The group--which comprises former Creed members Mark Tremonti (guitar), Scott Phillips (drums) and Brian Marshall (bass), along with ex-Mayfield Four frontman Myles Kennedy--will drop its new album, "Blackbird," Oct. 9. Produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette (Incubus, Three Days Grace), the forthcoming set follows 2004's Gold-certified "One Day Remains."

One main difference between the forthcoming set and Alter Bridge's first effort is the full integration of Kennedy as a guitarist and songwriter; "One Day Remains" was largely written before the singer came on board, according to the group's bio.

"We wanted to use every weapon we had in our arsenal for this album," Tremonti said in a statement.

Already, the record's lead single, "Rise Today," has been chosen by CBS-TV to promote the new season of "CSI: Miami," according to a blog entry at Alter Bridge's MySpace page, which is streaming the tune.

It's been a tumultuous couple of years for the band, which has kept a low profile on the US touring scene since 2005. Despite the success of its debut, Alter Bridge began butting heads with its label, Wind-Up Records, and ended up using personal funds to buy its way out of the contract, according to its bio. After writing new material and searching for another label, the members got tired of waiting and again dipped into personal funds to record "Blackbird" earlier this year. In June, they finally signed a deal with Universal Republic.