My first inclination when putting in Alter Bridge's latest release Walk the Sky for the first time, was that it had an uphill climb to best 2016's The Last Hero, a mighty fine album chock full of anthems and the usual brilliance we've come to expect from this band. And, after that first full listen, I was going with the opinion that Walk the Sky, while good, hadn't really reached the heights of its predecessor. However, after another four listens, that opinion is quickly changing. Walk the Sky is a slow builder, a rampaging runaway train of an album that gets better with each successive spin, the epic-ness of the songwriting revealing itself in a big way, the songs bursting with anthemic energy, and the individual performances of the band all coming together in spectacular fashion.
Mark Tremonti, Myles Kennedy and Co. offer up 14 new songs here that run the gamut of everything this band do so well, from heavy metal thunder, to arena ready hard rock, post grunge, and tender ballads, all fueled by choruses that never quit, vocals that forever soar, rhythms that quake, and guitar work that dazzles. Unforgettable hard rock fare such as "Wouldn't You Rather", "In the Deep", the bombastic "Native Son", and the near progressive metal tinged tracks "Clear Horizon" & "Take the Crown" mesh so well with melodic, ultra catchy "Godspeed" (what a chorus!), the doom laden "Indoctrination", the pop strains of "The Bitter End", and the radio ready hooks of "Tear Us Apart". The walls of guitar crunch courtesy of Tremonti & Kennedy shine throughout the album, whether it's a near thrash- like attack as on "Forever Falling" or gorgeous textures as represented on "Dying Light", every step of the way it's a pleasure.
Why Alter Bridge aren't one of the biggest rock bands in all parts of the globe remains a mystery, but now six studio albums into their career, they continue to prove why they are easily one of the premier acts to emerge on the scene over the last 15 years. Don't miss Walk the Sky...it's that damn good.
Track Listing
01. One Life
02. Wouldn't You Rather
03. In the Deep
04. Godspeed
05. Native Son
06. Take the Crown
07. Indoctrination
08. The Bitter End
09. Pay No Mind
10. Forever Falling
11. Clear Horizon
12. Walking on the Sky
13. Tear Us Apart
14. Dying Light
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