Walk The Sky

Product Information

A second single, "Pay No Mind", was released on July 25, 2019, with four further singles, "Take the Crown", "In the Deep", "Dying Light", and "Godspeed" later released. It does stand out for an obvious reason, the message is powerful and the guitars, together with Myles’ voice are just something to absolutely cherish. It is an understatement to say that it was a surprise when this song came out before the official release of the album as the fifth one to tease the fans. In terms of highlights on the album, the slower, ballad-type songs continue to be AB’s strongest offerings.

The falsetto at the beginning of the song is the one that gives me goosebumps and the chorus that Myles is taking over is absolutely catchy. Considering that these men all have to eat at the end of the day in a market which is becoming increasingly saturated, this move is somewhat justified. Ultimately, 'WTS' offers perfectly competent hard rock that is almost certain to satisfy long-term fans.

Indeed after listening through a few more times, I became convinced that this would become one of my favorite AB records. The Sound Vapors Podcast was launched in November of 2018 and listeners can hear interviews with some of their favorite musicians, actors, actresses and people in the world of sports. I’m talking about the album oriented rock (AOR) sound of bands like Journey, Autograph, Night Ranger, etc.

It includes seven tracks with one new track titled "Last Rites" and six live versions of songs from Walk the Sky. Mark Tremonti remains one of the finest and most explosive guitarists in rock, and any album he’s involved in will squeal like a rat in a gangster movie. One only has to listen to the first three AB records to realize that, as a group AB delivered superior performances like the seminal 'Blackbird' several years prior to most of the aforementioned side-project experiences even took place. But in terms of producing a superior rock record that manages to combine a sense of modernity with being fully briefed on the heritage from which it is formed, Walk The Sky is hard to beat.Myles’ vocals generally sound closer to the classic AB sound as opposed to the 'The Last Hero', where his performance mimicked the ‘classic glam-rock’ style he employs when partnering with Slash. 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. The Bitter End', 'Godspeed' and particularly 'Dying Light' competently capture the melancholic, yet somehow uplifting essence of classic AB tracks like 'Watch Over You' and 'In Loving Memory'.

The album's cover art was designed by Dan Tremonti, brother of guitarist Mark Tremonti; its packaging was designed by Sturge Media and Janus Music Mgmt. Furthermore, I think it plausible that AB are purposefully tuning their style to target a commercial sound that will receive more radio play. I found it perplexing that such talented and well-experienced musicians would tone down the quality of their writing and playing at this stage of their careers after extensive work in other acts and gaining significant tour experience.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. This ultimately led me to the simple conclusion that 'WTS' fails to demonstrate the significant potential that AB possesses as a band, while also never really offering any of the members an opportunity to truly stand out and shine, with the possible exception of Myles. Still, with constant touring of Myles Kennedy with his solo record and Slash and the Conspirators, with Mark’s solo band Tremonti, they found time to work on new material.

In doing so, the band understand that power is nothing without control; when the music is reined in, as it is on parts of the Soundgarden-esque Walking On The Sky – not in the sky, you’ll notice, but on it – they purr like a finely tuned engine popping out for a pint of milk and a paper. I would be surprised if this one did not make it to the setlist for live shows, but as it happens, sometimes the most epic songs are not to be played live. I was looking forward very much to this new synth vibe and hearing it play out with the classic Alter Bridge style. It’s the kind of thing that would be summoned up by a full-throated Ronnie James Dio during a gig at which he’d do battle with an aluminium sword against a fiberglass dragon that breathed smoke from the back of the stage. The EP features a new studio track, "Last Rites", written, recorded and completed entirely during the COVID-19 lockdown, and six live tracks taken from their American Victorious Sky Tour.The next song on our throwback road trip, Godspeed, has that head bobbing, straight kick groove going on and I love it. And when I realized that the sound at the beginning which seems to be a guitar is actually Myles doing wonders with his voice, that’s when my mouth literally hit the floor. Alter Bridge guitar hero Mark Tremonti reflects on some of the most important songs of his life (spoiler: he really, really likes Metallica). It’s been three years since the last Alter Bridge album, The Last Hero, and the need and anticipation for another Alter Bridge masterpiece was so out there. There is an argument to be made that a more varied pace might have made the overall feel of the album slightly less uniform.