Alter Bridge – Walk The Sky
Release Date: October 18, 2019 via Napalm Records
11 October 2019
Alter Bridge is set to release their new album – Walk The Sky on October 18th. I’ll tell you something.. these guys have completed a 14 song jewel. In fact, there are so many nuances in the songs, Walk The Sky sits nicely on top of my list of favorite Alter Bridge records. It’s almost like they’ve taken the best characteristics of their former albums and focused on writing and recording a powerful-but subtle in the right places, record. I’ll explain.
The first abbreviated track, One Life sets up the album sort of like the way a movie begins with theme music to introduce the mood. Wouldn’t You Rather is that classic Alter Bridge sound. Guitars that chug along with drummer Scott Phillips kick drum. Thick, low end bass guitar, soaring guitar solos and chorus harmony vocals that will resonate with every fan. Hell of a way to start the album.
The next two songs took me on a trip that I didn’t expect to go on. Let me preface this next part by saying – what I’m about to write doesn’t mean that, I think the band sounds like the following artists. I was joyfully reminded of a certain sound or era of rock music. An era that I find myself missing and listening to from time to time. I realize I’m taking a big risk here by putting a hard rock band like Alter Bridge in the same, well not ball park, let’s say the National League, with some of the bands I’m going to mention. This is simply by the sound and feel of the next couple of songs but hopefully you’ll pick up what I’m laying down. Now, moving on..
There was a sound in the late 70’s and more specifically the early 80’s that I love. I’m talking about the album oriented rock (AOR) sound of bands like Journey, Autograph, Night Ranger, etc. As I was previewing this album the following two songs peaked my interest by not only being killer songs but made me think that if bands like those I mentioned above were dominating radio today like they did back in that era, this is what I think they could very well sound like.
Ten seconds in on the song In The Deep is where this journey started for me. It just had that AOR sound. When they go into the chorus, singer Myles Kennedy harmonizes brilliantly over Tremonti’s guitar riff that would surely make Neal Schon smile. Luckily for me the AOR bliss did not end there. The next song on our throwback road trip, Godspeed, has that head bobbing, straight kick groove going on and I love it. Tremonti’s double’s on the guitar strings fill out the sound between the bass drum hits. Like I said before, it just has that early 80’s rock feel, the kind that was around before the hair metal explosion.
The next song starts with subtle guitar picking and hums that could be straight off of Human Clay. Then the power. The power of Brian Marshall’s bass combined with what is my favorite drum track on the record gives us an unbelievable segue back to the current sound of AB. Vocally, my favorite part of the song is in the choruses. I’m such a fan of the way the notes of the “whoa’s” are sung. I would say this is probably the song I have revisited the most on the album so far.
The album doesn’t really have a lull spot for me. Songs like Indoctrination and The Bitter End keep my brain engaged with their dark tones and unique drum patterns, respectively. Forever Falling marks a return to lead vocal for Tremonti, with Kennedy taking on chorus responsibilities. They combine for one of the stronger tracks on the album. The changes from full time to half time set this song up for multiple listens.
The record’s finale is Dying Light. I haven’t talked about lyrical content but there is sort of an introspective feel on this entire album. Some of those feelings can be understandably dark but I also feel a glimmer of hope, even within some of the darkest places of the record. I’ll leave it up to you to interpret what Kennedy is trying to get across but taking a look at a lyric in the last song: I think this really sums up what I meant about a glimmer of hope in dark places.
In the dying light
We can begin
To live again
When we wake up to eternal life
You can also watch the album review on YouTube below.
8/10
-Tommy Marz
You can follow Tommy on Twitter and let him know what you think.
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