ALTER BRIDGE | Walk The Sky | Album Review

Alter Bridge are a testament of how a group of musicians can go from a band that people love to mock to a band that people respect and love. After the Creed days ended, three of the former members formed Alter Bridge with The Mayfield Four vocalist Myles Kennedy, and since them they have been on the road to success that has navigated them to brighter pastures. Six studio albums are now under the hard rock band's belt, the latest of which is "Walk The Sky". Produced and mixed by the band's longtime collaborator Michael Baskette, who has also worked with bands that have Alter Bridge members in their lineups such as Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators and Tremonti, as well as many other notable acts like Sevendust and Temple Agents, "Walk Into Sky" was planned out in a different way when compared to previous writing sessions. Usually, Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti worked with Baskette to form new ideas for, but the sessions for "Walk The Sky" was a more collaborative process with the band members themselves. Also, in an interview with Kerrang, Mark Tremonti compared the new project to a John Carpenter movie of all things, as well as mentioning that Alter Bridge is a band willing to not repeat themselves by adding different dynamics to their style. For a group of men whom have seen it all basically and have had highs and lows in their career, to see them still trying to make an album meant to stand apart from their past work is admirable and should be taken into account by other bands of their ranking.

The album opens up with three killer tracks, one of which is an introduction that only lasts for over a minute titled "One Life" that excels in opening up "Walk The Sky". Good introductory tracks like this set a very promising base of what's to come. "Wouldn't  You Rather" and "In The Deep" follow "One Life" on the tracklist, both of which were among the five pre-released songs that came out before the hour-long album, and both tracks kick the album off well. "Wouldn't You Rather" is the single currently gaining radio airplay, so far peaking inside the Top 20 on Active Rock and Mainstream Rock radio. This is the kind of track that all fans of Alter Bridge want to hear from the band. The hook in the chorus is well executed and the writing is definitely strong. Even though the guitar solo is a bit generic which is odd because Kennedy and Tremonti are talented guitarists, the song still flows well. "In The Deep" is more varied in its sound which makes it one of the best songs on the album. All the band members come together on this track to deliver something that is worth experiencing, from Myles Kennedy's vocals to the fact that the music fluctuates smoothly from soft to loud. It's clear that "In The Deep" is one of the tracks that the band spent the most time on as far as this album goes, and it's one of the tracks from this album that I'm destine to come back to often. In short, the first three tracks are proof that Alter Bridge are definitely a step above other bands in the rock limelight these days.

Looking at the rest of "Walk The Sky", it's obvious that there was effort made throughout the entirety of the album which will satisfy longtime fans of Alter Bridge. The problem I have, though, is that the first five or six tracks are the tracks that flow the best on this album because after "Take The Crown" the album really becomes hit or miss. The hits on Side B come in the form of tracks "The Bitter End" and album closer "Dying Light", but the misses are far more prevalent on this album. Most of the misses don't register so much as "misses" as they do hits that don't have as much impact. There are definite misses on this album, with "Pay No Mind" being a great example of a track that does not sit well. The melody is fine but the sampling heard in the background really takes me out of the song and makes me want to venture elsewhere on the album. "Walking On The Sky" has solid elements to it that could make it a solid song like "In The Deep" or "Take The Crown", but it doesn't register enough replay value and the solo at the end is awkward and doesn't mesh well with the song. Then, there are tracks that are simply just forgettable such as "Clear Horizon" and "Tear Us Apart", neither of which are memorable tracks although the talent clearly is there. This also includes the track  "Falling Forever" even though it has Mark Tremonti on lead vocals instead of Myles Kennedy. The weaker tracks on "Walk The Sky" prove that this album is not an affair with just home runs and no strikes, and there's nothing terrible on this album either. It's really just OK even though there are high points that appear every now and then.

And trust me, when the album does get into the high points, they absolutely suck you in. "Take The Crown" is definitely an excellent track that has a fun and anthem-centered vibe to it. Tracks such as "Godsend", "Native Son", and "The Bitter End" work in a similar fashion to "In The Deep" with varying sections and excellent hooks even though "Godsend" and "Native Son" aren't among my tracks of choice. Then, there's the album closer "Dying Light" which is quite a monolith of a song running at five minutes and forty six seconds and every element on this track works almost effortlessly. In terms of my favorite track on this entire album, it's either "In The Deep" or "Dying Light". But, I am not nearly as moved by the rest of the album as I figured I would, sans tracks such as those. This is definitely not a bad album, and in fact I'd still call it a good album because there are plenty of fantastic tracks spread throughout, but "Walk The Sky" is not one of the standout albums from Alter Bridge. It's definitely a step above other mainstream rock bands who are pumping out the same style repeatedly or making stylistic shifts that don't connect, but as an album it is really just an above average project. Overall, fans of Alter Bridge who love Myles Kennedy's powerful crooning over hard rock riffs will love "Walk The Sky" as they have everything else from the band, and there is enough on "Walk The Sky" to satisfy even the most devoted Alter Bridge fan, but the blue sky created with this album is a little overcast to contrast with the clear spots. 

RATING: 7/10

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