Mark Tremonti proved with his first solo album, ‘All I Was’, that besides his style as we know it from Alter Bridge (and that… other band), he was ‘hiding’ a great metal guitarist, composer and frontman. ‘Cauterize’ is the natural progression of his debut. Tremonti, being completely free to do as he pleases, increases the speed and the thrash influences, combining those elements with his natural talent for memorable choruses and characteristic melodies.
The first seconds of ‘Radical Change’ will immediately get you in the mood, while mid-tempo track ‘Flying Monkeys’ stands out, partially thanks to the weight coming from the bass of Wolfgang Van Halen. ‘Dark Trip’ is an addictive dark song and one of my favorites on the record. During the second half of the album we stumble upon the many killer riffs of ‘Tie the Noose’, not that the solo isn’t up there as well, giving way to the outstanding finale provided by ‘Providence’.
The next record is already on the way, due to the fact that the band recorded about 20 songs in one session, in the meantime enjoy ‘Cauterize’.
