I agree with Accelerando. AB III is by far Alter Bridge's best album so far. Each one has gotten better. All this "sameness" people are talking about is ridiculous. So what if the song structures are similar? Most bands write with similar song structures. Particularly non-prog bands that write accessible hard rock music.
The songs are all different, with different melodies, different harmonies, different riffs, different solos and different lyrics. They aren't the same at all.
If a record that has songs that are all structured the same way - intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, verse, chorus, outro
I don't see the big deal. Artists have been doing that for uh...60-some odd years now?
Alter Bridge isn't a prog band. They are a hard rock band that has some metal, alternative, and progressive elements.
The record is epic from start to finish (Words Darker Than Their Wings...the others are obviously bonus tracks). I respect those folks who say they don't like the record, but to call it "samey" because the song structures are similar ignores the rest of what makes up a song. Most bands outside of prog bands write with similar song structures.