Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

[Arctic]

I’ve never really been bothered by cheesy lyrics from these guys, the cheesiest thing they’ve ever done is My Champion but the music makes up for it.

[ToNsOFuN88]

Two of the best songs on the album. .

.....Seriously? Your taste has to be really specific. For me the subject matter and the instrumentation is just too much to bear.

On unrelated note: do I heard a banjo in Indoctrination?

I'm equally surprised. The best songs are the epics for me usually.

[CrowsOnAWire]

If people are complaining about Tear Us Apart and TBE being cheesy, what about My Champion, YWBR, Wonderful Life, Life Must Go On etc etc. AB have always had some “cheesier” songs.

Nothing on this album is as cheesy as their cheesiest songs from other albums.

[RevenantGB]

WALK THE SKY REACTION

One Life: 7/10
I love this intro song, does a really good job of setting/summing up the lyrical mood of the album.

Wouldn't You Rather: 6/10
Nothing spectacular but a solid Alter Bridge song nonetheless. Exactly what you'd imagine the lead single to be.

In The Deep: 5/10
This song didn't really connect with me when it was released as a single, and although I have a better opinion of it now within the context of the album as a whole, it still doesn't do anything for me. The verses are lovely though.

Godspeed: 8/10
This song was mentioned a lot during the press tour, and as such I tried to temper my expectations when it came to listening. As it happens, I very much enjoy Godspeed and it clicked upon first listen! The sonic experimentation, melodies and lyrics are very congruent and I'm happy that I wasn't disappointed.

Native Son: 7/10
Personally I'd have released this song as a single, it's a very fun listen. The main riff is so enjoyably heavy, and I always end up singing along to the pre-chorus/chorus lol

Take The Crown: 7/10
This was the first single I was truly excited about, purely for the heavy intro and the chorus melody. In comparison to the rest of the songs on this album though, I actually don't rate it as highly anymore (although that's probably down to me over-playing it).

Indoctrination: 9/10
My god what a riff. So sludgy, and the way Myles sings over it really excited me. I'd been waiting to listen to this song because of the growl that Mark mentioned Myles does near the beginning of the song, and yes it sounds quite cool!

The Bitter End: 8/10
This is another one with a very catchy chorus, hard not to sing along to! I don't have much else to say for The Bitter End other than it's another solid, lyrically positive and enjoyable song.

Pay No Mind: 7/10
When this was released as a single, I really appreciated it for the sonic departure it represented. The song itself didn't capture me, but listening to it now I've come to enjoy it.

Forever Falling: 10/10
The first true gem of the album in my opinion. Forever Falling is unbelievably good, on first listen I was subject to major goosebumps during the chorus and bridge. I also appreciate it for how heavy the main riff and bridge is, which in some areas strangely reminds me of Trivium.

Clear Horizon: 7/10
This song has seemingly connected with many on this board, but Clear Horizon has yet to truly "click" for me. Having said that, I like the song and it's very fun to listen to. I'm convinced it's a grower for me.

Walking on the Sky: 10/10
Simply unreal. This song gave way to my second experience of goosebumps for the album, just when the synth intro stops and the song begins. The chorus has been in my head ever since.

Tear Us Apart: 9/10
A really uplifting, positive song! I didn't expect Tear Me Apart to amount to anything, but it's quickly become one of my favourites. The verse melody is so enjoyable to listen to, and led to my final experience of goosebumps upon first full listen of the album. I also personally don't think it comes across as cheesy.

Dying Light: 10/10
Dying Light really stands out to me. Musically it's very somber and melancholy, and yet lyrically it's sobering and optimistic. I truly connected with the lyrics when this was released as a single, particularly the verses which are hauntingly beautiful. It's tied with Forever Falling as my favourite song on the album.


To summarise, I'm both relieved and overwhelmed in the good sense. I thought I'd have mixed feelings about this album, and whilst it's not perfect, it's far better than I thought it'd be. With time I'll be able to determine how it stands up to the other albums, but for now I'm very comfortable saying I rate it higher than The Last Hero and One Day Remains.

[youknowverywell]

On unrelated note: do I heard a banjo in Indoctrination?

If it's the part I think you're thinking of, it sounds like they mic'd an electric guitar's strings as either Mark or Myles played the lick. Electric guitar, just not plugged in.

[fix]

Alright, of the new songs I really like Native Sons riff(s), Indoctrinations darker vibe (but the riff is kinda boring), Forever Falling as a song (strangely I got Mastodon vibes from the verse), Clear Horizons flow of parts/riffs (especially that weird off time part in the bridge) and Walking On The Sky's chorus (where did that come from... oh my).

Godspeed, The Bitter End and Tear Us Apart I don't really care for. Which are the only songs on the album I have that feeling towards for now, which is actually really good news haha!

[Dolo]

On unrelated note: do I heard a banjo in Indoctrination?

If it's the part I think you're thinking of, it sounds like they mic'd an electric guitar's strings as either Mark or Myles played the lick. Electric guitar, just not plugged in.

I'm talking about 00:32 - 00:40. Now that you've said it - it sounds more like an unplugged electric indeed. It's interesting that they would do it this way tho.

[Ubik]

Just came back from being curried to death and first thing I had to do was put on Forever Falling, it's just so goooood. RELAPSE REGRESSION

[AB4Lyfe]

Wow...really seems like a polarizing album from what I’ve been reading. Some people love it, some people hate it. Interested to see how this one ages!

[VigilantSteve]

Wow...really seems like a polarizing album from what I’ve been reading. Some people love it, some people hate it. Interested to see how this one ages!

Let's be real, no matter what the album ended up being it was going to be polarizing. There's just too many different types of fans out there that want something different (this is a good thing) for there to be any type of universally positive opinion on the album.

The only way AB is going to release an album that's not polarizing is they were to release something that's so outright terrible that nobody likes it at all.

[RevenantGB]

Just came back from being curried to death and first thing I had to do was put on Forever Falling, it's just so goooood. RELAPSE REGRESSION

Ahahaha yeah the chorus is too damn singable, RETURN REMISSION

[Sugar Blade]

I've listened to it once and I want to say this: if The Last Hero left me disappointed, but it still had 6 songs that I can listen and enjoy, this album made me feel nothing (except Dying Light, it's a legit great song and the fact that Mark and Myles made it together tells a lot). For me, this record doesn't live up to any of their previous albums and feels passionless and uninspired. Some people call it a new direction, but for me it's a stagnation at best.

There are some interesting riffs and harmonies here and there, but they are diluted with the most basic and boring post-grunge/modern rock sounds and AB's own tropes (I really hate that dental machine high-pitch sound that someone is doing with his guitar in a lot of songs during heavy riffs, it makes me cringe at how deliberately "badass" it wants to sound). Also synths brings nothing to music, it's just there for no reason. If this album would be a 3.5 hours movie, it absolutely needed a very good editor to make it tight 90-minutes experience.

I'll give it a few more spins, but I don't think it will have a permanent place in my playlist (to be fair, I've listened to Royal Albert Hall album only once, but it made me feel so many emotions that I intentionally decided not to play it ever again to have a very special memory about it).

[Silvercreed]

After a few listens, I think it's a solid album, better than I expected. Even some of the pre-released songs sound a lot better listening the album in full.
I don't think it's their best album, but there are some interesting/new things here. This album will, certainly be a grower.

Indoctrination, Forever Falling, Walking on the Sky, Dying Light are the highlights for me, with a honorable mention to One Life. Love that intro!
And I think the album would be better with less two songs (and a good production). The Bitter End and Tear Us Apart are fillers for me, which I also consider to be my least favorite.

[sugarandcyanide]

I've listened to it once and I want to say this: if The Last Hero left me disappointed, but it still had 6 songs that I can listen and enjoy, this album made me feel nothing (except Dying Light, it's a legit great song and the fact that Mark and Myles made it together tells a lot). For me, this record doesn't live up to any of their previous albums and feels passionless and uninspired. Some people call it a new direction, but for me it's a stagnation at best.

There are some interesting riffs and harmonies here and there, but they are diluted with the most basic and boring post-grunge/modern rock sounds and AB's own tropes (I really hate that dental machine high-pitch sound that someone is doing with his guitar in a lot of songs during heavy riffs, it makes me cringe at how deliberately "badass" it wants to sound). Also synths brings nothing to music, it's just there for no reason. If this album would be a 3.5 hours movie, it absolutely needed a very good editor to make it tight 90-minutes experience.

I'll give it a few more spins, but I don't think it will have a permanent place in my playlist (to be fair, I've listened to Royal Albert Hall album only once, but it made me feel so many emotions that I intentionally decided not to play it ever again to have a very special memory about it).

Same, pretty much, but, I really like TLH.

My favorite that really grabbed me is "Pay No Mind." It did from the first listen.

These new melodies are not grabbing me at all. Repetitive and predictable lyrics. "Forever Falling" is an automatic no for me because I don't like Mark as a lead singer. On harmonies, yes, fine, I like he and Myles together, and I love WDTTW.

First time through: PNM, and WOTS. TTC is alright. I could see it as a theme for a WWE event.

I will definitely give it a few more listens through; maybe some will grow on me.

[CrowsOnAWire]

I think sometimes when a new album comes out and we’re comparing it to previous albums we tend to think of the best songs from those albums and forget about the weaker tracks.

Not every song on Blackbird, Fortress, TLH were great. TLH for example had some excellent songs but also some weak tracks. Blackbird has some of their most memorable songs but there are some fillers on there too, particularly the last 3/4 tracks.

Fortress is probably their most complete album and is still their best for me, however All Ends Well is cheesier than anything on Walk The Sky.

[CrowsOnAWire]

https://www.blabbermouth.net/cdreviews/walk-the-sky/

ALTER BRIDGE
"Walk The Sky"
(Napalm)

Rating: 7.5/10

There's something disarming and very welcome about the sound of Myles Kennedy almost whispering his way through brief intro "One Life", because although ALTER BRIDGE have had plenty of subtle and downtempo moments over the years, their last album, "The Last Hero", was a near-remorseless barrage of bombast and overwrought emoting; an enthusiastic over-egging of the post-grunge pudding that was compounded by the Royal Albert Hall shows that followed, wherein a full orchestra added yet more layers of clangor and pomp to the experience. As sumptuous and entertaining as those performances undoubtedly were, it was hard not to leave the venue craving paracetamol and a lie down.

Superficially, Kennedy and his comrades have stayed true to their simple but effective initial masterplan from the start, but the versatility and lightness of touch that made early records like "Blackbird" and the flawless "III" so engaging seems to have become slowly weighed down and diminished by arena-filling heavy handedness. Not that ALTER BRIDGE have suffered a change in fortunes as a result, of course: the band's huge fan base will love "Walk the Sky" every bit as much as they have the band's previous six albums. The major difference between this and its overpowering predecessor is a subtle but clearly discernible looseness and swagger in the band's performances. It's as if they reached a peak of volume and heaviness and passed through to the other side, where groove, melody and sonic space are kings, and bursts of heavy metal thunder are used to contrast, rather than cudgel. Nothing radical has happened to the way ALTER BRIDGE write songs, but there is a breeziness to the flow of "Godspeed" and "Native Son" that feels fresh and new, and an inventiveness and sense of wide-eyed wonder in myriad ambient embellishments, all of which make this by far the band's most sonically interesting record to date.

Beyond that, how much you dig "Walk the Sky" depends entirely on how much you love what ALTER BRIDGE do. There are choruses piled on top of choruses, all of them designed to either raise the spirits or wrench tears from your eyes. MARK TREMONTI remains one of the unsung metal guitar heroes of the modern era, and here his strike rate for killer riffs is higher than ever (check out the murderous, slamming verse riff for "Take the Crown" for one great example!), while the aforementioned Mr. Kennedy sounds as fervently committed to every note and proclamation as ever, albeit with all-out histrionics kept to an efficacious minimum. His voice may be manna for some and kryptonite to others, but it would take a hard heart to deny that his vocal on the closer, "Dying Light", is a thing of gritty, soulful beauty.

Naturally, if you wanted more of the same, there's plenty of that here, but "Walk the Sky" is a smarter, sharper and more absorbing affair than anything ALTER BRIDGE have recorded this decade.

Author: Dom Lawson

[Cariocawlad]

I'm really enjoined the album on my first listen, but I truly understand the polarization: to me this album sounds different to anything they done before. And to me this is a welcome refresh on their formula.
The thing I missed was more guitar solos. There are just a few.
It will take some time to digest all songs, but imo this album will age very well. The song are artistically cohesive and it feels to me that they are different parts of the same history (like AB III).
To say some songs that catch me on first listen: One life, Godspeed and Clear Horizon (this one really deserves a guitar solo).

[Buffon]

I like it. Definitely a massive step up from Last Hero, and could probably overtake AB III too based on early impressions.

Indoctrination jumps straight into the top tier of Alter Bridge songs for me, simply amazing. Godspeed and Forever Falling round out the top three, and Native Son is awesome too - got some strong Iron Maiden vibes from the first listen, then realized there's a Stranger in a Strange Land reference in the bridge!

[CrowsOnAWire]

https://www.rocksins.com/2019/10/alter- ... sky-37683/

REVIEWS
Alter Bridge – Walk The Sky
By Jamie Giberti - 17th October 2019

Overall Score: 9/10
Vocals: 10/10
Consistency: 8/10
Memorable Songs: 9/10
Pros: A band at the top of their game | Many stand out tracks | Myles Kennedy delivers once again
Cons: Very little

Having covered Alter Bridge extensively throughout the history of this website, Team Rock Sins has been both eagerly awaiting and somewhat apprehensive about their new album, Walk The Sky. Their last album, The Last Hero, although very well received at the time (including by us here at Rock Sins) perhaps has not withstood the test of time past the initial excitement as well as any of their other albums. Which brings us nicely to Walk The Sky. Three years on from The Last Hero, where do we find Alter Bridge?

The answer to that, is in very fine form indeed. Perhaps influenced by their time with the Parallax Orchestra working on their magnificent live orchestral shows and album Live At The Royal Albert Hall, the overall sound of Walk The Sky has tinges of both electronic elements and orchestra workings to it. As a result, this is perhaps the “biggest” Alter Bridge album in terms of its soundscape. The songs sound enormous, definitely meant for premium quality speakers, the highest quality headphones and cavernous arenas.

Album opener proper Wouldn’t You Rather produces some of the most thumping drums and bass the Alter Bridge rhythm duo of Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips have ever laid down. It’s a track that is destined to sound monstrously heavy live. This is again the case with Native Son – a thunderous main riff from Mark Tremonti is accompanied by precision drumming from Scott Philips on a track that lyrically tells a story that will resonate with many.

Alter Bridge’s best songs have often been the most emotional ones (Brand New Start, Blackbird, Wonderful Life, My Champion). They’ve done it once again with the utterly sublime Godspeed. The lyrics are genuine and moving, the instrumentation is wonderfully melodic and well paced, and Myles Kennedy turns in one of his best vocal performances in the history of Alter Bridge’s fifteen years together. The blistering first half of the album continues with recent single Take The Crown. Myles fully flexes his vocal chops on this track, with more excellent riffery from Mark Tremonti.

There’s abundant quality in the second half of the album too. Pay No Mind, one of the earlier singles from the album, is a huge standout with orchestrally influenced main riff and snappy verses. It’s very easy to see why it was chosen as a single. Clear Horizon also stands out for it’s huge chorus, soaring melodies and change of mood for its dark interlude before launching back to full force once again.

After the success of Waters Rising on the Fortress album, Mark Tremonti is again afforded the chance to take the vocal lead, on the track Forever Falling. While not quite the instant hit that Waters Rising was, it’s another fine performance from Tremonti (and makes us hope for another Tremonti solo album once this round of Alter Bridge activity is complete). The grandiose nature of the song as a whole sublime bordering on absurd vocal performance by Myles Kennedy on the album closing epic Dying Light is a truly fitting conclusion.

Walk The Sky is a truly phenomenal piece of work from a band who Rock Sins have long stated are the next Download Festival headliners in waiting. Walk The Sky is hopefully the last piece of the puzzle in helping them to achieve that goal. A finer hard rock album you will not find in 2019.

[Ubik]

Ahahaha yeah the chorus is too damn singable, RETURN REMISSION

OH GIVE IN AND FAIL AGAAAAIN

I also want to hear about half this album on acoustic.