Tremonti
“Cauterize”
FRET12
Produced by: Michael “Elvis” Baskette
Tracks: 10
Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars
Creed/Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti is back with his second solo offering titled “Cauterize”. Being released via FRET12 the sophomore solo release is the follow up to Tremonti’s successful 2012 debut album “All I Was”. Michael “Elvis” Baskette is once again behind the control desk lending his hand production hand to the 10 blistering tracks which make up “Cauterize”
Fan’s looking for the next chapter of Tremonti look no further as “Cauterize” picks up where “All I Was” left off. Though I found a few of the songs to be a bit repetitive one thing the album clearly isn’t lacking in is attack as each of the albums 10 tracks certain go for the throat. The albums opener “Radical Change” is a perfect example of that as are “Cauterize” and “Arm Yourself” to name just a few. Probably my favorite track off the album was “Flying Monkeys” which features a really cool trudging guitar and bass line mixed with just the right amount of drums and Tremonti’s haunting vocals that get stuck in your head almost instantly. The addition of Wolfgang Van Halen on bass seems to have strengthened the bands bottom end considerably while rhythm guitarist/backup vocalist Eric Friedman and drummer Garrett Whitlock put in another round of solid performances which continue to compliment Tremonti’s lead work.
Even though I found the first half of the album to be a bit redundant as a whole “Cauterize” is a rawkus 10 track release that fans of Tremonti’s previous works will certainly enjoy. If you haven’t already check out Mark’s first solo offering I recommend starting their and then moving on to this release as both are a touch heavier. To get around the albums early repetitiveness just throw it on shuffle and be prepared to rock.
Track Listing:
1.) Radical Change
2.) Flying Monkeys
3.) Cauterize
4.) Arm Yourself
5.) Dark Trip
6.) Another Heart
7.) Fall Again
8.) Tie The Noose
9.) Sympathy
10.) Providence
