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ALTER BRIDGE - "One Day Remains" (9/2004)
With the
recent breakup of his hard rocking band Creed,
guitarist Mark Tremonti spent very little time pondering his next
move. This record was released less than three months after the
breakup was announced. When I say the "breakup" of Creed, I
really mean the departure of singer Scott Stapp. Tremonti keeps
Creed drummer Scott Phillips here, and even brings
back original Creed bassist Brian Marshall for this Alter
Bridge project. Tremonti has made it clear that he wants each band
to have its' own identity, though; in other words, Alter Bridge is
not Creed with a new singer. Well, sorry Mark, but your
songwriting style and distinct guitar sound, screams Creed; and you
know what, that's a beautiful thing.
The
new singer recruited for Tremonti and his former Creed mates, is
former Mayfield Four vocalist Myles Kennedy. I know your first
question, "Does he sound like Scott Stapp?" - well, ...yes. Kennedy
is probably a more technically trained singer
though, exhibiting tremendous strength, passion and tone here.
Being a fan of Stapp and his extraordinary high palette vocal tone,
I had my doubts about a replacement. Myles Kennedy has since
eradicated any doubts that I may have had. This is a real
professional. A pure voice. This record isn't really about who
sings the songs, though.
Tremonti's writing style is one that places you on top of the
highest mountain. There is great build up to most of these songs.
Each melody is written with accompanying lyrics that simply soar.
Creed was sometimes called a "spiritual" or even religious band. The
reason for that assumption was not simply inspired by the usually
positive lyrics. The ascending melodies, along with soulful and
passionate performances, were simply inspirational in the way that
they were delivered to the listener. The Alter Bridge material is no
different. These songs, primarily written by Tremonti, have the same
"triumphant" vibe to them. They make you feel stronger when you
sing along to them. They reach inside of you and move you, heart and
soul. Even a bad singer could put these well crafted tunes over.
With a singer like Myles Kennedy at the helm, things
get magical.
Tremonti has a real talent for writing complete songs; songs that
are not only "catchy" and instrumentally powerful, but songs that
are lyrically strong also. When the lyrics of "You're a part of me, And it's your song that sets me
free, I sing it while I feel I can't hold on, I sing tonight, 'Cause
it comforts me" from "In Loving Memory" are sung, you feel
like you have just received a piece of Tremonti's soul. The
lyrics are really nothing too amazing; but in the context of the
sensitive melody, and the gentle vocal tone - they become deep and
genuine. In "Burn It Down", which is probably the strongest
song vocally, the lyrics "Hard to tell my nights
now from my days, The curtains hide my feelings, Don't feel I have
any right to pray, And will they find me someday" are
delivered with a strength rarely found in the current crop of rock
songs.
Dare I say, Mark Tremonti's guitar style is much like that of guitar
legends such as Brian May, or Boston's Tom Scholz. Each of them has
a very distinct sound and tone. When you hear each of them play, you
know immediately who it is. Tremonti's sound takes on a personality
all its own also. No matter what band Mark Tremonti plays in, his
guitar sound is going to shine through and become the core of the
songs' melodies. On songs like "Open Your Eyes", "Shed My
Skin", and "Down To My Last" the sound and structure is
immediately recognizable. They sound like Creed songs, when in
fact they are all mere examples of Mark Tremonti's talent with
both the pen and the pick. Listen to Myles Kennedy cry out these
lyrics from the chorus of "Broken Wings", possibly the record's
strongest track, and try not to get chills: "On broken wings I'm falling, And it won't be long,
The skin on me is burning, By the fires of the sun, On skinned knees
I'm bleeding, And it won't be long, I've got to find that meaning,
I'll search for so long". These songs are all finely
textured and serious songwriting achievements. You can count on
a variety of tempos here also. We have the mellow to heavy formula
("Burn It Down"), we have the straight forward power ballad ("In
Loving Memory"), and we have the hard hitting metal grind
("Watch Your Words"). This record has it
all.
So,
you ask, is this the Doctor's first perfect 10 for the year? No, it
isn't. I must tell you though, it is very close. The title track,
and "Watch Your Words" are songs that I might skip over
occasionally; not because they aren't great songs, but they just
don't always yearn to be heard like the rest of this record. Make no
mistake though, this is a great one.
OVERALL
RATING:
8 | 
