When Mark Tremonti released his eponymous solo album a couple of years back, the-really-quite-good-actually All I Was (FRET12), there was quite a lot of warmth for the Alter Bridge guitar maestro’s efforts. Several degrees heavier than his day job and eschewing the religiosity of his Creed hinterland, All I Was was a solid slab of heavy metal, occasionally inspired but never less than thoroughly modern, efficient and splendid evidence for the prosecution’s case that Tremonti was in the top rung of rock guitarists.
The arrival of this second record, the equally heavy, equally efficient and equally modern Cauterize (FRET12), suggests that Tremonti (as a band, rather than just an ego trip) might be a genuine going concern as Tremonti tries to keep up with band mate Myles Kennedy for the title of hardest working man in show business.
One’s reaction to Cauterize is going to be dictated by one’s reaction to All I Was. If you liked that record then you’re going to like this record. If you didn’t, well…you get the idea. Not that Cauterize is a pale imitation of its predecessor. In many ways, there has been a growth in confidence of the song-writing, song structures and the guitar playing is little short of sensational. However, it is the case that Tremonti’s work can be a bit of an acquired taste: it’s (you read it here first) clean metal. There is no back story about the band being some kind of vagabonds stumbling into artistic glory or troubled souls finding redemption through THE POWER OF ROCK. On the contrary, Tremonti and co seem like well adjusted, content and technically proficient musicians having something akin to a very good time indeed. For many, this simply won’t do; for me, I warm to the fact that they do exactly what it says on the (metal) tin.
Cauterize is a superbly produced record and has a sense of scale and power; it’s the sort of record that you find yourself singing along to and playing inadvertent air guitar and air drums on the train into work. This, of course, might just have been me. There’s a suitably stadium filling vibe to the anthemic ‘Fall Again’, a pummelling rock intensity to ‘Flying Monkeys’ and an instant ear worm from the album opener ‘Radical Change’. If there is criticism to be levelled at Tremonti it’s on two levels – firstly, it can be a bit samey and one trick pony-esque but, having said that, I also think it depends on whether you like the trick or not (and I do). Secondly, there is a bit too much of the double kick drum and predictable bridge to chorus levers. In other words, I would have liked a few more surprises.
Notwithstanding, I think Tremonti deserve our support. They don’t indulge in the caterwauling and howling at the moon injustice of having to tidy your bedroom beloved of so many supposedly hip bands: they are too old, too intelligent and too polite for that. Tremonti play modern heavy metal. Tremonti play modern heavy metal really well, actually. Cauterize might not set the world on fire but it might just singe it in places.
7.5/10
MAT DAVIES