Review: Tremonti- A Dying Machine

By now everybody knows who Mark Tremonti is. From his days in Creed and Alter Bridge to his stunning solo releases he has amassed a stellar body of work, the hits just keep on coming. He has just released his fourth solo studio release entitled A Dying Machine on Napalm records and it is by far the best thing he’s done up to this point. So let’s pick it apart song by song shall we. “Bringer Of War” – From the very first couple of notes you notice that his playing is much more intense than before and far more furious. “From The Sky” – This one takes you on a little journey where the only limits are your mind. “A Dying Machine” – Another song that will take your soul through the gates of hell and out the other side on six strings of absolute insanity. “Trust” – This one builds on the strength of well written power chords and an unbelievably catchy chorus. “Throw Them To The Lions” – I haven’t said much about the out of this world solos up to this point but, holy shit are they amazing. They cuts so furiously and raw all the way to the bone. “Make It Hurt” – A back to basics rocker that hits fast and hard as an asteroid on a collision course with earth. “Traipse” – It’s the hints of good old hillbilly in the verses that really sets this modern day rocker up and there are more of those devastating solos that are as fine as good old moonshine. “The First The Last” – This one is totally a Creed song right from the start and from there it becomes one of the greatest songs you’ve ever heard in your life, hands down. “A Lot Like Sin” – Another all-out rocker here. Straight to the point, no muss no fuss about it and hold on to your seat for the absolutely mindboggling guitar solo. “The Day When Legions Burned” – A straight up thrash song with a sing along chorus that you can’t get out of your head no matter how hard you try. “As The Silence Becomes Me” – A slow song with a sense of uneasiness to it, mixed with one of the best sing along choruses to go with it all. Rather bizarre but, it works. “Take You With Me” – This one is a straight up Alter Bridge song. Complete with soaring vocal lines and guitar hooks galore. “Desolation” – This one has a Johnny Cash vibe to the guitar as well as the lyrics. Then in an instant it’s all out pandemonium. A excellently crafted masterpiece. “Found” – This one did absolutely nothing for me at all. An instrumental that builds into total silence. What? Here’s the bottom line- Everything that you like about Mark Tremonti’s body of work is represented here. After a couple of listens, you won’t want to take this one out of your cd player. Rating: 8.5/10 -Eric Hunker