Mark Tremonti Didn't Want To Make a Shred Album

Metal maestro wanted to focus on melodic motifs   13-Oct-12

When Mark Tremonti's first solo record dropped earlier this year it performed impressively well on the Billboard 200 and scored a bunch of five star reviews.

Boasting some of Mark Tremonti's best riffs and solos yet, it's not really a surprise that it did so well. The songs had a pop sensibility but the metal was still there, but with Mark's Alter Bridge pedigree, how could it not still be there?

Mark has now spoken about his intentions with the direction of the guitar playing on the record, in an interview with 94.5 The Buzz:

"I wanted to make this a melodic driven record, not just a shred record," explained Mark. He went on to add that the aim was to "just make good songs mixed with my metal influences."

He also gave his reasons for deciding to front the new band on vocals.

"I've been a songwriter since I was 11-years-old, so I sang in my bedroom or in the studio," said the guitarist. "But I always wanted to team up with singers who were better than myself so the songs would have a better chance of making it.

"Now I just figure out that I've got two other bands and a bunch of ideas that will never see the light of day, so I'm just gonna sing those damn songs and do the best I can."

Anyone who has seen the band perform together will have seen how well Mark his handling his role as the vocalist, but the Creed and Alter Bridge guitarist suggested that it might be a bit more of a challenge than he was expecting:

"There's added pressure being that frontman, having to talk to the crowd, being the entertainer. When you're a guitar player and the show's not going your way you just can kind of go over to the corner and say 'screw it, I'm just going to play my guitar in the corner', but when you're a singer you have to stay engaged the whole time and hold the crowd's hand and get that happening."

Wolfgang Van Halen also spoke during the interview, describing the night he received the call from the band:

"I was basically trying to think a reason not to do it, you know. I really couldn't think of it. To play awesome music with my three best friends in the business.

"He called me at 8:30(pm) the night before the first show and we ran through the set once, every song, at midnight, and we had a show the next day."

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Amped Editor
@sonicamped