AB VI Studio/Recording Thread

[Andy92]

As others have said, I think we hold AB to a higher standard given how much they have developed over the years and how they are light years above their contemporaries that they get lumped with (*Cough*Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Disturbed). Those other bands churn out the same record time and time again while every AB record is very distinctive.

I wouldn't say for the case of Shinedown that they churn out the same records time and time again. There's a clear difference between Leave A Whisper/Us And Them to Threat to Survival/ATTENTION ATTENTION. However, unlike AB where they adjust their sounds and approach in creating songs and still create compelling music, it feels like something is lost in Shinedown in their recent albums that they strive well in the first three albums where AB is still consistently creating good-to-great top to bottom albums that works in various degrees.

That stated, yeah, bands like Disturbed and Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace for their albums they are usually carbon copies of their prior works (that stated, those albums can be good carbon copies. Just really derivative and stale at times).

I agree. Shinedown is really a band of two eras: 1st two albums, and everything since. The difference in Shinedown eras is totally on the change from Jason Todd to Zach Myers. I much prefer Todd. Earlier Shinedown seemed much more raw and authentic while the newer albums seem a little by the numbers geared to make radio hits.

They’re pretty much 3 eras right now. The Sound of Madness and Amaryllis were radio friendly but it was still decent hard rock music. Their last two albums have even gone off the rails from that lol

[One Drew Remains]

Yeah. Time won't be kind to them, I feel.

[Fish Tacos]

I've only been able to listen on my half busted work earbuds but I'm enjoying Dying Light. Not as catchy as In the Deep but sounds more artistically like them so I'm digging it.

[Ubik]

Dying Light is permanently on top in my Youtube suggestions. But I won't give in, I won't listen to it before album release. It surely makes sense to release so many songs before the album drops, in order to generate some clicks and streams on YT and Spotify, but I'm not a fan of getting the new songs piece by piece.

Stay strong. Not long till that itch can be scratched.

[abw1987]

Having had a couple days to digest this song, it has quickly grown on me. Initially I thought it was decent, but it didn't really pop on first listen. Now I count it as tied for my favorite of the pre-release tracks.

Observations:

• I like the old-school chorusey effect on the intro guitar, and the little bendy groove that follows is really cool.
• The verse is classic Tremonti fingerpicking along the lines of Creed's "Away in Silence" or "Time". It actually wouldn't surprise me if this verse was originally written for Creed given the vocal range Myles uses. I wonder if it was even lifted from one of the shelved Creed songs of the early 2010s. The way Myles's voice follows the guitar also reminds me of "Cradle to the Grave".
• The first notes of the chorus sound like we'll get one of Alter Bridge's classic epic choruses, but it ends up being more theatrical. It seems like AB are doing more of this with each album – in an effort to avoid creating a totally predictable, cookie-cutter chorus melody, they end up with something that would sound at home on Broadway. I also like how the final notes (while Myles sings "the silent waves that crash inside") tie in with the bendy parts of the intro.
• As far as the bridge goes, the quiet-loud-quiet-loud cadence feels like a weak attempt to create drama. I also generally don't like bits of 3/4 songs like this where Flip is hitting the snare on every "1" beat of the 1-2-3... it's just too much.
• I'm not sure what to call the "bridge" between the bridge and Myles's solo, but I love it. So haunting, and sounds like pure chaos.
• It does seem like Myles's solo could have been doubled in length, but I understand why they didn't. They've avoided calling this song an "epic" because I don't think it's quite intended to go fully in that direction.
• I think Mark's solo is one of his most innovative in recent memory. It's quite spastic in how it flows. There are these quick vibrato bits that create this really unstable feeling, and some of the quick diddles throughout almost sound like he's hammering with his left hand and tapping with his right hand on the same fret – anyone else get this sense?
• As I mentioned in my listening party review, I almost wish the the vocalizations in the outro would just go on and on!
• I understand people's criticism of the production. The verses are good – the mix leaves breathing room and you can hear Brian's bass very clearly. The choruses are way too compressed; you can't hear guitars, and the cymbals barely sound like distant jinglebells.
• Overall, it seems like a fitting closer for the album.

While reading this forum, I read a few times that The Last Hero and it's infamous mixing reminded some people of humming of the bees. I'm happy to say that the primary hook of the song sounds exactly like swarm of aggressive humming bees penetrating through... Something. It's quite interesting and reminded me of very distinctive sounding Bleed it Dry and The Other Side riffs. New interesting sounds is something that previous singles totally lacked of.

Yes! Why didn't I think of this? I was so focused on the cyborg laser bees on "Indoctrination" that I never saw the parallel between this intro and that of "Losing Patience" – AB's original use of bee sounds.

Now regarding the video, I think it falls into somewhat of a gray area as to whether it qualifies as a full-on music video, given that it seems to be have been based on existing footage rather than anything newly-shot. That said, I do think it's cool and unique. There are enough performance videos and lyric videos out there, so it's nice to see them doing something different. It reminds me of something out of the 80s, when CGI was really just budding, and the graphic capabilities were so immature that you ended up with more psychadelic-looking visuals than anything else. Maybe that's the point – it ties in with the other throwback elements to this album's sound. I could see it playing late at night on VH1 back in the day.

[abw1987]

I will also say it is great to see such spirited debate in here. We all obviously love this band and believe they are capable of greatness, regardless of whether some folks think this song meets that standard, whereas others might not. I do wonder if some of the criticism is circumstantial. Meaning: we heard that they wrote the songs separately and recorded the album quickly, so people go into it looking for signs of it being rushed. And we hear the guys talk about how they operate with Elvis's input, so people dismiss the production before they've even heard it. Of course I understand a lot of the criticism, but I wonder if there would be so much of it if people just listened to the music without any expectations. I know nothing is without context, and we can't look at things in a vacuum. It just feels like sometimes the music isn't given a fair chance!

[chtimixeur]

@abw1987: great posts!

Have you guys noticed how similar the first few notes of Dying Light's and Blackbird's solos are? I can't remember if somebody noticed it already, but the more I listen to the new song, the more obvious it seems to me.

[RevenantGB]

Just feel the need to repeat how much I love Dying Light, I'm confident that it's one of my top 5 Alter Bridge songs. I've hesitated to say that thinking I may be affected by the hype of newly-released music, but after a few days I just cannot stop listening. What's more, I've also done a u-turn on In The Deep. Such a catchy chorus.

[fix]

I agree, I think that Dying Light might be a top 10 song for me. And the In The Deep chorus always gets stuck in my head haha and I like the combination of that with the galloping guitar riff.

[RevenantGB]

Not sure if this has been posted yet as I'm quite late to share it, but here's a new review complete with detailed descriptions of each song on Walk the Sky https://www.alivenloud.com/single-post/ ... DDbNOetzUM

[One Drew Remains]

Listened to these songs chronologically for the first time (on repeat) while jogging this AM. They definitely pass the jogging test.

[LosingPatience]

Its interesting everyone's different take on these new songs. Personally In The Deep is their worst ever single wish i could get into it. My fav so far is comfortably Take The Crown with Pay No Mind behind that. I think i would be ok with Dying Light as a song if it wasnt the closer where AB knock out of the park as a rule and imo its their weakest closer, despite being ok with the song. Im curious about the rest, it sounds like their getting the most love from critics anyway. Not long now

[anguyen92]

Btw, I figured out why that classical melody in the verses in Dying Light sounded so familiar. It derived from Beethoven's Ode to Joy. Should be an easy composition to remember, but I was racking my brain for the last few days trying to figure out why it sounded so familiar. That's how uncultured I am nowadays.

[scarecrow]

15-minute interview with Mark:

https://soundcloud.com/toddcastpodcast/ ... full-convo

[scarecrow]

I'm glad Mark appreciates the 2012 Dredd movie.

And GOTG!

[nildiven]

Throwing my hat into the ring of those that mentioned Dying Light being one of their fav AB songs. I've been listening to it non stop and absolutely love the track. Lyrically it's one of the better AB songs too.

So glad they released this song before the album as I had all but given up hope based on the other singles, but this has renewed my excitement.

[UninvitedZero]

Dying Light... Wow. After a couple of listens, it's really clicked.
Listening closely, I really like the intro picking before the riff hits. On a lower volume, cutting through all of the hiss, the intro is massive.
The lyrics in the verses are beautiful.
The meter of the chorus catches me off guard but doesn't hurt my ears or brain.
Myles' solo does sound very similar to his solo in Blackbird.
Mark's guitar solo on this song is on another level. It's Arabian flavored, sporadic and unpredictable. Listening last night, I could only equate those speedy sections to a mouse crawling across a kitchen floor. So much more creative a solo than Wouldn't You Rather or Take The Crown.
The quiet-loud-quiet-loud bridge is alright. Musically it makes me think of Pirates of The Caribbean... I would have liked it to have stayed quiet for longer and built up to a huge crescendo, I'm a sucker for those haunting, eerie bridges AB can write.

This has got to be an album highlight, and the perfect way to bring things to a close. Epic, yet tight and concise. I get heavy This Side of Fate vibes (even though I actually disliked that song when TLH came out). I was very unsure about the release of the closing track two weeks before the album dropped, but damn it, it's so good.

I can't wait 12 more days!

[RevenantGB]

New video interview with Myles about Walk the Sky. May look familiar because it was filmed at the same place he answered fan questions a few weeks back:

[SamarthJoshi]

Not sure if this has been posted yet as I'm quite late to share it, but here's a new review complete with detailed descriptions of each song on Walk the Sky https://www.alivenloud.com/single-post/ ... DDbNOetzUM

Thank you for posting that. Really excited about the following:
1)Godspeed
2)Native Son
3)Indoctrination
4)Forever Falling
5)Walking on the Sky

[WaywardOne]

This album can't come soon enough. If I have to hear one more description about 80's nostalgia and retro synth I'm gonna lose it - it's a notworthy new vibe added to the band but its still very much Alter Bridge. As someone who didn't grow up in the 80's I feel like I'm one of the few people who can't stand it. I know once I can just sit in a room and listen to new AB it will all be good!