Alter Bridge - One Day Remains

Some bands get so big that they become a paradox. They are insanely popular and sell millions of records to millions of fans, yet they become such a striking point that an equal number of millions begin to hate their very existence. Such was the band Creed. However, in all the Creed hating that took place you rarely heard mention of anyone except lead singer Scott Stapp. The rest of the band escaped ridicule, and most of the public focused squarely on Stapp. So when Creed broke up, and the original line up basically then reformed (sans Stapp) with a new lead singer, it sparked interest to see if once the cancer was removed the body could live. So does Alter Bridge swim or sink? I have to say that for the most part it is the latter. I was familiar with the work of new front man Myles Kennedy from his former band, The Mayfield Four, because somewhere in my musical journey, they opened for a band I wanted to see, and I ended up with their album in my possession. I always though that he had good vocals without being amazing and that The Mayfield Four had a good sound without being amazing. Sadly, the results of fusing with Tremonti and crew are the same. This isn’t something I can picture people hating with Creed-like passion, but then I can’t see people getting passionate about it period. On the group's first release, One Day Remains, Tremonti steps up with some nice guitar solos but never enough so as to really stand out in front of the rest of the band. The first single, “Open Your Eyes,” grows on you enough to be catchy, but I can’t tell if this is because the song is good or just because I have been playing Madden 2005 everyday for a month. (It is featured as a background song on the EA game). The rest of the disc is peppered with some nice moments like “Broken Wings,” “Down To My Last,” and “Shed My Skin” (the albums strongest cut). The lyrics from Kennedy are not too far a shot from Stapp’s “religious without being Christian rock” writing, as the same themes and undertones that filled Creed records lie within each song on this disc. I am not going to beat this album up too much because it isn’t the worst thing I have ever heard; I just think it was rushed. It seemed like I heard about Creed breaking up, and two days later there was a release date for Alter Bridge. It would have been nice to see Tremonti venture out into a drastically different sound instead of basically changing the voice of the lead singer. Off post-Creed momentum alone, this album should sell pretty well, but if I were you, I would wait and see what else is out there. You won’t despise this record for being made, but you won’t feel an urge to listen to it either. In the end it is just… ummm.. blah. [www.alterbridge.com]