Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

News and discussion about Alter Bridge. Get the latest updates here!
Post Reply
ToNsOFuN88
Isolated
Posts: 480
Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:43 pm

Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by ToNsOFuN88 »

Someone mentioned making a new thread for reactions to the album, so I figured I would start that out. Can't wait for everyone to hear this album, best first listen I've had to one of their albums in a while. All the new tracks were really hitting for me. I didn't dislike a single one.

User avatar
AB4Lyfe
Achilles
Posts: 5873
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:17 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by AB4Lyfe »

Thanks for making the thread. Looking forward to everyone’s reaction! I know some people are getting their albums delivered right now, but I have to wait until Thursday night for my copy.
Image

User avatar
scarecrow
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 669
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 11:46 pm

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by scarecrow »

I will be heading to the record store on Friday.

TheEndisHere
TABN.com Citizen
Posts: 191
Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 8:25 pm

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by TheEndisHere »

Sitting here waiting until midnight Thursday/ Friday for the rest of the songs to download on my itunes.

User avatar
RevenantGB
TABN.com Citizen
Posts: 194
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 10:04 am
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by RevenantGB »

Planning on writing a lengthy post here! Can't wait to listen.
Let this be an exercise in how to face your fears
Step into the realm of madness if you dare, my dear

abw1987
Blood Machines
Posts: 8967
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:27 am
Location: Flipadelphia
Contact:

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by abw1987 »

Thanks for starting this thread! The AB VI Studio/Recording thread has run its course many times over. :lol

Looking forward to sharing my thoughts – USPS shows my order arriving Thursday. :headbang
Image

User avatar
anguyen92
Expert Comma Negotiator
Posts: 10359
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:31 pm
Location: California

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by anguyen92 »

Well, I got a tracking number for the order, but USPS says the following: "Label Created, not yet in system.
A status update is not yet available on your Priority Mail® package. It will be available when the shipper provides an update or the package is delivered to USPS. Check back soon."

I shouldn't have ordered my bundle at the relative last minute so this is what happens.

The Dissident
White Knuckled
Posts: 230
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 4:13 pm

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by The Dissident »

Will post my track by track review here when I get to listen.

User avatar
VigilantSteve
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 749
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:21 am
Location: WV

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by VigilantSteve »

Of course the one time I decide to just buy the album digitally they send out the hard copies earlier!

Excited for Friday, nonetheless!

ToNsOFuN88
Isolated
Posts: 480
Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:43 pm

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by ToNsOFuN88 »

Ok, so here is my assessment of multiple listens. I'm just going to come right out the gate and say that, overall, this album is the Fortress equivalent for the people that didn't want alot of metal/heavier songs. Tons of melody, and overall great songwriting in a mostly hardrock fashion. That is not to say they don't have some heavy tracks. We already got a taste from the singles of some heavy headbanging riffs. The pre-verse riff for Native Son is no exception. Plenty of things to head bang to. Having said that, the overall "heavy" of the album brings me back to the days of Blackbird and ABIII (maybe even a few moments of ODR). Very melody driven. Here is my track by track review of the unreleased songs.

One life - a good introduction to the album. That's it and that's all. Not really meant to be played on repeat, but it sets up the album nicely.

Godspeed - immediate curveball to the AB we are used to. Starts out with a nice piano melody and some almost modern pop song synth following close behind. This song makes me think of an 80's power ballad with the combination of the synth and the rhythm of the guitar strumming. It has Journey written all over it. One of their non-ballad songs though. Still kind of ballad like for other bands, but not Journey because that's just their sound.

Native Son - heaviest riff on the album. Grower for me, but my least favorite of the unheard. That doesn't mean it's bad though, because it's awesome.

Indoctrination - main riff reminds me of a "My Own Prison" type of a riff. Slow and chugging, kind of like a Flying Monkeys tempo. Great song. Bmarsh shines in this song.

The Bitter End - The beginning of the best part of the album for me. Super melodic and singable. Somehow classic AB but still something we've never heard before. One of the songs that brings me back to Blackbird and ABIII. First one that really stuck with me on first listen, like "ok this is one of the highlights". This will make you feel better about "length equaling quality" thing people assume. It's the shortest song in the album besides One Life, yet it's one of the best of the album. (EDIT: This is the one with no solo I was thinking of from the Forever Falling section. Another side note, this is now my second favorite chorus of the album. )

Forever Falling - Might be my favorite song on the album. Mark absolutely kills his vocals, and delivers in a way he never has before, in both the verses and the ending of the bridge. Uses some of his higher range. The chorus is my favorite on the whole album. It's so singable, and surprising. I've heard the chord progression a million times, but never with Myles' delivery, and it absolutely makes a difference. I'm really big on guitar solos, and I didn't even notice it was missing one because I was enjoying the song so much. Album highlight for me. (EDIT: I got mixed up, this does have a guitar solo..... and it's awesome.)

Clear Horizon - amazing song. I've heard reviews describe it as a ballad, but I disagree. It's got alot of heaviness and darkness, but its still very melodic. Looking forward to listening more, and I KNOW it will click better than first listen. It's one of those ones you need to digest.

Walking on the Sky - almost has some Breaking Benjamin vibes maybe? Has qualities of an AB epic (in particular about what is considered "epic") but not quite for me. Amazing song and another one that will take some digesting. Softer verses, and and heavier chorus. Bound to be a favorite from the album.

Tearing Us Apart - another personal highlight for me. Unique for AB, but has a really 2000s swagger to it. I've stated in other posts that I felt it could fit as a more uplifting song on Sum 41's Chuck album. Super catchy, and another one of the highlight choruses on the album. Love it.

That's my initial take on the new songs. Makes the singles even better in context with the new songs. I see alot of people who are nervous about the album being pleasantly surprised. Definitely tops TLH for me at the least, and I like TLH.
Last edited by ToNsOFuN88 on Wed Oct 16, 2019 12:10 am, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
SHEAKENBAKEN
BACON
Posts: 9402
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:27 pm
Location: TABN

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

My initial impressions of the album in terms of favorite to least favorite track...

Forever Falling
Dying Light
Indoctrination
Native Son
Clear Horizon
Walking On The Sky
Godspeed
The Bitter End
Tear Us Apart
Wouldn't You Rather
In The Deep
Take The Crown
Pay No Mind
One Life

ToNsOFuN88
Isolated
Posts: 480
Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:43 pm

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by ToNsOFuN88 »

Ok, so i've never been one of the first on forum to get the album and give initial thoughts, so I'm interested to see. After more plays, Forever Falling is definitely the best song on the album. Shea seems to agree. I just want to see how this trend plays out as more people hear the album and give their thoughts. Can't wait to see everyone's reactions!

User avatar
AB23
Still Remains
Posts: 7824
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:04 am
Location: I honestly don't know

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by AB23 »

Extremely disappointed to say that it's my least favorite album of theirs. I went in with the expectation that the singles were going to be the worst songs on the album, but I'll be quite honest, a lot of them felt interchangeable. I think it's missing one or two epics. Every song feels generic, and almost radio-friendly on some. Very few memorable parts.

The worst part were my biggest fears coming in: Myles voice. On TLH, they overdubbed it and produced the F out of it to where Myles sounded like he was talking simultaneously with a robot. Here you have one of the best voices in the industry, and you don't let his attribute shine? Are you not confident in his voice anymore? Even worse, is he not confident in his voice anymore?

The Bitter End, Dying Light, and Tear Us Apart were the 3 best on the album, but none of those 3 are not as high on the list at TLH or TSOF from the last album. Nor are any of them higher than Achilles, Lover, Waters Rising, Calm the Fire, and Fortress on the one previous. Maybe this album is missing those two lengthy songs from being great? Maybe those two epic, long songs bring the rest of the catalogue up in quality? I don't know.

Here is my honest opinion: They rushed it. My least favorite albums are ABIII, this one, and TLH. All three of those albums were rushed lyrically and melodically. I remember them taking a very long time with Fortress and I remember them doing it with Blackbird. Not this one. This one almost feels like they were (1) trying to make as much money as possible with this album by having as many singles as possible with as many short songs as possible, or (2) desperate to get SOMETHING done this year because they didn't have time or wanted to keep the 3-year tradition alive. That's what it feels like. Just a ton of songs I wouldn't be surprised to hear on the radio.

Unfortunately, I've slowly been coming to the realization that this band is moving in a different direction than I like. They're gaining new fans and leaving old ones, essentially. That's fine. I wish them the best of luck. But it's sad that my favorite band in my entire life has stopped making music I truly enjoy more than any other competition. Now, I can't say that I think they do. It's not a bad thing, I mean, music is subjective. It's just depressing for me.
Image

ToNsOFuN88
Isolated
Posts: 480
Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:43 pm

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by ToNsOFuN88 »

AB23 wrote:Extremely disappointed to say that it's my least favorite album of theirs. I went in with the expectation that the singles were going to be the worst songs on the album, but I'll be quite honest, a lot of them felt interchangeable. I think it's missing one or two epics. Every song feels generic, and almost radio-friendly on some. Very few memorable parts.

The worst part were my biggest fears coming in: Myles voice. On TLH, they overdubbed it and produced the F out of it to where Myles sounded like he was talking simultaneously with a robot. Here you have one of the best voices in the industry, and you don't let his attribute shine? Are you not confident in his voice anymore? Even worse, is he not confident in his voice anymore?

The Bitter End, Dying Light, and Tear Us Apart were the 3 best on the album, but none of those 3 are not as high on the list at TLH or TSOF from the last album. Nor are any of them higher than Achilles, Lover, Waters Rising, Calm the Fire, and Fortress on the one previous. Maybe this album is missing those two lengthy songs from being great? Maybe those two epic, long songs bring the rest of the catalogue up in quality? I don't know.

Here is my honest opinion: They rushed it. My least favorite albums are ABIII, this one, and TLH. All three of those albums were rushed lyrically and melodically. I remember them taking a very long time with Fortress and I remember them doing it with Blackbird. Not this one. This one almost feels like they were (1) trying to make as much money as possible with this album by having as many singles as possible with as many short songs as possible, or (2) desperate to get SOMETHING done this year because they didn't have time or wanted to keep the 3-year tradition alive. That's what it feels like. Just a ton of songs I wouldn't be surprised to hear on the radio.

Unfortunately, I've slowly been coming to the realization that this band is moving in a different direction than I like. They're gaining new fans and leaving old ones, essentially. That's fine. I wish them the best of luck. But it's sad that my favorite band in my entire life has stopped making music I truly enjoy more than any other competition. Now, I can't say that I think they do. It's not a bad thing, I mean, music is subjective. It's just depressing for me.
Well damn. That is the exact opposite of my feelings on the album. Sorry you don't like it man, I know how it feels waiting on an album to not like it.

DCooper727
TABN.com Citizen
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed May 27, 2015 12:11 pm

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by DCooper727 »

Hmm. I feel like I may end up where AB23 is at, as I really enjoy all the progressive/epic elements that the band has had on TLH and Fortress, so if those elements are gone and the songs feel rushed, then I probably won't enjoy it. I still haven't heard the rest of the album, but I haven't been super positive about the 5 singles they released, either.

User avatar
axlar
Site Admin
Posts: 15805
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 4:15 am
Location: NL
Contact:

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by axlar »

ToNsOFuN88 wrote:Edit: accidentally quoted my post instead of editing.
love when that happens!
"Sing it, Stijn!"
— Myles Kennedy, during Rise Today
Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, 3 November 2013

CrowsOnAWire
TABN.com Citizen
Posts: 141
Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2019 1:54 pm
Location: London, UK

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by CrowsOnAWire »

All I’ve heard so far are the singles plus that poor quality stream of Native Son (and the 30 second samples). My initial impressions are that this album won’t have a bad song on it, it seems concise and melodic. What it seems to be missing are one or two more progressive epics (Blackbird, Fortress etc) that would probably elevate the album to a classic. I suppose Dying Light is meant to sort of be that song, but while it’s a great song, it doesn’t hit the epic heights of the two I’ve mentioned.

One other observation is that there seem to be at least 3 songs without a guitar solo (Pay No Mind, Native Son and The Bitter End). I’m hoping that it’s just these 3 songs that don’t have one!

Still really excited to hear the rest of the album, the samples sound great and it seems like the best songs haven’t yet been released which is very encouraging.

I do hope thought that on AB VII they will spend more time together. It seem like this album is more concise because they didn’t have time to build out the songs.

User avatar
Arctic
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 627
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:56 am

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by Arctic »

Going by the 30 second previews, I’m really liking what I’m hearing from Godspeed and Forever Falling especially. For a split second I thought it was the Myles part of Forever Falling, Marks vocals are on point.
Image

SedyBenoitPeace
Brand New Start
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 11:08 am

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by SedyBenoitPeace »

AB23 wrote:Extremely disappointed to say that it's my least favorite album of theirs. I went in with the expectation that the singles were going to be the worst songs on the album, but I'll be quite honest, a lot of them felt interchangeable. I think it's missing one or two epics. Every song feels generic, and almost radio-friendly on some. Very few memorable parts.

The worst part were my biggest fears coming in: Myles voice. On TLH, they overdubbed it and produced the F out of it to where Myles sounded like he was talking simultaneously with a robot. Here you have one of the best voices in the industry, and you don't let his attribute shine? Are you not confident in his voice anymore? Even worse, is he not confident in his voice anymore?

The Bitter End, Dying Light, and Tear Us Apart were the 3 best on the album, but none of those 3 are not as high on the list at TLH or TSOF from the last album. Nor are any of them higher than Achilles, Lover, Waters Rising, Calm the Fire, and Fortress on the one previous. Maybe this album is missing those two lengthy songs from being great? Maybe those two epic, long songs bring the rest of the catalogue up in quality? I don't know.

Here is my honest opinion: They rushed it. My least favorite albums are ABIII, this one, and TLH. All three of those albums were rushed lyrically and melodically. I remember them taking a very long time with Fortress and I remember them doing it with Blackbird. Not this one. This one almost feels like they were (1) trying to make as much money as possible with this album by having as many singles as possible with as many short songs as possible, or (2) desperate to get SOMETHING done this year because they didn't have time or wanted to keep the 3-year tradition alive. That's what it feels like. Just a ton of songs I wouldn't be surprised to hear on the radio.

Unfortunately, I've slowly been coming to the realization that this band is moving in a different direction than I like. They're gaining new fans and leaving old ones, essentially. That's fine. I wish them the best of luck. But it's sad that my favorite band in my entire life has stopped making music I truly enjoy more than any other competition. Now, I can't say that I think they do. It's not a bad thing, I mean, music is subjective. It's just depressing for me.
While reading your post I remember of something that I wrote on Reddit last week if I recall correctly, here is by the way:

"I believe that as fans we have to deal with reality.

This album is here only cause probably is in the deal with Napalm Records to have something every 3 years, and I can't find any other explanation to the "strange" recording process.

Now congratulations to the guys that managed to get some amazing songs (I enjoy what I'm hearing from the singles) also without "properly" spending time together in studio but for me this is simply not right!

I'm saying that record an album without being in studio together is not something that a band should do, it's simply against the concept of band from my point of view.

Look at the interviews for example Mark and Myles talk only about how they recorded the various pieces while they were on tour, I mean did Brian and/or Scott did something? Of course they did but they're just in the shadows, you can notice also on the youtube video for the record, you see only Myles and Mark talking and then in some snippets Brian recording some bass lines.

What I want to tell is that probably the album was rushed by external factors (Record Label) and probably the time was simply not right.

Bear in mind that also if it seems I'm not attacking the band by any means, I'm happy to see new music, but of course I lowered my expectations in terms of quality thanks to all the things that I outlined above :)

I can define myself also a "new fan" cause for example I really enjoy "The Last Hero" (is the first I album where I lived the release process) also if maybe is too long, then yeah no pun intended against the new albums from the guys (that is something that a lot of Alter Bridge fans have in this sub and/or facebook groups)."


Beside that, I still haven't listened to the album (despite the pre-order here in Europe anything came early) then I'll wait, but I think that it was rushed as I stated on my post and AB23 said.

User avatar
GazEd
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 746
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:04 pm
Location: Russia

Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by GazEd »

I have seen Flip in a couple of interviews.

Haven't they always been quiet anyway?
Image
I saw lation
Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, 3 November 2013
Helsingin Jäähalli, Helsinki, 14 November 2019

Post Reply