Review Summary: "Sometimes to love someone, you got to be a stranger"
Mark Tremonti’s journey as a hard rock guitarist from Creed to Alter Bridge has shaped him technically proficient and tonally distinguished.
A Dying Machine marks his fourth album released under his self-titled offshoot project. Upon hearing this newest release, I’m disappointed by a lack of experimental growth and have to conclude Tremonti has hit a peak creatively. I hoped overtime Tremonti would craft a unique, divergent sound from Alter Bridge. While it is a heavier approach,
A Dying Machine doesn't surprise me like I wish it would.
My gripes aren't directed towards Tremonti and company's technical prowess however. The guitar playing showcased within
A Dying Machine is excellent both rhythmically and melodically. Metal fans should be appeased by razor-sharp riffage and ferocious solos. Tremonti’s staple sound resides within blazing riffs and
A Dying Machine contains a masterclass of such (Ex. “Make It Hurt”). You can trace this playing style back to Alter Bridge’s roots, even within their debut album on tracks like “Metalingus”. Follow it further to Creed and even their first album had Tremonti’s distinguishable sound within the riffs of “Unforgiven”.
However, by focusing too heavily on riffs and technical prowess, the chance for experimentation has been choked. Tremonti doesn’t branch out from his skillset, leaving his newest album dry and predictable. The largest factor being song structure. I understand the fallacies in using song structure as a critique, as there are conventions within all artistic expression that help frame the art itself. But
A Dying Machine becomes annoyingly predictable, to the point my ears were screaming for any form of variety. The exception being the instrumental from the album-titled song “
A Dying Machine,” which I loved. I wish the remainder of that song had continued the story being told instrumentally. Instead it was rudely interrupted by some muttered lyrics that toss listeners back into the pre-chorus.
The lyrics are painfully ambiguous and not in a useful, poetic way. And to clarify, I make this criticism in the context of
A Dying Machine being referred to as a “concept album”. That's a cool direction that could play well in Tremonti's favor as a divergence from Alter Bridge. But unfortunately the lyrics lack any essential story building blocks. Where's the characters, sense of place, or vivid language? Instead, we’re treated to a blasé treatment of themes such as war, death, disorientation, finding strength in desperation. We've heard that a hundred times before in this genre, so to stand out the story should have been focal point. Instead the story seems to be dragged behind Tremonti's riffage skills. I’d venture to say the album’s concept was meant to be based on a sci-fi story. Machines taking over mankind, with the trope of juxtaposing a man’s inner nature as represented through the programmed actions of robots. But even the most liberal interpretation of Tremonti’s lyrics will be hard pressed to envision whatever story was attempted.
On the positive side, Tremonti’s vocal performance is solid and fitting to the genre in a similar execution to Corey Taylor’s within Stone Sour’s context. Having a genuine and engaged vocal performance helps carry Tremonti through the otherwise bland lyrics.
The track mixing is also commendable. Tremonti’s signature effect chain can be heard. Heavy phasing (“Throw Them To The Lions”) alongside delicious distortion. Sadly, the bass is often a lost art for hard rock, so I appreciate brief moments on tracks like “Trust” that punctuate the bass line. However, slower songs like “First to Last” were perfect spaces to hook listeners with a melodic or infectious bass line. Instead all we get are mundane, predictable lines enslaved to the root note and downbeat. This may sound somewhat contradictory to my criticism of the bass - but I actually really enjoyed the drums here for their simplicity. Percussion served each song well with catchy yet straight forward grooves, like the driving force behind “The Day When Legions Burned”.
The Bottom Line
With the release of
A Dying Machine, Tremonti indicates he’s reached the farthest point of his creative trajectory. While worth pumping into your car for a high energy rock session, this album offers little to the imagination and brings more of the same to fans of previous Tremonti albums and Alter Bridge. If you enjoy the style, it’s more fuel to the fire. If you’re looking for a new take on the hard rock genre, look elsewhere.
(Side note: Tremonti discusses his creative process in writing this album here: http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/mark-tremonti-on-a-dying-machine-i-tried-to-make-the-music-as-dynamic-and-diverse-as-any-album/)
