The Official Alter Bridge Thread v. PAWNS & KINGS

[mikeyd23]

I definitely do not like this album as much as TLH. Yes it has some superb songwriting and the production is better... .... These are epic compositions that nothing from WtS could match IMO.

I feel the opposite regarding your first sentence. I think it is by far superior. But I fully agree with the middle part I quoted and your last sentence.

Walk the Sky is meant to not be as drawn out. It's a big focus on melody. And melodically, it is far superior to anything they've ever done. I'm blown away at how they've been able to be pivot a little bit, direction-wise, and still maintain everything that makes them unique as Alter Bridge. They reduced the number of traditional solos, and shortened them, but then they crop up near the end of songs, or during sections you wouldn't expect, sitting underneath, but not disturbing the huge melodies. Every listen to this record has opened my eyes more to just how incredible the record is. I won't lie -- it took a minute. First listen I was a little taken aback. Second listen a couple of things got my attention. Third listen, boom, I was admitting that some of the tunes are absolute classics. Now, after many spins (I think I'm approaching 10), I went so far to say last night to my wife that this is probably by second favorite AB record in terms of front to back. It flows that well, and has this organic feel that I haven't heard from them since the Blackbird album.

That said, obviously, other records, like AB III, have songs I love more (if we're cherry picking). But honestly, not by much. I mean yeah, Blackbird and Words Darker Than Their Wings sit higher than Dying Light to me. But the sheer amount of songs I LOVE on Walk the Sky dwarfs the amount on any other AB record except possibly Blackbird. Walk the Sky just continues to grow on me with each subsequent listen. Native Son took a few spins, and then it jumped at me, for example. Another good example is Indoctrination. I wasn't huge at all on that tune. And just now I am listening to it, and it has really connected with me, and I'm wondering what I didn't hear earlier. The growl, the chorus, the little but impactful solo at the end... it's great!

The record is a grower, with a huge reward if you let it sink in. Other than the addition of the synths for atmosphere, the biggest thing I have noticed is just how powerful the choruses are. My big thing with AB were their killer bridges. They always wrote good choruses,  but man, the bridges were just other-worldly. And they still are. But the choruses are crazy good on Walk the Sky. Probably the best they've ever done on a record.

I know everything is subjective, and you have a right to feel how you feel. But it took me a bit for it really to sink in. And at least to me, it sounds immense on headphones.

Good post, I agree with much of that. Primarily, this album has grown on me with each listen. Also, with how concise some of the songs are, at first, I wasn't super into it. I'm a fan of adventurous AB songs like BB, CoA, Fortress, TLH, etc... this album doesn't really have those types of songs. Everything is tight and to the point.

The hooks are just really solid and Myles' work in particular on this record has really stood out to me the more the songs have sunk in. Tons of great melodies and vocal delivery. Lyrically, this album is really strong too. Not sure how much Mark contributed to lyrics this time, but whatever blend of Myles and Mark took care of lyrics here - my hat is off to them, good stuff.

I'm still feeling like the production is holding back my full enjoyment of the album, if I'm being completely honest. This is especially noticeable in my car - the low mids are real muddy and clog up the whole mix, making parts hard to latch onto. It's not horrible, it's just not great either. I know I've said this before, but if you listen to a song like Wouldn't You Rather and then jump to a heavy track off Periphery's new album it's like night and day. Imagine Nolly engineering and mixing an AB album - it would take the band to new heights, IMO. Everything would sound more balanced, natural and clear, while still being heavy and in your face in all the right ways.

[Samsara]

I read/heard in interviews that Mark wrote the lyrics to Godspeed. And it was one of a couple. They mentioned another. I forget which one. I'm with you in that I like the songs to take me somewhere (ala Blackbird, Fortress). But I'm also fond of the shorter style if it is meaningful (and most AB songs are). Take "Show Me a Sign" for example. Epic, story-like. I feel like they captured and represented that well on Walk the Sky. I think they expertly made many of the songs on this record really have a bit of that "story" feeling, without the length. Not all of them, but the title track, Dying Light, Clear Horizon, and Native Son come to mind. Would they be "better" if extended? I'm unsure. I think a sweeping trade-off, harmonized, or single solo around the 30-second mark added to most would have increased the emotion of the tune. But did they really NEED something more? I'm not sure they did. I just don't know. I'd have to hear it and compare to be sure, obviously. But they way they did it feels...complete to me.

Now, that said, do I want a couple of seven-minute tunes on the next AB record - yes. But the flow they achieved with this record...I just don't think, after listening to it a ton now, it is really necessary to lengthen the songs in any manner. The solos appear, just in different spots and are shorter. And the arrangements are still a little quirky, so it's not like all the songs are your standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus-chorus format for radio, you know? It's deeper. As AB should be.

You have seen enough of my rambling by now to know I fully agree on the mixing. I hear what you hear, and would like a change from Elvis. I don't even think you need to change producers or engineers. Just send the recordings to someone else to mix. Just for a fresh take. But if the band loves it, then it is their record, not ours. And I do love Walk the Sky, and so I'm fine with it the way it is. It's not like its washed out like TLH. LOL. I'll just cross my fingers again that the next album they do break away at least for the mix.

[Samsara]

After living with this record for more than a week, and literally trying (and failing) to not listen to it daily, I'm pretty confident in saying this is my second favorite Alter Bridge, top-to-bottom, next to Blackbird. It's just that good. Consistently good. And that's a big key to me. I love the huge focus on melody and "the song" as opposed to drawing things out. It just shows so much growth in the band as songwriters to be able to do that and not lose a thing in terms of quality. The riffs are in some ways the heaviest they've ever done, juxtaposed with the biggest melodies they've ever done. And like I said, the solos are damn good, but pop up at the end, or in spots you wouldn't expect. Just an all around masterpiece of an album.

Another key is that I am having trouble coming up with a "top 3" from Walk the Sky, just like I have a hard time doing it on Blackbird. Both are chock full of tunes I'm absolutely crazy over. Whereas the other records, I can pull out three or four standouts from the rest.

I'd probably rank the records like this now:

1. Blackbird
2. Walk the Sky
3. AB III
4. Fortress
5. The Last Hero
6. One Day Remains

And don't get me wrong, last place on this list is still pretty damn high. None of them are "bad" records whatsoever. But one of them has to go last. 

For those that are big into the band, have you read the lyrics to "Walking on the Sky?" Has anyone seen Mark or Myles talk about the lyrics? The song references tightrope walkers (on the line, tremble on the wire), but I also think it's absolutely metaphorical, just inspired by those folks. 

[fadetoblackdude7]

I’m pretty confident with my ranking, and like Samsara said, there is no bad record:

1. Fortress
2. Blackbird
3. The Last Hero
4. Walk The Sky
5. AB III
6. One Day Remains

[devieira73]

I also heard WTS a lot (everyday) last week. I think it's very very good and kind of a more "commercial " album for them, but it really works. Godspeed is such an incredible song and THAT solo...
The only songs that I don't care are One Life and Indoctrination. And, since my favorite albums of them are The Last Hero and Fortress (I really can't decide which), I was a bit underhelmed with the lesser solos and instrumental parts. But congratulations to AB for trying something different that worked.
But... I must say the mixing/overall sound of the album is easily their worst. Wow, I thought that it couldn't be worst than TLH, but it is! And I've heard all their albums (minus the first) this week. They should bring back Brian Speber/Ted Jensen for mix/mastering. To me AB III is still their best sounding album (with Blackbird in a close second).
Maybe my album ranking could be like this:
1. TLH/Fortress
2. WTS
3. Blackbird
4. AB III
All above are at least very good albums. I can't really apreciate the first one. It's not bad, but I just can't connect with it musically.

[LudwigVan]

The production on Walk the Sky is rather dry, but I do prefer the sound over Last Hero. Undecided on the music itself though. But it took me a LOOONG time to finally appreciate Last Hero, which, after all is said and done, probably has the most epic guitar solos.

[Nel]

Finally got around to hearing it. I like it more than the Last Hero but it's going to take a few listens to see if anything actually sticks with me.

[Samsara]

I finally think I've narrowed down a solid top-5 for me, which I can definitively set apart from the rest.

1. Walk the Sky
2. Dying Light
3. Native Son
4. In the Deep
5. Wouldn't You Rather

To me, all five of those are what I would pull for a "best of" compilation. They are all "As" for me. The rest of the record goes from Bs to a low point of C+. I really think the record is the absolutely most consistent in terms of quality since Blackbird.

I agree with LV that The Last Hero probably does have the most epic guitar solos in their catalog, with the possible exception of "Blackbird" (the song).

[Stadler]

"Walk The Sky" is a pretty darn good record.  I've actually been going to it a fair amount in the last week or so (I bought "Fortress" in the same purchase, listened to it once to make sure it didn't skip, and haven't gone back to it once).

Dying Light is by far my favorite song on that record (Clear Horizon is up there too), but while the sound is what I'd call "typical Alter Bridge" (very dry, very mid-range) it seems that the sound gets especially clip-y on Dying Light.  I don't know if that is an artistic choice or not, and I'm certainly not that guy that says "they got to get rid of so-and-so", but there's a small part of me that would love to hear what the four of them could do in a room with someone like Dave Cobb.

[Anguyen92]

Wooo, more US dates for 2020, especially in the western regions of the country.  Clint Lowery of Sevendust will be main support as a solo act.  A band called Deepfall will be the opener.  Never heard of them.



I would love nothing more to go to all of the shows from Denver onwards, but I got to be realistic with finances, so I'll just settle for the last four shows at the leg.  So I'm traveling from SoCal to San Fran back to LA to Seattle to Spokane (and then make a pit spot for a day in Coeur D'Alene because of the AB song and that it looks like a nice city).  This time I will actually do some sightseeing rather than go to the city only to see AB and do nothing else.

[Samsara]

Looks like I'll be able to get two in. The schedule on my side of the country lacks Saturday gigs, which is problematic for traveling that time of year. I was hoping for a three-to-four show swing, but two looks to be it. Still, going to be awesome! Nice to see Clint Lowery get the direct support slot. I'm a big fan of his Call Me No One band. I hope he does a few tracks from the Last Parade CD from that band in his set.

[Anguyen92]

All right. Cool.  Got the tickets for three shows (LA, San Francisco, and Spokane).  LA GA Pit was expensive at $71.00 ($48.00 for the non-pit section), but it's AB and I did feel a little sheepish paying $53.00 to get a rail spot and fastlane in Raleigh when others paid $175.00 for VIP early access and didn't get the railspot since we were placed in the same line and I was in front of some people.  The other two shows were more than reasonable at around $40.00 for GA and its first come first serve after the VIP meet and greet people get in.

I couldn't get tickets for the Seattle show since apparently, you need to reside to reside in the Northwestern states (Seattle, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska) to place an online order and need to call in at the general sale day to place an order if you reside elsewhere. So stupid. I'm willing to pay the money, Seattle. Just take it. I'll guess I'll call in on Friday.

[Samsara]

I got one of the two I am going to, but the other one -- the presale isn't working. Not the password, but TM has goofed. It lists it as active, but doesn't permit anyone to actually buy. Gonna keep trying.

[LudwigVan]

Musically, Walk the Sky beats The Last Hero and Fortress.  Not sure if it surpasses ABIII or Blackbird for me though.

I must say that I prefer AB doing songs that are more personal/introspective in nature, as opposed to the 'We must save the good earth from ourselves' type of themes. 

[Samsara]

Musically, Walk the Sky beats The Last Hero and Fortress.  Not sure if it surpasses ABIII or Blackbird for me though.

I must say that I prefer AB doing songs that are more personal/introspective in nature, as opposed to the 'We must save the good earth from ourselves' type of themes.

G - its funny you feel that way about Walk the Sky from a musical perspective. Because I think the idea was for it to be not as over-the-top musical, but add an element and make it a little more straightforward. 

Outside of the original lineup of Queensryche, Alter Bridge has become my favorite band. I ended up picking up a set of tickets for a second show on the upcoming U.S. run. Really looking forward to the back-to-back gigs.

[Samsara]

Looking forward to the two shows in  (mostly) NorCal this weekend. Looks like the band has been switching songs in and out of setlists with each show. Hoping to get a few of my favorite ones from the new record (Dying Light, Native Son) and one from their first EP (Burn it Down). 

[Samsara]

Such a great time at the Lake Tahoe and San Francisco gigs. Slightly altered set lists, lots of new material (including the killer "Native Son" last night!), and a reminder of what it's like to have a killer tenor singer at the top of his game, with twin-guitar attack that straddles that line between mainstream hard rock, metal, and a touch of progginess. Damn good stuff. Bought way too many shirts, ate too much bad-for-me food, and made some great memories with the family. 

[Samsara]

Alter Bridge has announced version 2.0 of its Walk the Sky album. The new edition is an EP with one new song, "Last Rites" and six live songs from Walk the Sky as recorded on tour earlier this year.

WTS 2.0 Tracks:
1. Last Rites
2. Wouldn't You Rather (Live)
3. Pay No Mind (Live)
4. Native Son (Live)
5. Godspeed (Live)
6. In The Deep (Live)
7. Dying Light (Live)

A whole bunch of packages and items can be pre-ordered here:

https://alterbridge.com/collections/walk-the-sky-2-0-pre-sale

and

https://napalmrecords.com/english/alterbridge

>>>>SO glad they are doing this. I was very fortunate to see two shows on the tour. They completed the leg, and then like every band, had to cancel everything else for 2020, which sucked. But I'm glad they are putting together a small package like this to give people who didn't get a chance to go, some sort of keepsake from the tour.

I didn't purchase one (since I went to the tour twice and didn't feel right grabbing this since many people didn't and probably want to get it), but Napalm Records has an exclusive, limited to 300 copies earbook that has 48 pages of pictures from the tour, plus the EP and the original album:

https://napalmrecords.com/english/alter-bridge-walk-the-syk-2-0-earbook.html

On top of that, they just released a video for my second favorite song on Walk the Sky, "Native Son." (Dying Light is my favorite.) Check that out here:

https://youtu.be/A514cEfnbcA

Gotta support the bands you love. I picked up the splatter vinyl, a hoodie and three of the CD EPs for my fam.

 

[wolfking]

I didn't really dig the album or gave it much of a chance but I hope they rerelease the studio album at some point with this as a bonus disc.  I'd probably pick it up and try and get into it more.

[emtee]

My God, man, Myles can sing!

Killer band. I still opt for the first two but everything they've done is rock and roll at It's best.

[Samsara]

I didn't really dig the album or gave it much of a chance but I hope they rerelease the studio album at some point with this as a bonus disc.  I'd probably pick it up and try and get into it more.

They did. That link to the earbook is exactly that. Both the new EP and the original album.

My God, man, Myles can sing!

Killer band. I still opt for the first two but everything they've done is rock and roll at It's best.

Blackbird (second record) is still tops for me, but nothing they've ever released have I walked away from and thought it was bad. People complain about the hot mastering of The Last Hero, and while it is certainly there, the songs are incredible, so I can overlook it.

I never thought I'd ever love a band like I did the original lineup of Queensryche. Well, Alter Bridge is certainly right on their tail, as is Fates Warning. The guitar tandem of Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti is incredible, and they play off equally as well on vocals. And Alter Bridge (and Creed's) rhythm section of Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums) is ridiculously underrated. Flip has really progressed a TON on drums over the years, and B-Marsh is severely overlooked. So identifiable, to my untrained ear, as a bassist. Never gets enough credit.

[wolfking]

Ah okay.  Only 300 units though.  Was hoping it would be a local release.

[emtee]

Scott has grown tremendously as a drummer.

[kaos2900]

Best rock band of the last 20 years in my opinion. Really just want the new track but ordered anyway to support them.

Also, very excited that Myles is working on a new solo record!

[fadetoblackdude7]

Did Scott use a triggered snare on WtS?

[lordxizor]

I've been listening to One Day Remains a lot lately. I feel like Myles just soars with his vocals on that record more than he ever did again. Such an uplifting album. I've been remembering the massive man crush I had on Myles back then. I saw them live a few times in small clubs, which was a lot of fun. It was also a formative time of my life and most of my all time favorite albums were released with a two year period around then.

[ReaperKK]

I'll never forget when I first heard one day remains, the album just kicked my ass. Still my favorite AB album.

[ReaperKK]

I just checked Discogs and it doesn't look like they ever release ODR on Vinyl

[PixelDream]

I'm not that much of a purist, but I thought The Last Hero was indeed mastered too hot, and Walk the Sky is even worse. The total sound literally distorts. It's become practically unlistenable for me this way. Fortress has a loud master as well, but there the sounds can at least breathe a little.

[Samsara]

Yeah, the last several albums are hot for sure. I think The Last Hero is the worst, and Walk the Sky was an improvement. But that's just by ear. I've never run them all through whatever program people use to see how bad the redlining is. Perhaps someone with more technical knowledge can run the AB discography and create a graphic to illustrate it?

Unfortunately, the folks who mix and master these records always blame the other. I have no idea what the deal is. I do know that I'd like to see Alter Bridge use another person as a producer. Elvis Baskette is great and all, but sometimes shaking things up and using an entirely new recording team leads to great things.

That said, I've thoroughly enjoyed Walk the Sky and the synth bent they took with it. I'm hoping, however, they experiment a different way next time. I still say I'd like to hear them really focus on doing some old school trade-off solos (in fast songs, as opposed to more mid-tempo) and really give the guitar ear candy. I mean, if they went 80s with incorporating synth wave stuff, you never know.

Love this band though. Truly appreciate them trying new things with each record. It's the way it should be.

[Anguyen92]

Well, thanks to Covid, the momentum that AB was rolling with Walk the Sky (in which in the process, they finally got out of the debt from the loan they got to buyout of the Wind-Up contract back in 2006) has halted.  At least, we got the live EP and one new song out of it coming soon.  That's at least something.  Also, here's Myles with an acoustic rendition of Native Son.  Of course, it's great.

Native Son - Acoustic

In other news, Mark's going to get things rolling with another Tremonti album.  Myles finished a new solo album and I think there's some murmurs that a new Slash/Myles/Conspirators album is going to be in the works.  This pandemic may halt things from a touring standpoint, but these guys will keep rolling on trying to come up with new songs.

[Samsara]

Anguyen -- they finally got out from under that loan? GOOD.

I'm actually a bit bummed that all we're getting from AB is the EP with the live tracks and one studio cut. I was hoping they'd be waist-deep in writing for a new AB record. To be frank, I wish that Myles would stop with Slash. I know they have great chemistry, and Myles keeps it all balanced. But frankly, I think AB is the entity that loses out with Mark and Myles doing all these projects. It's like AB is an afterthought. It seems that way.

I mean, the way they wrote Walk the Sky is the perfect example -- they didn't have time to sit together with all their riffs and pick the ones they each liked and work on them together. Instead, they each wrote songs separately, the band learned them and put their own spin on it, and there was the record.

Sure, I like Walk the Sky and it has some great tracks. But how much better could it have been had the guys actually sat together and worked on stuff? I don't think Mark and Myles take AB fans for granted, I mean everything is always top notch (except the mastering). and they always make sure to try new things with each AB record, sonically. But it always just feels they are more into their other stuff as opposed to AB. And I really think that needs to change. And it starts with Myles ditching Slash.

I don't begrudge guys working on projects. I have no problem with that. But the main project should be the one the most time is spent on, and with Alter Bridge, it just feels, from an outsider's perspective who has no idea of what they are doing internally, that AB is something they do so they can keep doing other things once it is over.

That's probably not at all accurate. But as a person who is a fan of pretty much everything they do, AB is by a wide margin the one I am MOST into, and it just seems like that's the one that interests them the least, as evident from the way they ended up writing Walk the Sky.

[Stadler]

I totally get that AB is Myles wife, and the rest of the stuff is his goomar, but if he had to pick one, I'm with the Slash.  I like AB, I have all their records (and really like the last two) but it's sort of... I don't know.  It's hard to describe; it's a slightly more one-note than the Slash for me.  It might have something to do with the mastering; it's just not a warm, embracing listen; it seems more brittle and cold, when compared to the Slash material.    The Slash material seems more melodic to me as well.   

Just my tastes.  Not arguing just giving counter point. 

[Samsara]

I knew you'd chime in Stads. LOL. Hope all is well. Yeah, you always have said you are a bigger fan of Myles with Slash in comparison to AB. I get it. And they are both different animals entirely, which is why I get why Myles likes having the outlet of doing things with Slash.

The Slash stuff has always had that slightly bluesy, sleazy vibe to it, which is something totally different than Alter Bridge, which is more epic, more... I guess I would say heady and heavy in terms of mood. I won't lie, I also enjoy his stuff with Slash, but my choice if forced to choose would be easy, Alter Bridge.

I just don't want to see the band put lower on the priority list -- and I'm not saying it IS, but I am saying stuff like how Walk the Sky was created has me concerned that it is trending that way. Like AB is the beast they have to pay homage to in order to pass through the gates and do the stuff they are more into. I know that probably isn't the case at all, but it just FEELS that way sometimes when I hear things about how they didn't have time to really write for AB because they were busy with other things. The results were still great, but that's...I dunno, that's just not cool to me.

[Stadler]

I can respect that.  I get it.  I think that's a problem all around, though.  I respect that artists need an outlet for their creative juices, but I think there's a LOT of artists that are spread too thin.