Review Summary: Strength To Strength
Strength To Strength. This is the phrase would perfectly suit Mark Tremonti's career as a musician. From founding the commercially successful yet musically average Creed, to spreading his metaphorical wings with Alter Bridge and finally putting together his very own group to explore heavier types of music which would not integrate into previous projects, it is clear that he is a veritable music making machine. "Cauterize" is the second record by Metal outfit Tremonti, Featuring Mark on lead guitar and vocals, Eric Friedman on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Garrett Whitlock and the son of a legend, Wolfgang van Halen making up the rhythm section.
The opening track "Radical Change" sets the stage for the evolution of the band by playing with song structure, starting with some blasted drum beats and speed metal riffing from Mark, which descends into a short mini solo followed by an anthemic, sing along chorus repeated twice eventually giving way to one of the best solos on the album. The title track starts off similarly, with two short verses and choruses, opening up to a delicious lick and heavy drum breakdown, making for another structurally interesting song and sure-fire crowd pleaser.
As a follow up to "All I Was", "Cauterize" shows improvements in every conceivable area. Riffs are heavier and chuggier where they need to be, such as those found in "Flying Monkeys" blowing the listener away with brute force and driving rhythm. "Tie the Noose" is another bold , punch-in-the-face type of track written about the Ferguson Riots which will certainly be a live favourite featuring another (and all too common) sing along chorus and wicked, grooving riffage garanteed to ignite crowds. Mark's singing ability has clearly developed, with a greater tonal variation and raw emotional on display on the opener (and throughout) as you can hear the desperation as he sings "Please just one more chance, I just failed again" and the entirety of the standout track "Fall Again". A admirable performance all round deserving of props for progression made . The drum work is stellar throughout with Whitlock proving to be a force to be reckoned with. Special mention for the awesome work in and around the "Another Heart" solo. The bass guitar, while still understated is always there to provide solid backing and every note seems to be in place. Not much else to say on that front. The solos are as tasty as ever and make for intriguing listening.
The album is also more musically diverse with a greater number of slower, more thoughtful songs in the form of "Providence", "Dark Trip" and "Fall Again". While none of these tracks constitute a true ballad in traditional terms, they do serve to slow the break neck pace of the heavy cuts very efficiently without trying to obviously be "that radio friendly ballad". "Sympathy", another of these softer songs, is a personal highlight about someone looking back at his life, confident in the fact that they led a good life, even though they way have lived in a different way from their peers.
In terms of writing the album bears much resemblance to Mark's back catalogue with themes of adversity and overcoming thereof and beginning again, without ever sounding whiny or angsty . Despite the generally morose lyrical content, the music still comes off as generally uplifting due to the relatable emotions presented in both the vocals and musicianship. The tracks are ordered smartly to separate emotions into peaks of chest pounding inspiration and introspection-inspiring come-downs.
Production is solid all round, conducted under the eye of the long time producer of Mark's projects, Michael "Elvis" Baskett. All musical elements are clearly audible, yet never overpowering the vocals. Special attention is given to the acoustic sections of "Providence" which quite frankly sound phenomenal, reproduced with stellar clarity. Drum beats carry pleasing amounts of clean bass as evidenced on "Flying Monkeys" as well as the aforementioned track. No complaints to be found here.
Criticisms stem from a slight similarity to Marks work with Alter Bridge in places and a tendency of carrying songs largely on choruses with short verses interspersed in-between. Effort could be made to make Van Halen more prominent overall aswell.
Overall Cauterize is a fantastic second outing for this new supergroup and leaves fans ever hopeful for the continued growth of a modern rock icon in the shape of Mark Tremonti in all his endeavours. A must own album for Metal fans.
