Metal Review: Tremonti's Dust

For guitar nuts like myself, Mark Tremonti is a household name. His unique and spirited fretwork travels all the way back to 1997 when Creed's My Own Prison was released. Everything after that is well-documented. Creed released 3 albums before disbanding the first time, which allowed Mark, Scott Phillips, and Brian Marshall (everybody in Creed not named Scott Stapp) to form Alter Bridge with vocalist/guitarist Myles Kennedy, and since the release of debut album One Day Remains in 2004, Alter Bridge have established themselves as arguably the best hard rock band on the airwaves today. Creed would reunite briefly to release the very good Full Circle in 2009, but have not surfaced since.

Alter Bridge have released 4 studio albums with a fifth coming this fall, and since 2012, Mark Tremonti has released three albums under the name Tremonti. Originally a solo project, Tremonti has evolved into a 4 piece band with Mark on lead guitar and vocals, Eric Friedman on guitar, Wolfgang Van Halen on bass guitar, and Garrett Whitlock on drums. They released Dust in April, and after recently purchasing the record, I must say that it's a damn good one.

While Creed and Alter Bridge both have more of a hard rock sound, with Alter Bridge occasionally venturing into alternative metal, I would argue that Tremonti are a metal band with the occasional dive into hard rock territory. Mark Tremonti's penchant for heavy metal is very well known, from the days that he and Scott Stapp first met and formed Creed, through the heavier Alter Bridge material. When All I Was came out under the Tremonti name in 2012, Mark's heavy metal roots became fully realized. I don't know if I could place Dust into any particular sub genre of metal. At times it's thrashy; at times it's plodding and ominous, but most of all, it's thrilling to the ears of any listener with appreciation for what can be done with a guitar. Dust is one great riff after another through 10 songs, with excellent guitar solos and leads scattered throughout the record.

In Creed's earlier days, Mark wasn't often able to display his skills as a soloist, but thankfully Alter Bridge opened more doors for him in that department, though it's not necessarily a given with each song. With Tremonti, he can let loose and have fun. He definitely has his own style. I'd describe his guitar playing as loose and free but still controlled. He's not actively making sure that he never makes mistakes when performing live, but every note sounds organic and planned. Despite all of that, he's very unpredictable as a guitarist, and in the best of ways. Every riff and every solo is fresh and exciting.

As a vocalist, Mark Tremonti is certainly capable, and his skill and technique improve by the album. He's not going to do anything crazy but he's not bland, either. Lyrically, Dust has some excellent moments, some of which are more outright, like standout track "Betray Me." The title track is also a bright moment lyrically, and might be the best song that Mark Tremonti has ever written. At just over 5 minutes, "Dust" moves along slowly but listeners are captured by every second. The track opens with an ominous clean guitar line, and slowly builds into a crushing, emotional chorus. The bridge takes 30-40 seconds to prepare listeners for the best solo I've ever heard out of Mark Tremonti. It's 25 seconds of pure emotion, proving to be the high point of an incredible song.

Dust is just one more great piece of music with Mark Tremonti's name tagged to it, and if you're not familiar with him past a few overplayed Creed songs, it's time to dig into Alter Bridge and Tremonti. You won't be disappointed. 8/10

Standout Tracks:
"My Last Mistake"
"Dust"
"Betray Me"
"Tore My Heart Out"

Up next: Hero by Maren Morris