Alter Bridge
One Day Remains

THE REVIEW

As the saying goes, "When one Pope dies, another is made," and that's exactly what Creed did with the departure of their leader Scott Stapp and the acquisition of the new singer Myles Kennedy (formerly of Mayfield Four), renaming themselves Alter Bridge.
Finally, with this new lineup, the band managed to shake off the label of "Pearl Jam lookalikes" due to the blatant vocal similarity between Stapp and the king Eddie Vedder (even though, in my opinion, instrumentally, they vaguely remind me of the "sober" Metallica from the Reload and Black album).

Compared to previous works, Creed-Alter Bridge have integrated their style with a much more incisive and less standardized voice than the previous singer, but the treat that all group enthusiasts were waiting for is another: finally, there’s a good presence of GUITAR SOLOS! Thank God that damn Mark Tremonti realized he could play it, but how is it possible that a skilled guitarist like him only woke up now and for three whole albums before this didn’t dignify us with a shred of solo?

Moving on to the standout tracks of "One Day Remains," we can perceive influences of various types: from the first single "Open Your Eyes," which presents a strong energy yet leaves ample room for melody, to "Broken Wings," which has a chorus that is embarrassingly similar to Creed's previous hit "My Sacrifice." Another important track is "Burn It Down," which evokes some reflective atmospheres and a touch of the acerbic from Alice in Chains, then moving to "In Loving Memory," which in my view is the best-performed piece, also because it emotionally involves the band, since it was dedicated to Mark Tremonti’s recently deceased mother.

Overall, the track-list progresses quickly and uniformly. The songs are easily memorable, thanks also to the touch that has always distinguished this band: bass and drums working in parallel like the mechanisms of a rhythmic machine, a guitar alternating between driving accompaniments and typically hard-rock riffs with clean and arpeggiated interludes, and a complete voice with good high notes and at the same time with very warm timbres (even if it seems distantly like a clean and diaphragmatic Chriss Cornell).

Without getting too carried away, this is a good record, clearly not bringing any kind of novelty or innovation, it certainly isn't among the ten albums I'd take to a desert island, but it is simply good music. However, credit must be given to Alter Bridge for being one of the few bands that tries to keep alive what little is left of melodic grunge rock, although they will have to work much more to achieve more excellent results.
Anyway, I recommend everyone listen to this album, you'll practically have the chance to hear the evolution of a band that kept us company during the second half of the '90s, and nothing more.