CreedFeed Community - A review by metal pigeon

Here is a review i found, i found it interesting......

http://www.metalpigeon.com/review.asp?ReviewID=111

For some it almost defies belief that Creed sold 24 million albums before they announced they were to disband in June of this year. For their detractors, and there were many, such sales were undeniable proof of the bad taste that was rife in an American music buying public that was too lazy to seek out anything decent. For what it’s worth – I never really understood what it was that was so criminal about Creed. Yes, the vocals of Scott Stapp were a bit pompous at times but they penned some memorable songs. Is it really so bad to be popular? Well, as the saying goes – only in America. At least the haters are rid of them now. Except, strictly speaking; they’re not.

A new band was already in the works before Creed officially announced their split. Both guitarist Mark Tremonti and drummer Scott Phillips were well underway in forming a new band with Creed’s original bassist Brian Marshall. It wasn’t long before Tremonti thought of a possible vocalist for the project in the shape of ex-Mayfield Four frontman Myles Kennedy. He soon joined the fold and Alter Bridge was born (named after a place near Tremonti’s childhood home) with ‘One Day Remains’ being the first fruits of their labours. So will it keep the Creed faithful happy and maybe even win round the people that despised that band? It should do because ‘One Day Remains’ is good. In fact it’s very good indeed.

This is an album with little regard for being cool. It’s a collection of honest and often emotive rock songs, it’s not trying for a revolution. It seems that most people’s issues with Creed were concerned with Scott Stapp but Kennedy seems to side-step any comparison with ease. His performance on ‘One Day Remains’ is good enough to place him amongst some of the best vocalists in rock right now. He croons and soars on the the likes of the fantastic opener ‘Find The Real’ – a song with a riff that many bands would sell their teeth for and the title track. The singer actually brings to mind the late Jeff Buckley at times with the way he switches range with such a staggering ease and, occasionally, he brings to mind Chris Cornell too.

There are many instant songs here that jump out of the stereo – the production is huge. The single, ‘Open Your Eyes’ is the most reminiscent of Creed with similarities to their ‘My Sacrifice’ but, surprisingly, there is little else here to fuel the Creed detractors. This is due, in no small part to Termonti’s playing – this man really has raised his game and its as if has something to prove. There are shredding solos galore on many of the songs here along with the guitarist’s trademark intricate instrumental intros. It’s as though Termonti was being held back before and ‘All That Remains’ is his breakout. His playing and role as chief songwriter on the album cannot be understated.

The balance between heavier material like the appallingly named ‘Metallingus’ (it’s a much better song that its title suggests) and the more sedate songs like ‘Burn It Down’ is pretty even and there’s even a power ballad for those inclined. ‘In Loving Memory’ is a particularly moving song that many may identify with. Written in tribute to Tremonti’s mother, who died of a brain tumour, it is a plaintively honest song about loss and remembrance. Some may find it far too saccharine but in context it is a song written straight from experience and amongst the faux angst all too apparent in US rock, it’s very refreshing to hear.

While much of the album is a positive affair in tone, the closer ‘The End Is Here’ demonstrates just how impressive Alter Bridge can be when they tackle darker subject matter. While it seems a rule of thumb for US rock to include a song on their albums with an eastern influence that sounds crap, this one works incredibly well. You can’t say Alter Bridge are reinventing the wheel with this album but they’ve certainly produced one of the best rock releases to come out of the US in some time. They’re clearly letting their songs do the talking to the detractors, whether they succeed or not with that is another matter. Nevertheless, this is a superb start for Tremonti and co.

Rating: 8.5

R.D.Laing 9/22/2004