Walk the Sky

Last updated

Walk the Sky
Alter Bridge - Walk the Sky.png
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 18, 2019
RecordedMarch–May 2019
StudioStudio Barbarosa, Orlando, Florida
Genre
Length60:20
Label Napalm
Producer Michael Baskette
Alter Bridge chronology
Live at the Royal Albert Hall (featuring The Parallax Orchestra)
(2018)
Walk the Sky
(2019)
Walk the Sky 2.0
(2020)
Singles from Walk the Sky
  1. "Wouldn't You Rather"
    Released: June 28, 2019 [2]
  2. "Godspeed"
    Released: December 21, 2019
  3. "Native Son"
    Released: September 15, 2020
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth.net 7.5/10 [3]
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Ultimate Guitar Archive 8.3/10 [6]
Time for Metal10/10 [1]
Sonic PerspectivesStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg
Distorted SoundStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg

Walk the Sky is the sixth studio album by American rock band Alter Bridge, released on October 18, 2019 via Napalm Records. It was produced by the band's longtime collaborator Michael Baskette, who has produced all of the band's albums since 2007's Blackbird . The album's first single, "Wouldn't You Rather", was released on June 28, 2019. 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. 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. Along with the announcement of the album's release, it was also revealed that the band would embark on a European tour with Shinedown, Sevendust and the Raven Age towards the end of 2019. [7]

Contents

A deluxe edition of the album, titled Walk the Sky 2.0 , was announced on September 15, 2020 and due out on November 6, 2020 via Napalm Records. The seven-track EP consists of a brand new song, "Last Rites", plus six live favourites from Walk the Sky. [8]

It was named one of the 50 best rock albums of 2019 by Loudwire . [9]

Background

Walk the Sky was recorded from the beginning of March through to May 2019. This album was recorded differently from the band's previous record due to scheduling constraints, with vocalist Myles Kennedy and guitarist Mark Tremonti sharing their own song ideas, which were then moulded into shape alongside bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. On previous albums, Kennedy and Tremonti would combine ideas and riffs with producer Michael Baskette. [10]

"It's kinda like a John Carpenter movie — this old-school synth-wave kind of vibe," Tremonti explained in a 2019 interview with Kerrang! "Somebody might hear the record and have no idea that was intended, but for a batch of songs, I tapped into some old loops that I either created or found randomly online, and worked with them in the background to inspire me to go in a different direction. I loved working like that. We challenge ourselves to not repeat ourselves and find new inspiration to add a different layer to what we do. It's particularly challenging when you've had so many records, but when I showed Myles what I was thinking, he absolutely loved it and was on board right away." [11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alter Bridge

Standard edition
No.TitleLength
1."One Life"1:23
2."Wouldn't You Rather"3:51
3."In the Deep"3:50
4."Godspeed"4:16
5."Native Son"4:15
6."Take the Crown"4:47
7."Indoctrination"4:40
8."The Bitter End"3:44
9."Pay No Mind"4:16
10."Forever Falling"5:10
11."Clear Horizon"4:56
12."Walking on the Sky"4:55
13."Tear Us Apart"4:31
14."Dying Light"5:46
Total length:60:20
Walk the Sky 2.0 (deluxe edition)
No.TitleLength
15."Last Rites"4:07
16."Wouldn't You Rather" (Live)4:03
17."Pay No Mind" (Live)4:29
18."Native Son" (Live)4:27
19."Godspeed" (Live)4:28
20."In the Deep" (Live)4:03
21."Dying Light" (Live)5:58
Total length:91:15

Personnel

Alter Bridge

Production

Artwork

Charts

Chart (2019)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [12] 7
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [13] 3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [14] 32
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [15] 28
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [16] 27
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) [17] 69
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [18] 16
French Albums (SNEP) [19] 74
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [20] 5
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [21] 14
Irish Albums (IRMA) [22] 68
Italian Albums (FIMI) [23] 18
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [24] 98
Polish Albums (ZPAV) [25] 21
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [26] 46
Scottish Albums (OCC) [27] 3
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [28] 25
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [29] 59
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [30] 1
Swiss Albums (Romandie) [31] 1
UK Albums (OCC) [32] 4
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [33] 1
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [34] 1
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [35] 1
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [36] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [37] 1
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [38] 1
US Billboard 200 [39] 16

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