REVIEW: Tremonti Project - "All I Was"

The sophomore album can be the one that makes or breaks an artist. Some artists pull through with great albums that improve upon their debut while others are disappointingly bland or unspectacular. An album can’t possibly leave you disappointed if it has some quality diversity in it. Mark Tremonti’s debut solo album, “All I Was”, does exactly that. The lead guitarist of the two famous American rock bands namely, Creed and Alter Bridge has shown his heavier alter-ego through this record. The album was released on July 17, 2012, with the genre varying from speed and thrash metal to slow and hard rock, making it a drastic change from Tremonti's previous work.

Mark Tremonti has always been one of my favorite guitarists. I doubt I can equate with words, what Mark Tremonti creates with sound. All I Was, perfectly reaches the pinnacle of all-out shredding and hypnotic riffs. In essence, it's everything that a classic hard rock/heavy metal record should be. This is the heavier side of Tremonti, which has always sparked up in Alter Bridge. Now, it's unleashed and ready to reign the world of rock and heavy metal.

Indeed with Mark Tremonti getting completely involved in the writing and recording of the album, it also portrays the debut of Tremonti as a lead vocalist and features rhythm guitarist and bassist Eric Friedman (Creed, Ex-Submersed) and drummer Garrett Whitlock (Ex-Submersed). Tremonti himself promised a heavier, more melodic album with lots of soloing, and he has done exactly that. 

The album starts off with a hard rock track, “Leave It Alone” and it roars with an addictive riff, delicately garnished by pinch harmonics and unpredictable lead work. From the impressive vocals by Tremonti, to the beautiful solo, this is a steady start to the album. Just when you start wondering about how heavy this guitar virtuoso can get the second track, “So you’re Afraid” thrashes deeply into your head, and leaves headbanging to some heavy, unpredictable riffs. After descending into an emphatic vocal verse, the solo is just an epic icing on the cake!

The complete album is filled with some great soloing by the man himself, in tracks like, “So you’re Afraid”, and “New Way Out” which has some really beautiful solos that most of you would be familiar with, from Alter Bridge’s music. The thing that really stands out in the album is the fast and ultimately, just mind-blowing shredding in tracks like, “Wish You Well”, “Giving Up”, “Proof”, “Wasting Your Time” and “All I Was”. Noticeably, Garrett on the drums has done a stupendous job in, “Wish You Well”, making it a pure heavy metal track! The top three tracks, set apart from the rest of the magic would be, the heavy and mosh-tastic, "Wish you well", the slow and endearing, "Leave it alone" and the song with some commendable riffs, "So you’re Afraid”. The one fact about All I Was that stands out for me is that it truly defines its own enigmatic identity, avoiding to lend itself to artists of a similar ilk and serving as the perfect elixir for those looking for a more definitive album from the genre.

All I Was is definitely in my top five of 2012 list right now. The album is a solid blend of modern radio-friendly material and headbanging goodness. There’s not much to say about the album because Mark does not let you down in any aspect. From the face melting solos to the mad riffs, the album, all in all, builds an insanely well structured bridge between rock and metal. With All I Was, Friedman, Whitlock along with the enviable vocal and musical prowess of Mark Tremonti, have crafted an album that, front to back, is arguably one of the most finesse-savvy and prestigious rock/metal albums from last few years. This is a great start to his solo career and I’d love to hear more from him.

P.S.: Go buy the album right away!

Rating - 9.3/10

--

Reviewed By,

Vishaal Gollerkeri & Owais 'Vitek' Wani