TheAlterBridgeNation.com

It'll be interesting to see where AB VI ends up, stylistically. I figured we're probably a year or so out from the next AB studio record, which gives a lot of time to post up some wishes and speculation on where AB will go on AB VI.

The biggest question for me is -- given that Year of the Tiger and A Dying Machine are both basically concept/theme albums, and TLH was a loose theme as well, with Alter Bridge go full-on conceptual with their next record, or do the exact opposite? It doesn't really bother me whichever route they take, but I have to admit, I'd love to see a full-on conceptual fictional work from AB that tells a story.

So many bands have tried it, and it got kind of old for awhile. But I think doing one would give AB ample opportunity to really come full circle on all aspects of their sound from ODR to TLH, and enable Mark and Myles to do some really good vocal exchanges. I also think it would enable them to experiment a little more, incorporating some acoustic elements, and perhaps some orchestration and keyboards a bit. Not overkill, but enough to really let the album breathe a bit (which is one of my minor complaints about TLH -- it sounds full tilt the whole time, some atmosphere is needed).

Anyway, really looking forward to the next one. Good times ahead!

Hopes and dreams:

Bring on the heavy
More progressive
Better songwriting (less piecing together of parts)
Ditch the formula
Don’t save the best ideas for solo records

For me I want less political stuff in the lyrics. Musically it's hard for me to describe since I'm not a musician, I can't be too specific. But some of the songs on the last record weren't very catchy and sounded kind of generic. I honestly skip them when listening to the record and I never do that to any of their other albums. Twilight is and example of one of those songs that I pretty much flat out dislike.

I think maybe going hard and faster with each and every record may not be the best, some of AB's best stuff is the ballads or more experimental stuff. I'd like to see more of that.

More Mark lyrics and vocals, more Myles riffs.

Also more lower register stuff from both.

I wrote quite a long list of what I'd kinda like from AB VI and then I basically decided most of it was unimportant and whittled it down to this...

All I'd like is for the album to feel/sound like the band, for better or worse, were in a room for a few weeks and just went with where the songs decided to take them, as opposed to assembling songs out of "parts"

AB4Lyfe wrote:Hopes and dreams:

Bring on the heavy
More progressive
Better songwriting (less piecing together of parts)
Ditch the formula
Don’t save the best ideas for solo records

Totally agree.
But without the "laziness" to play them. As they did with songs like The Last Hero or Bleed it dry and others.

More progressive songs structure wise (but I don't get my hopes up, they've been talking about that since Fortress and we gonna get 1-2 songs less formulaic that the rest)
More interesting parts (Mark's been labelled as a riff god, but I haven't seen that lately - and please don't write riffs to a drum machine for god's sake)
Stop caring about what the fans want and write whatever feels right to you

Dan Dando wrote:
All I'd like is for the album to feel/sound like the band, for better or worse, were in a room for a few weeks and just went with where the songs decided to take them, as opposed to assembling songs out of "parts"

YES on this. Obviously I'm fairly new here, but I've followed the band religiously for 14 years. The whole "formula" they use to "write" -- I agree, just jam, don't just sift through recordings and patch them together. I know time is sometimes an issue, and I do understand the need to be working on multiple projects these days, given where the industry is. But I'd like to see things be a bit more organic than they seem on the surface.

Dolo wrote:Stop caring about what the fans want and write whatever feels right to you

I don't think they really have the fans in mind that much with how they do stuff given various fans' gripes of the sound quality of their albums.........

-Write songs. I don't care if every song has the same structure. I don't care how progressive the songs are... Just write songs.
-Use an orchestra... Please be influenced by the RAH experience.
-Spend more time on it

Timotheus wrote:-Write songs. I don't care if every song has the same structure. I don't care how progressive the songs are... Just write songs.
-Use an orchestra... Please be influenced by the RAH experience.
-Spend more time on it

Sadly, time is something that these guys do not have much of with how much involved they are with their other projects. Of course, there's that option to delay the album release by like a year and we would have no problem with that if it means the songs can bring more impact. That stated, delaying the album would also mean delaying the touring part of it, especially when we know that they always start off the album cycle with a Fall Europe tour and that really brings big money for them and that's where bands make the majority of their money nowadays.

It's going to be really tricky with how they will schedule it and still put a lot of care and effort that they want to in this album.

Wish List
- More Mark lead vocals
- More Mark background vocals (and dont bury them as much as they seemed to be on TLH)
- More Myles guitar solos
- More Myles lower register vocals
- More Myles high notes
- Approx. 14 song record
- More heavy riffage
- More extended songs (5-6 mins)
- Use more experimental/unusual instruments for standout song sections.

- Main thing that I'd want is just better production. TLH was too overblown. I thought the production in ABIII and Blackbird was great, as well as Fortress (for the most part).
While I liked TLH, it was harder to appreciate the music with the production sounding a little poppy, and less organic.
- "Tremonti" style ballads. You know, with those chimey, clean riffs and Myles singing in a low register. Wasn't a huge fan of You Will Be Remembered kind of ballad.
- More progressive metal songs.
- More progressive rock. Prog doesn't have to be heavy. I love the more quieter songs as well, like Shesmovedon from Porcupine Tree.
- As a metalhead, I love all the heavy shit they do but I also miss their more rock oriented songs that you could sing along too which were why I initially got into the band when I was looking for a break from the heavy metal I usually listen to. E.g. Rise Today, Open Your Eyes, that kinda shit. Who doesn't love singing those?
- More Tremonti solos.
- An earth crushingly heavy song with a ludicrous and face melting solo from Tremonti that makes me want to destroy everything in my immediate vicinity.

They really need to work on their ballads. Haven’t had a really good one since AB III imo.

I guess another thing to consider is this. Year of the Tiger and A Dying Machine, I felt, did a lot more for Myles and Mark than The Last Hero in terms of their growth as musicians than The Last Hero did. Myles, incorporating some unique instruments in Year of the Tiger. Mark, I felt he varied some stuff and didn't go too hard in writing in a typical post-grunge/alternative metal vibe that he may do. What goals do they want to accomplish for AB VI that can do a lot of good for the growth of the band as musicians?

I think this might be a bit of a bold thought to say, but I think they should do their own version of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. A double album that shows that they can do it all and showcase everything this band has to offer and write amazing and varied songs. They can incorporate the heartwarming and tearjerking acoustic ballads, they can do the big catchy heavy Active Rock single track, along with the mid-tempo songs with great sing-along choruses. Maybe they can be inspired by the Royal Albert Hall shows and incorporate an orchestra and go symphonic rock. They can do the heavy metal/prog metal-influence tracks and incorporate face-melting riffs and mind-blowing solos. They can have Mark sing a song and we wouldn't say it would fit in a Tremonti album, it's just a natural Alter Bridge song. I also want to see them incorporate an instrumental that showcases all four guys well. I want to hear Myles hit the highest note that he can (as far he can go without blowing his voice out). Heck, I'll admit it. I want them to write the longest song that they have ever written and have it be better than Blackbird. It sounds impossible and it is impossible, but I want to see them chase it so that after all of that is said and done, we can all think, "You know. I didn't think it was ever possible, but that is actually the best Alter Bridge song I have ever heard and that, dare I say it, it is better than Blackbird."

I want to see them do all of that in one package and have it be varied and not blend in together that it all becomes a blur of noise, but also that the songs are not out of place. It all sounds impossible and it is impossible with all the circumstances in mind, but these guys have the talent, the musicianship, and the songwriting skills to make it work. It just comes down to putting a lot of effort and care into everything. I would like that beautiful thought where after we hear AB VI we think, "Wow, 15 years of them being a band and they actually done it. They've actually released the best album that they have ever done and it has aged like fine beautiful wine like all of the AB albums."

Damn, that's such a beautiful fantasy, but we all know that's not happening in a long shot.

Andy92 wrote:They really need to work on their ballads. Haven’t had a really good one since AB III imo.

Agreed. Nothing has come close to Life Must Go On for me.

do better

I don't need every band member to feel they need the limelight more and more. Play as a band should, with the lead singer being the frontman and the rest do their parts for the song. All of the songs in TLH sound like they're competing against each other, especially Brian.

I'd like to hear Myles in the lower register with more verses. I'd like to hear 1-3 instruments at a time, not like 17 of them or whatever I'm hearing. When Breathe and Solace came out around the TLH run, I was like: "Doodz, look back to those tracks. Seriously!"

I'm fine with a couple of progressive tracks, but not an entire album full of them. I'd definitely like to see a lot of good 5-6 minute songs though as somebody else suggested, but I'd good with some radio-friendly sounds as well. I wouldn't qualify Poison In Your Veins as one of those.

ODR and Blackbird aren't my favorite albums, but I miss their direction in those ones and wish I could have that kind of aim from them again.

Work with a producer who will push you to do new things.
Don't bring any riff, and write full songs in a room, as a band.
Take risks.

AB4Lyfe wrote:Hopes and dreams:

Bring on the heavy
More progressive
Better songwriting (less piecing together of parts)
Ditch the formula
Don’t save the best ideas for solo records

This would usually be my wishlist, heavy and progressive without loosing the essence of AB.
But I'll add one thing to the wishlist:

More open/organic production.

It's a bit too much as of late. I've heard some band that layer a lot and use different instruments, but it sounds much more open and organic (most recent example is BTBAM - Voice Of Trespass).
So maybe AB needs a more back to basic sound, or just overall different production.