ALTER BRIDGE "One Day Remains"Wind-up
"I am not alone / I live with the memories / Regret is my home," announces "Shed My Skin," one of a few too many power ballads on Alter Bridge's debut album, "One Day Remains." Actually, what guitarist-songwriter Mark Tremonti and his cohorts shed was singer Scott Stapp, and they aren't exactly brooding about it. Alter Bridge is essentially Creed's early lineup with new singer Myles Kennedy replacing Stapp, which seems to suit the other three members just fine.
Creed devotees will no doubt notice dozens of ways in which Alter Bridge doesn't sound like the earlier band. Here are a couple: more baroque guitar flourishes and less use of biblical imagery (although the opening "Find the Real" has Kennedy "left with a crown of thorns" that would fit Stapp perfectly). But both groups bear a considerable resemblance to Pearl Jam, which engineered a similar mix of thumping metal, yearning vocals and post-adolescent vexation. The last quality leads Tremonti, the principal lyricist, to employ the well-worn metaphors of such songs as "Open Your Eyes" and "Broken Wings." Concentrate on Kennedy's range and Tremonti's dexterity, though, and the cliches just go crashing by -- at least on the faster numbers.
-- Mark Jenkins
Appearing Tuesday at the 9:30 club with Silvertide and Submersed. • To hear a free Sound Bite from Alter Bridge, call Post-Haste at 301-313-2200 and press 8130. (Prince William residents, call 703-690-4110.)
