Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

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GazEd
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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by GazEd »

Ubik wrote:Me during the verses of Godspeed

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gbruin
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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by gbruin »

GazEd wrote:
Ubik wrote:Me during the verses of Godspeed

Image
Quoted for agreement and joining in
Yeah. Same. I want in on this.


Someone wrote that this specific song had a Journey-esque vibe to it (and I LOOOVE Journey) and I think that's a good description for what I think Losing Patience was maybe getting at when he called this a pop album. I don't think it's pop, but it does have some arena rock elements. They're subtle enough that they work better than they did on TLH (My Champion, Losing Patience, Poison In Your Veins). I like the addition. The synthy songs are more cohesive with the heavier songs here than they were(n't) on TLH.
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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by scarecrow »

"And then the days they ran out" is such a gut punch of a line. Damn...

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by Lenishere »

So I'm always super late to this, but I just have to comment quickly on my overall thoughts about this album.

First off, just have to say it - The Last Hero is probably my least favorite album. Something about it didn't connect with me as well as the other albums did. And I think I figured out essentially what that is.

I connect more to the personal themes the band writes about - that's just who I am. It's why I identify with ABIII so much- it's a personal journey and not only did I identify with it but it seemed more genuine to Myles in the lyrics. Therefore it connects to me further. And that's essentially what we have with Walk The Sky.

AB has always been a band that gets me through the worst of times. I can't even begin to express how many times this band's music has lifted me when I felt down. I still remember being depressed in high school sitting in my room listening to Life Must Go On (I know, it's not a favorite but it meant a lot to me at the time) and feeling like I could get through the tough times. It's truly why they are my favorite band. I have such a personal connection to the music.

Within the last year or so I've been having an existential crisis - wondering if what's out there after we pass on is really out there. I feared aging, I feared sickness, I feared death. I was having panic attacks and after the ending of a long term relationship that threw me into a state of not knowing where to go in life anymore and not know my purpose - it only made things worse.

As if the band knew my feelings and read my mind, they released this album. And it speaks to me and heals me just like those early albums did ten or more years ago. I understand it's a mixed reaction for people here, but songs like The Bitter End sets my mind at ease and reaffirms that everything will be alright no matter what happens. This album has already meant so much to me and encouraged me to keep fighting and keep living life to the fullest regardless what lies ahead.

So regardless of the reception AB faces from this album, I have to say thank you to them - because they have helped me and probably countless others deal with this constant battle we all fight within ourselves.

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by TenaciousBe »

So after living with this album for a few days, the way I feel about it is a lot like how I feel about El Camino, the Breaking Bad movie that was released on Netflix last weekend. I feel like both are entities that didn't necessarily NEED to be made, they don't really go out and do a lot that the prior material didn't already do, but they're both very very enjoyable and I'm glad they were made. Does that make sense? With WTS, I'm loving the addition of some of that synth sound here and there, but it's not so overwhelming that I'd call it their "new sound" or anything, it's just like they threw some extra spice on it. I don't feel like it's anything terribly groundbreaking or a huge step up from anything they've ever done before (except Mark's vocals on Forever Falling, cause good god, his voice just keeps getting better and better the more he uses it), but it's something I can see myself listening to and enjoying for years to come.
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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by fix »

Lenishere wrote:So I'm always super late to this, but I just have to comment quickly on my overall thoughts about this album.

First off, just have to say it - The Last Hero is probably my least favorite album. Something about it didn't connect with me as well as the other albums did. And I think I figured out essentially what that is.

I connect more to the personal themes the band writes about - that's just who I am. It's why I identify with ABIII so much- it's a personal journey and not only did I identify with it but it seemed more genuine to Myles in the lyrics. Therefore it connects to me further. And that's essentially what we have with Walk The Sky.

AB has always been a band that gets me through the worst of times. I can't even begin to express how many times this band's music has lifted me when I felt down. I still remember being depressed in high school sitting in my room listening to Life Must Go On (I know, it's not a favorite but it meant a lot to me at the time) and feeling like I could get through the tough times. It's truly why they are my favorite band. I have such a personal connection to the music.

Within the last year or so I've been having an existential crisis - wondering if what's out there after we pass on is really out there. I feared aging, I feared sickness, I feared death. I was having panic attacks and after the ending of a long term relationship that threw me into a state of not knowing where to go in life anymore and not know my purpose - it only made things worse.

As if the band knew my feelings and read my mind, they released this album. And it speaks to me and heals me just like those early albums did ten or more years ago. I understand it's a mixed reaction for people here, but songs like The Bitter End sets my mind at ease and reaffirms that everything will be alright no matter what happens. This album has already meant so much to me and encouraged me to keep fighting and keep living life to the fullest regardless what lies ahead.

So regardless of the reception AB faces from this album, I have to say thank you to them - because they have helped me and probably countless others deal with this constant battle we all fight within ourselves.
So great to hear what AB’s music means to you! All the songs songs resonate differently with everyone.
But hearing how it makes you feel and how it helps you makes me appreciate every song for what it is, although I might like it less.
Wish you all the best! :)

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by CrowsOnAWire »

https://www.billboard.com/articles/colu ... lk-the-sky
Singer-guitarist Myles Kennedy has found what he jokes is “new software" that helps him navigate life.
Although Alter Bridge’s third album, AB III, has been in the rearview mirror for nine years, the emotional odyssey that it captured is far from over.

The 2010 record -- which featured the Billboard top five Mainstream Rock Songs hits “Isolation” and “Ghost of Days Gone By” -- was the first time the band had veered into darker lyrical territory like spiritual conflict and personal desolation. Singer-guitarist Myles Kennedy describes AB III as a journey of someone who “has a lot of doubt regarding faith in particular, or a lack of faith, and the things that we were raised to believe as absolute truths, and suddenly realizing that that might not be the case.”

Recording AB III was a “pretty dark period” where he questioned a lot of things that he had been raised to believe. Now, Alter Bridge’s sixth album, Walk the Sky (which arrived Oct. 18 on Napalm Records) documents that journey’s progression. Fortunately, Kennedy has discovered what he laughingly calls “new software that seems to work and help me navigate through life. And it feels good.”

He recalls that while he was raised in a very religious household, seeing the PBS series The Power of Myth as a teen set him on a path to realizing that there are other perspectives about life. “I think that, after nearly 30 years of looking into some of that stuff and trying to understand it and reading books, I finally found something that worked for me that really made sense,” the frontman says. “To keep it simple, a lot of it leans toward Eastern philosophies and the idea of living in the moment and being very present.”

Guitarist and fellow songwriter Mark Tremonti liked the thematic direction Kennedy was following because, to him, “faith and religion and finding positivity in your life, it’s more of an existential thing.” His outlook on spirituality is, even if one doesn’t believe in God, one should “at least believe in something good and positive, and try to make the best out of your life and your surroundings.”

That might surprise fans of Creed, since Tremonti’s former band was tagged a Christian act -- a situation that was conflicting for him because he “grew up a heavy-metal kid -- and then you find yourself in a band where the lyricist is spitting out Christian-style lyrics.” Creed singer Scott Stapp’s father used to have him write essays about Bible verses, and Stapp would put them into lyrics, and it “kind of pigeonholed us into being this Christian band.”

“I don’t believe in organized religion,” Tremonti explains. “We have people on such opposite sides of the fence in every religion, and in politics as well. I like to just kind of accept everybody and look for the positive in everything as much as I can and not be bogged down by any kind of strict rules.”

The spiritual backdrop of Walk the Sky doesn’t mean that Alter Bridge doesn’t shred some serious hard rock -- but another unexpected influence appeared. Tremonti was in a friend’s car listening to satellite radio when he heard “Tech Noir” by British synth-wave act Gunship. He texted it to Kennedy, writing it was one of the best songs he had heard in a long time. Kennedy agreed, so Tremonti “started chasing down that kind of mood on a couple of the tunes.”

Kennedy thinks other bands have felt a similar influence due to Netflix’s Stranger Things and its soundtrack drawing from his generation’s upbringing, “when there were especially a lot of the John Carpenter films, who would use the synthesizers.” Alter Bridge was shooting for “adding that eerie element to certain songs or to a song like [second single] ‘Pay No Mind,’ which is more of a riff-based song, but adding that element takes it into a whole new territory.”

Indeed, “Pay No Mind” opens with a thick synth vibe. Keyboards also introduce music like the slightly midtempo “The Bitter End” and “Godspeed,” and percolate in the background of such cuts as the fiery “Take the Crown” and “Indoctrination,” which has a menacing tone. But there’s plenty of the rafter-ripping guitars that Alter Bridge fans crave: see the body-slammers “Clear Horizon” and first single “Wouldn’t You Rather,” the band’s 10th top 20 hit on Mainstream Rock Songs.

“It’s always been part of what we do,” says Tremonti of Alter Bridge’s intense dual-guitar approach. When he and Kennedy are writing, they consider what will be fun to perform night after night. “A lot of times, [it’s] the heavier stuff; it’s fun.”

Whenever Kennedy and Tremonti compose, they sometimes don’t land on the same creative page. But “if we were always in absolute agreement, I think that there would be a lack of creative tension that ends up defining a band,” says Kennedy. He attributes Alter Bridge sticking together for 15 years because if he doesn’t get one of Tremonti’s ideas, he’ll say, “‘OK, well, let’s see how this plays out,’ and vice versa, and then you let things blossom. If someone really believes in something, then let ’em run it up the flagpole and see what happens. Often times, it ends up turning out to be great.”

But Tremonti can’t resist attempting to pull a fast one over his bandmate. “When I try to play mind games on Myles, I’ll play him an idea, and if he doesn’t get it immediately, I’ll come back two weeks later and be like, ‘Hey, I got this new idea…” he says, laughing.

Another element in their songwriting success is the ever-present Michael “Elvis” Baskette: Walk the Sky is the fifth Alter Bridge album he has produced. Kennedy’s relationship with him goes back even farther, for they met when Baskette was working under producer Peter Collins (Queensryche, Rush) on 2001 album Second Skin for The Mayfield Four, Kennedy’s old band. “The tones [Baskette] gets, the performances he pulls out with us … The trust we have in somebody is a very personal thing,” says Tremonti. "Writing music, it’s hard to bring somebody else in. It’s like letting somebody read your diary."

One of the guitar parts that comes sawing through “Wouldn’t You Rather” was borne of frustration after Baskette told Kennedy, “You gotta bring it, bro,” because they needed a song with a certain feel to fill out the album. It was a soft-spoken tongue-lashing, jokes Kennedy.

“The thing that Mark and I really like about him is he knows how to drive the best out of us,” he says, comparing Baskette to legendary director Stanley Kubrick when it comes to tapping into an artist’s psyche to extract what’s needed. “There’s stories of when he did The Shining with Shelley Duvall. He was brutal to her psychologically. Like he would just play with her mind because he wanted her to be all worked up, so he understood the psychological element of getting the best out of his actors.”

Kennedy and Tremonti also give props to engineer Jeff Moll, Baskette’s literally silent right-hand man. “He’s a quiet guy. That’s probably why we don’t talk about him much, because he’s just very hard-working,” observes Tremonti, before adding with a chuckle, “But he’s the perfect Ed McMahon to Elvis’ Johnny Carson.”


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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by ToNsOFuN88 »

Lenishere wrote:So I'm always super late to this, but I just have to comment quickly on my overall thoughts about this album.

First off, just have to say it - The Last Hero is probably my least favorite album. Something about it didn't connect with me as well as the other albums did. And I think I figured out essentially what that is.

I connect more to the personal themes the band writes about - that's just who I am. It's why I identify with ABIII so much- it's a personal journey and not only did I identify with it but it seemed more genuine to Myles in the lyrics. Therefore it connects to me further. And that's essentially what we have with Walk The Sky.

AB has always been a band that gets me through the worst of times. I can't even begin to express how many times this band's music has lifted me when I felt down. I still remember being depressed in high school sitting in my room listening to Life Must Go On (I know, it's not a favorite but it meant a lot to me at the time) and feeling like I could get through the tough times. It's truly why they are my favorite band. I have such a personal connection to the music.

Within the last year or so I've been having an existential crisis - wondering if what's out there after we pass on is really out there. I feared aging, I feared sickness, I feared death. I was having panic attacks and after the ending of a long term relationship that threw me into a state of not knowing where to go in life anymore and not know my purpose - it only made things worse.

As if the band knew my feelings and read my mind, they released this album. And it speaks to me and heals me just like those early albums did ten or more years ago. I understand it's a mixed reaction for people here, but songs like The Bitter End sets my mind at ease and reaffirms that everything will be alright no matter what happens. This album has already meant so much to me and encouraged me to keep fighting and keep living life to the fullest regardless what lies ahead.

So regardless of the reception AB faces from this album, I have to say thank you to them - because they have helped me and probably countless others deal with this constant battle we all fight within ourselves.
It's kind of funny, they stuff you are going through now, I was going through when ABIII come out. I wasa more aware of my inevitable end, so it started bugging me that I could never know for sure if there was a God or afterlife. I was super lonely and I had moved all the way from Ohio to Colorado, essentially isolating myself from everything I knew. I found myself longing for the past, wishing I could redo my childhood. ABIII came out right when I needed it to. In the way that WtS is healing you now, ABIII healed me. Knowing that my favorite singer was having the same issues I was, almost in an eerie fashion, because ABIII seemed like it was written specifically for me. It's not my favorite album overall musically, but it holds a special place in my heart that none of their other albums could touch. For the most part for me, Walk the Sky is just the follow up to how Myles felt all those years ago on ABIII. That's why The Bitter End hits so well with me. I too have come to terms with my morality, and even if I'll never know what's in store for me after I die, I'm just going to be the best person I can be and live my best life while I'm here. To quote the song, "but the joy I have found, in the sweet here and now, it keeps me alive."

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by Andy92 »

This may be around somewhere but I’m not sure where to look. Did Mark write the lyrics for the songs he wrote on WTS, or did he write the music and melodies while Myles wrote all the lyrics at the end?
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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by scarecrow »

Andy92 wrote:This may be around somewhere but I’m not sure where to look. Did Mark write the lyrics for the songs he wrote on WTS, or did he write the music and melodies while Myles wrote all the lyrics at the end?
I think they each wrote their own lyrics.

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

Andy92 wrote:This may be around somewhere but I’m not sure where to look. Did Mark write the lyrics for the songs he wrote on WTS, or did he write the music and melodies while Myles wrote all the lyrics at the end?
I think they mentioned that all the songs they made they wrote the entire lyric for too.

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by gregslobos »

No, Myles wrote the majority of the lyrics. Mark I know wrote Godspeed and Forever Falling. I think he writes some for his others but it's Myles for the most part.
For example, Myles wrote the lyrics for Take the Crown.

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by Andy92 »

I know in the past Mark said he generally likes letting the person who sings the song write the lyrics, so I was curious how they approached it this time around with Mark writing roughly half the album but only singing lead on one song.
anguyen92 wrote:Oh well. Deal with it.

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by prslover »

I'm getting feels from Godspeed, Native Son and Forever Falling. Takes a lot of EQ manipulation to listen to the rest but there's good songs there, just can't hear em.

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by One Drew Remains »

All good songs. I'd add Clear Horizon as well.
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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by nagpo »

Have they given details on what each song is about? I'm loving the record

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by TenaciousBe »

I'm guessing the lyrics were mostly written by whoever wrote/demo'd each song, but I don't really know. Do the writing credits in the CD liner reveal who wrote what? I haven't gotten my hands on the CD yet.
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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by anguyen92 »

TenaciousBe wrote:I'm guessing the lyrics were mostly written by whoever wrote/demo'd each song, but I don't really know. Do the writing credits in the CD liner reveal who wrote what? I haven't gotten my hands on the CD yet.
My Earbook says "All songs written by Alter Bridge." Didn't specify who wrote what.

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by scarecrow »

I think I'm finally ready to give grades. Heads up: I can be a little harsh - I was a Tomatometer-approved film critic for the past 7 years! Overall I quite like the album.

One Life: 3.5 / 5
Wouldn't You Rather: 4 / 5
In The Deep: 3 / 5
Godspeed: 3.5 / 5
Native Son: 3.5 / 5
Take The Crown: 4 / 5
Indoctrination: 3 / 5
The Bitter End: 4 / 5
Pay No Mind: 4.5 / 5
Forever Falling: 5 / 5
Clear Horizon: 2.5 / 5
Walking On The Sky: 4 / 5
Tear Us Apart: 2.5 / 5
Dying Light: 3.5 / 5

Average score: 3.6, which if I used my film rating system would be squarely in the "good" category!

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Re: Walk The Sky Reaction Thread

Post by VigilantSteve »

scarecrow wrote:I think I'm finally ready to give grades. Heads up: I can be a little harsh - I was a Tomatometer-approved film critic for the past 7 years! Overall I quite like the album.

One Life: 3.5 / 5
Wouldn't You Rather: 4 / 5
In The Deep: 3 / 5
Godspeed: 3.5 / 5
Native Son: 3.5 / 5
Take The Crown: 4 / 5
Indoctrination: 3 / 5
The Bitter End: 4 / 5
Pay No Mind: 4.5 / 5
Forever Falling: 5 / 5
Clear Horizon: 2.5 / 5
Walking On The Sky: 4 / 5
Tear Us Apart: 2.5 / 5
Dying Light: 3.5 / 5

Average score: 3.6, which if I used my film rating system would be squarely in the "good" category!
Wow...you dislike Clear Horizon that much? I would put it in my top 2 of the album with Forever Falling.

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