In 2004, the demise of
Creed, one of America’s most successful hard rock bands of the last decade brought both
distraught feelings to fans but also positive vibes and great excitement in the
form of Alter Bridge. Established through three former members of Creed, Mark
Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Philips and the
introduction of former Mayfield Four singer Myles Kennedy, the foursome hit the
studio to create their eagerly awaited debut album, One Day Remains and they
didn’t disappoint.
Released on August 10, 2004 via Wind-up Records and produced by Ben Grosse, the 11 song record
opens with "Find The Real", a heavy, hard rock monster of a song with its down
tuned metal guitar riffs, catchy choruses and a brilliant guitar solo, the
album commences with an instant classic. Continuing the heavy theme of the
album, "One Day Remains", opens with a trail of harmonics linking together
immaculately before unleashing fast paced, heavy driven verses and choruses and
two impressive guitar solos from the ever majestic Mark Tremonti on lead
guitar.
Tremonti firmly
establishes himself as one of the finest guitarists of modern times with this
album, not just in his astounding playing but also in his now instantly
recognisable writing style. Before the album was released the band made it
perfectly clear that they didn’t want to engineer the distinguished grunge
sound of Creed and with that said this album goes beyond the Creed sound
entirely. Covering a huge range of sounds and styles from, "Metalingus", without doubt the finest track on the album, with its ferocious drumming
and outstanding guitar riff oozes 80s metal to the gorgeous and highly
emotional "In loving Memory", a highly sensitive track written about Tremonti`s
late mother.
Expertly written music and
melodies are accompanied by the magnificent vocals of new front man Myles
Kennedy. Drawing parallels in voice with Chris Cornell and Jeff Buckley,
Kennedy introduces a wonderful voice possessing a tenor vocal range that spans four octaves superbly showcased on the haunting ballad, "Burn it
down", and the epic first single "Open your eyes", a true highlight of the
progression of the band from the days of Creed.
Brian Marshall on bass, probably the only man who can compliment Tremonti`s unique style and Scott
Philip’s on drums, creating the powerful drive of the album commend the band
brilliantly and add great solidity to the four piece. Clearly emphasised on the
second single, "Broken Wings" aswell as on tracks, "Down to my last", and "Watch your words", the feel of the togetherness and chemistry of the band
really shine through.
One
Day Remains is a soaring, emotional modern rock masterpiece and comes at a time
when the rock genre really needs something new and vibrant to push it on again.
This album is most defiantly the record that can do it. Tremendous songs and
melodies performed by a band that have found instant chemistry and possess
unbelievable talent add a much-needed new sound to modern rock. Fans of this
richly entertaining and engrossing music genre should seriously take note. note of this
incredible new band.
