Probably going to get torn alive for saying this, but I really hope Myles and Mark opt to stay more on track with their sound on this album. The highlights of Fortress and The Last Hero are some of the finest material the band's ever put out, and I feel like they're evolving more and move into a progressive metal sound a la Queensryche.
And then they try to throw in songs that sound like the 'rock-ier' tunes off of their first two albums to appease the older fans... and it just doesn't work. These songs aren't as memorable as the ones they wrote back in 2004/2007, because that's not what they seem to be as comfortable writing anymore, and they don't mesh very well with their other sound at all.
I'm all for musical diversity and mixing things up, but it has to be done well. And so far I'm getting worried that will be Myles and Mark's Achilles Heel.
I have made that comparison to Queensryche a few times as well -- I completely agree with you. Queensryche was a band that would put complex chord structures together, make things moody, address social issues, etc., and then mix in some commercial stuff as well (i.e. Jet City Woman). AB does the same thing. But people tend to not see that comparison for whatever reason, even though it is plainly obvious the the guitar tandem of Myles and Mark is almost spot-on like Chris and Michael. Their strengths are similar as players, and it comes out in the music.
That's an interesting opinion. I've always felt that AB enjoys creating and playing the "Active Rock" radio-like songs as much as they do creating their epics. Not only that, those kinds of rock radio-like songs outclasses the majority of the stuff you hear on Sirius XM Octane (I have yet to hear one track from AB on that radio station, heck the only song I heard on Sirius XM was Open Your Eyes which was on Turbo, a primary a late 90s-00s radio station). I mean songs like Farther Than the Sun and Crows on a Wire does have its merits and people in the festivals enjoy those kinds of tracks.
I think they do as well. Just by reading/listening to all their interviews, and the brief fan interaction and meet and greets, it seems to me they are very conscious of their niche in the hard rock world, and they enjoy that balance of dipping their toes in various subgenres of hard rock. Personally, I could live without songs such as Farther Than the Sun, Crows on a Wire, etc. But then again, My Champion is one of those, and I absolutely love that song, and think it is one of the finest on The Last Hero. I honestly think the problem is more that they don't give themselves more time, which you mention....
The one true Achilles heel for AB is, honestly, time. Both Mark and Myles are so heavily involved in their other outlets that sometimes there isn't enough time to commit around 3 months away from doing other things to focus on really fine-tuning ideas to create compelling songs. I'm all right with them pushing AB VI album release to 2020 if this is the best album they feel like represents them as a band in the now. Of course, I would really love it that, in spite of these time constraints, they get the album out in Fall like they always do and they still feel like this is the best album they feel like represents them as a band in the now, but some people don't think it would go that way. We'll see.
Agreed. They've fallen into a pattern where they constrain themselves, and I personally think in order to keep things fresh, they need to mix it up. Give themselves a longer leash, try some different things. But yeah, the whole spreading themselves thin with other commitments really detracts in my mind from AB. It's not that they don't create good stuff -- they do. But I also think it leads to them becoming formulaic, and they have to a certain extent.
My hope is with the next record, they venture out a bit into different territory. Try some really different arrangements and structures. For example, take Words Darker Than Their Wings. There are moody lulls in that song that really make it awesome. But I get the sense that Myles in particular thought it would be boring for fans, and wouldn't really come off well in a live setting. Then they did it, and people went nuts, and he said, I don't remember when, it may have been on the recent live release, that now they are going to have to play it regularly because fans liked it so much.
It's like they are so conscious of that mainstream vibe, that they hesitate to be "arty," and they shouldn't hesitate. People will follow.
And I know this is a pipe dream, but they need to break away from Elvis as their producer/engineer. Love the guy's work, and I know they are comfortable, but a fresh take on their music is needed. Would love to see them go with an old school guy like a Terry Date, Jimbo Barton, hell, even Terry Brown if he's up for it.