Alter bridge - One day remains

year 2004 * Post-Grunge

review: Alter Bridge aligns the original Creed lineup of guitarist Mark Tremonti, drummer Scott Phillips, and bassist Brian Marshall with vocalist Myles Kennedy, formerly of late- '90s modern rock hopefuls Mayfield Four. The resulting One Day Remains and retains some Creed-isms, like Tremonti's foot-on-monitor-wedge showboating, or the thickheaded riffs that unfold smoothly into elegiac, radio-ready choruses (Creed diehards are going to love "Open Your Eyes"). But Kennedy isn't nearly as melodramatic as Scott Stapp was, and his reaching back to wail like vintage Chris Cornell fits nicely with Alter Bridge's more aggressive moments. Witness the chunky PRS shredding of "Metalingus," the Metallica influence in "Watch Your Words," or the slaves and bulldozers of pounding opener "Find the Real." Now, without Stapp to kick around, there are no blatant Jesus Christ poses. But principal writers TremontiKennedy don't shy away from spiritual generalizations -- believing in the promise of a new day, for example, in "Burn It Down." There's also the dualistic quality of the band's name and album artwork, as well as a fold-out poster emblazoned with the title track's lyrics.