The 10 Best Tremonti Songs of All-Time
Mark Tremonti was a founding member of Creed and Alterbridge. However, much of his material didn’t fit in with either group’s style. So, in 2010 he founded the metal group Tremonti, allowing him to release songs he’d written that were too hardcore for the other groups. Former Submersed members Eric Friedman and Garret Whitlock rounded out the group. In 2011, they released their freshman album, All I Was, while Alterbridge singer Miles Kennedy was on tour with Slash. Even though the album was markedly different from his others, it was well-received by critics and fans. Much of the music was influenced by Metallica. However, it also drew from the post-grunge era groups like his earlier projects. In 2015, they released their second album Cauterize. According to Blabbermouth, this album was a collection of songs and material that other Alterbridge members didn’t want to use on their record since they felt it was too far into the speed metal genre.
Tremonti’s 2016 release, Dust, featured Wolfgang Van Halen on bass. On this album, the Tremonti began to find their sound. Van Halen on bass helped round out the album. The group’s fourth album, A Dying Machine, was released on Alterbridge’s label, Napalm Records, in 2018. When the group went on tour for this album, Whitlock didn’t join them. Instead, Ryan Bennet filled in on drums. Additionally, Tremonti’s tour was delayed because of Hurricane Florence. The group’s fifth album, Marching in Time, will be released on Napalm Records on September 24, 2021. The album will blend Tremonti’s heavier style with some elements from their 2018 concept album, A Dying Machine. However, instead of each song being part of one story, all tracks are individual tales set to music. Mark Tremonti is a new father, and he said he drew heavily on those emotions for this album. So, fans will get a glimpse into another side of Tremonti. The group has enjoyed a lot of success over the last six years and has recorded many amazing songs. These are the ten best Tremonti songs of all time.
10. Unable To See
The song starts off with a classic guitar solo. Tremont’s voice is softer than others songs. A large portion of the song sounds like something that would easily fit into Creed’s catalog. However, the style amplifies with heavier drum fills as it progresses. Yet, the outro fades out with another simple guitar solo.
9. Radical Change
Creed broke up in 2004, and Mark Tremonti was going through a lot of heavy emotions. This song was written as an outlet for all of the intense emotions. A heavy-speed metal drum solo opens the song. It’s easy to hear the super-charged emotions in this song. Tremonti lyrics speak to times in life when we’re faced with something unforeseen that throws us off course and catapults us to reexamine life.
8. The Things I’ve Seen
The intro to the song is a grunge-influenced guitar riff. Tremonti’s voice is gentle and resonant until an electric guitar riff segues into an intense drum sequence. The song rounds out nicely with the addition of guitar instrumentation and several drum fills.
7. A Dying Machine
This song was the title track on Tremonti’s concept album, A Dying Machine. After it was recorded, Mark Tremonti and John Shirley started writing a work of fiction based on the lyrics. It’s a science fiction story in which people and man-made creatures try to live with one another.
6. Another Heart
According to Blabbermouth, this song was the first single on the group’s album Cauterize. Tremonti wanted to use Flying Monkeys since he loved the story behind it. However, he also knew the chorus in it wasn’t radio-friendly. So, he chose Another Heart which he thought had a better hook. Tremonti noted that it’s one of the lighter songs on the album that features a much heavier metal sound.
5. Flying Monkeys
According to Songfacts, this song got its name from Mark Tremonti’s riff during soundcheck. One of the techs said it sounded like the flying monkey’s scene from the movie The Wizard of Oz. It was years later he wrote the song. However, each time he used the riff from soundcheck, he titled it flying monkeys, so nothing else could have been named.
4. Leave It Alone
The intro of the song is a thin industrial guitar riff that melds into a heavy drum fill. Much of the instrumentation is so intense it overshadows the lyrics. Yet, it works exceptionally well because it conveys the message of the song perfectly. The lyrics are about someone fed up in a relationship and just needs to get out even though they feel like it’s the other person’s fault.
3. Dust
The song’s opening combines bouncing guitar riffs and Tremonti’s voice echoing against the music. Once the intro is finished, it breaks in a drum groove that weaves through the song, which perfectly embraces the post grunge era pitch.
2. Marching In Time
Electronic cosmic instrumentation punctuates this song. Drums remain in the background with soft fills to punctuate the stripped-down guitar instead of driving the music. The song’s lyrics are about moving forward in life. As the song reaches the chorus, it begins to open up. It’s very much like the point in life you get when you need a moment to let loose.
1. If Not For You
There’s a brightness to the song’s opening. Yet, once it opens, there is an anthemic quality that brings the music together. Throughout the lyrics and instrumentation, it fades between several complementary genres. However, the consistent drum fills bring it together. Additionally, there are several electric guitar fills that break up the bridge.
