First of all - I love the album, I listened twice all the way through and many times to single songs - I think this is a really fantastic album, I had really tears in my eyes listening to it the first time because I liked it so much. There is so much variety, so much going on, so many really different songs, so many heavy but still melodic ones and still some songs that are just classic AB - bravo.
I totally understand that some people don't like it, as somebody said correctly there will never be an album they release the whole fanbase likes because AB did so many different songs already that everyone has got there preferred AB style in a way.
BUT I totally don't see how one can think this album is generic and AB "just wanted to do generic songs to become more mainstream" as I've read it (similarly).
Someone wrote this:
"I can’t think of one song from this album that even compares to ABIII. What on here compares to Words are Darker, Isolation, Ghosts of Days, core de lean and so on. None of this does. It sounds like AB has become like every other commercial rock band trying to score a hit by changing their sound to be more commercial. I cant understand a comparison to that album. This album is their absolute worst effort to date."
Please just try not to state your opinion as a fact. For me Isolation doesn't come close to my favorites on WTS and I also prefer songs from this album over Ghosts or Coeur d'Alene. I definetely prefer WTS over ABIII - even though I understand that it might be too early for most people to say this. ANd some will see it differently and that's fine. But please don't state your opinion as a fact and let others see it differently without basically labelling their taste as wrong.
This album - no matter if you like it or not - is not in any way more generic than their previous ones in my opinion.
I think this still has a lot to do with people knowing about the song lengths and how the album was put together. No epics - fine, I also don't like this fact. But some seem to be really prejudiced because of that and the song lenghts that this album was just put together without any effort to get something out there. The album doesn't sound like it at all, but this is just my opinion.
But seriously, Native Son, Indoctrination, Clear Horizon, Forever Falling, Walking on the Sky are definitely, even though they might be too short for some people, no generic Rock or Metal songs...
And also Godspeed for instance - it is a very special unique song imo, I can see why people don't like it that much, but it is also not a song that I would call generic in any way - quite the opposite.
I personally also LOVE Tear us Apart. It is, as well as The Bitter End, not in any way more generic or mainstream than Watch Over You, Wonderful Life, All Ends Well, YWBR, My Champion etc. etc. etc.
Again, I totally understand if someone doesn't like the album and I actually feel really for them for waiting such a long time and being so disappointed.
I just find it a bit unfair to say that AB just wanted to create something, no matter if it is cool or not, to get some generic songs out there. Just because the songs are rather short and there could be some more guitar solos on it.
BTW Does anyone else get extreme Rammstein vibes listening to Indoctrination? Especially the first minute sounds so Rammstein like to my ears that I really have the feeling that AB could have been inspired by them.
I would have never thought that an AB song might have similarities with Rammstein, I LOVE how varied this album is.