"AB III", initially described by the band as being very dark, heavy, and dynamic, is lyrically a very dark record and a radical departure from the band's first two albums, "One Day Remains" (2004) and "Blackbird" (2007), in terms of subject matter.It is a loose concept album, a first for Alter Bridge, about a character "desperately struggling to find their place in a world steeped in doubt and emptiness," whereas the other two Alter Bridge records primarily focus on themes of "hope and perseverance in the face of adversity."