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 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." Principal writers
Tremonti and
Kennedy 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. "When every wound has been opened/And in this world of give and take you must have faith." This stuff muddies the line between old group and new; together with flourish-laden post-grunge pacesetters like "Broken Wings," "In Loving Memory," and "Shed My Skin," it suggests
Alter Bridge is happier courting
Creed's constituency than establishing the promise of its more metal side. ~ Johnny Loftus