt sacred now appears to be compromised, and the damage feels inherited.
Musically, Scales Are Falling mirrors that unease. Guitarist Mark Tremonti described that track in an interview with Primordial Radio:
Primordial Radio: Scales Are Falling has a real sort of haunting feel. Would you say that this is actually the most experimental album that Alter Bridge has done?
Mark Tremonti: Yeah, I think we try to experiment all the while since we started, but as I said, we don’t want to keep doing the same old thing, so maybe it gets a little more outside the box as we go.
But that intro you’re talking about, it’s funny. When we tracked it for the demo, we were just using a digital modeller amp, and when it came down to doing the record, I just asked Elvis (Michael Baskette) I’m like, we should just keep it? It sounds great, let’s not fix what ain’t broke. So that guitar intro is just something I did at my house that just was right.
That restraint was a stroke of genius, as nothing here is overworked, and the discomfort is allowed to find its moment to breathe.
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Alter Bridge Scales Are Falling Lyrics In Full
Verse 1
This is a tale so dark and dim
Of wicked hearts, the minds of men
Who spin their lies and hurt their kin
Chorus
Scales are falling, father
From my eyes like water
Is there no way to stop her?
Verse 2
She knows it comes with scorn and pain
A sacrifice she has to make
Her love won’t let her stay away
Chorus
Scales are falling, father
From my eyes like water
Is there no way to stop her?
Scales are falling harder
Bridge
All of these yеars, so unclear, with no sign at all
That what we held dеar, once revered, now is torn
God, what comes next?
I confess I am scared as hell
Blind with regret, what is left?
Nothing more
Verse 3
Times were simple and we had it all
But that was shattered, now the joy is gone
Gone to waste and lost forever
Bridge
Now she fears that this could be the end
For every moment she has left to give
I hope that you will remember
In the end, he made it way too hard
In the end, he went and broke her heart
What she had is lost forever
Pre-Chorus
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Chorus
Scales are falling, father
From my eyes like water
Is there no way to stop her?
These scales are falling harder
Outro
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
What Scales Are Falling Really Means
Truth appears unwelcome in Scales Are Falling; biblical echoes surface, not as comfort, but as markers of deceit and what was trusted reshapes everything when the illusion finally breaks.
The song acts as a mechanism to document that defining moment, and likely why it’s quickly found its way to being a fan favourite, as once again, Alter Bridge don’t hide from the truth; they embrace it regardless of the consequences. No doubt this will also soon be a staple of their set list.
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