Alter Bridge
After selling 30 million albums, guitarist Mark Tremonti and vocalist Scott Sapp had a falling out. So Tremonti partnered with fellow Creed member Scott Phillips. After a couple fruitful jam sessions they made the call to former Creed bassist Brian Marshall (he left prior to the group’s last album). Soon he was onboard. Obviously, with the basics taken care of, the band needed a vocalist. But who?
Back in Creed’s glory days the Mayfield Four, with Myles Kennedy, opened for them. Memorable performances made Kennedy the final piece of the puzzle.
Alter Bridge, a name taken from an actual bridge in Tremonti’s native Detroit, became the band’s moniker.
The bridge was viewed as a boundary to the children in the surrounding neighborhoods. To go beyond the bridge was to venture into uncharted territory. In ‘04, the group released “One Day Remains.”
One Day Remains
Alter Bridge, a name taken from an actual bridge in Tremonti’s native Detroit, became the band’s moniker. The bridge was viewed as a boundary to the children in the surrounding neighborhoods. To go beyond the bridge was to venture into uncharted territory. In ‘04, the group released “One Day Remains.”
Open Your Eyes
The lead single from the album was “Open Your Eyes.” “As the first single from (the) debut album arrived with the thrilling realization that here, at last, was a Hard-Rock band to treasure, and a writing partnership fizzing with potential,” enthused Kennedy.
The song peaked at #2 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
Meanwhile, Tremonti, Phillips, and Marshall got pressure from Wind Up Records, the group’s label, to reform Creed with Sapp. Creed was huge so you can’t blame the label for trying. But it was something the trio just didn’t want to do. Besides, such an effort would put Alter Bridge into a deep (and likely permanent) shade.
As the label kept turning the screws Alter Bridge recorded their sophomore studio album, “Blackbird.” “If anything sounded like Creed, we nixed it from this record,” said Tremonti. “We want to step away from it and become a band on our own.”
Having had enough of being pressured, Alter Bridge left Wind Up for Universal Republic Records. “Blackbird” dropped in October, ’07. The title track was Kennedy’s farewell to a fallen childhood friend. “That was a really special song,” noted Kennedy, who admitted the band didn’t try to top it, because they’d be “destined for failure.”
Blackbird
The album also included the singles “Broken Wings” and “Rise Today.” which became the official theme song for World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Unforgiven 2007.
Broken Wings
Rise Today
It became the official theme song for WWE Unforgiven 2007.
Originally titled “Alter Bridge III,” a ’10 release, was shortened to “AB III.”
“Live At Wembley,” an album/DVD package from their headlining performance in ‘11 at London’s Wembley Arena, was recorded before a packed house of 12,000, their largest U.K. audience to date.
At this point, Tremonti, Marshall and Phillips reinstated Creed for a tour. Kennedy worked with Slash on the successful ’12 set “Apocalyptic Love.” That same year Tremonti issued a solo album “All I Was” and Phillips launched Projected with Sevendust’s John Connolly and Vinnie Hornsby, and former Submersed guitarist Eric Friedman. Following that rush of activity, Alter Bridge went to work on fourth studio set.
“Fortress” was produced by Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Incubus) who had previously worked with the group.
“We pushed ourselves harder and further than we ever have previously in order to make the most out of every individual arrangement,” said Tremonti of the ’13 release. “We wanted this album to be our most unpredictable and exciting one yet. From the early feedback we have received, it looks like we have achieved what we set out to do.”
“Fortress” debuted at #12 on the Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 30,000, which topped the sales of “AB III.”
Tremonti recorded his sophomore solo album, “Cauterize,” again featuring Friedman along with bassist Wolfgang Van Halen. Meanwhile, Kennedy toured in support of his second album with Slash, “World On Fire.”
In January ‘16, Alter Bridge began recording their fifth studio album. Just months down the road, “Dust,” Tremonti’s third solo effort dropped.
But it was Alter Bridge’s turn soon enough. They released their fifth studio album, “The Last Hero” with the track “Show Me A Leader,
A half year later, Kennedy said the song “reflects the frustrations that a lot of people are feeling with the current state of the world.”
Show Me A Leader
Kennedy joined the solo album club with his ’18 debut “Year Of The Tiger.” He also toured in support of the set.
The next group effort was “Walk The Sky.” “Somebody might hear the record and have no idea that was intended,” stated Tremonti. “I tapped into some old loops that I either created or found randomly online, and worked with them in the background to inspire me to go in a different direction. I loved working like that.”
The full-length set was followed by “Walk The Sky 2.0,” the band’s first EP in 15 years. The ’20 release featured “Last Rites.”
Kennedy then dropped his sophomore solo album, “The Ides Of March,” featuring drummer Zia Uddin and bassist/manager Tim Tournier.
Next came the band’s seventh studio album “Pawns & Kings.” “There are some heavy riffs on there,” offered Tremonti regarding the ’22 effort. “And it’s funny because the heaviest riffs on the record are from Myles Kennedy.” The lead single, “Pawns & Kings” was followed by “Silver Tongue.”
Silent Divide
Alter Bridge released their first new music in two years with the arrival of “Silent Divide,” a song from the band’s ’26 self-titled album.
The set was helmed once again by collaborator and producer Michael Baskette, the band’s longtime collaborator and producer.
“Silent Divide” was a forerunner of the band’s ’26 self-titled eighth album which also includes “What Lies Within” and “Playing Aces.”
“The term ‘Playing Aces’ ties in with the gambling analogy of risking everything regardless of how many times you’ve failed in life,” explained Kennedy. “It’s a last-ditch effort to come out on top.”
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