Over their last couple of records, they have been trending heavier, adding in more metal to their original sound. I haven't been particularly fond of that move, both because I think they work better as a rock band, but also because it blurs the lines and makes it less clear why the Tremonti side-project needs to exist. So when the singles to this album started coming, and they hinted at a return to a sound more reminiscent of "AB III", I was excited.
That doesn't mean Alter Bridge is softening up, it just means they aren't packing their songs with as many notes. The bouncing, down-tuned riff anchoring "Wouldn't You Rather" is still incredibly heavy, but there's enough space for the riff to establish some groove. A lot of this record is more for bouncing your foot than banging your head, and that's not a bad thing at all. It also sets up interesting possibilities, like on "In The Deep", where the metal picking is saved for the chorus, which is a reversal of the way songs are usually constructed. It catches your attention, and from there the battle is made much easier.
Some might be nervous about the introduction of keyboards on this record. "Godspeed" opens with a riff buoyed by a synth, but we're not talking about a "Jump" situation. They aren't domineering, or shrill, and they don't distract from what Mark and Myles are doing with their guitars. They merely give the band another layer of texture to play with, which opens up new opportunities.
I mentioned "AB III" earlier, and as this album unfolds, the comparison between the two grows stronger. Both albums have Alter Bridge playing low-tuned, really heavy rock songs that still have plenty of melodies. That being my favorite Alter Bridge album doesn't hurt when it comes to this one's appeal. Like that album, this one has heaviness, groove, and big melodies, which I've always considered the basis of Alter Bridge's sound. They got away from that, especially on "Fortress", so it's nice to hear them getting back to rocking like this.
Alter Bridge is absolutely one of the best modern rock bands, and this album is them nearly at their best, but it does still have the one flaw most of their records do; it's too long. Clocking in at just over an hour, I do find myself wishing it was ten minutes or so shorter, not because any of the songs aren't up to par, but just because long records have been getting harder and harder for me to sit through. A forty-five minute record will get more repeated plays than a sixty minute one. It's simply harder to find the time to properly listen to a full hour of an album.
There comes a point where we enact the law of diminishing returns. Are the songs at the end of the record lesser than those at the start? I don't think so, but they can sometimes feel that way, because the thirteenth track treading similar ground can't have the same impact as the first or second. If "Clear Horizon" had been placed in the early part of the track listing, and "Godspeed" the latter, I expect my initial reaction to both would have been reversed. They are both excellent tracks, but one was able to hit me with fresher ears.
Length aside, "Walk The Sky" finds Alter Bridge in a good place, once again delivering powerful modern rock that moves the genre forward, both in quality and nuance. There is a depth to their music few bands of this kind have, more musical than most are capable of, and more philosophical than any want to be. For me, they haven't quite matched their magnum opus, but they've come close, and that's more than good enough. "Walk The Sky" is everything it needs to be.
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