After being part of one of the biggest rock bands of the 90’s and headlining Wembley arena last November, guitarist Mark Tremonti put both Creed and Alter Bridge aside to produce his first ever solo album. A self confessed metal head and tackling the task of vocals himself, let’s see how he got on.

The heavy influences of his childhood are evident in opening riffs of Leave It Alone and anyone sceptical of Tremonti’s solo vocal skills will have their doubts squashed by the end of the first verse. It is hard hitting to match the accompaniment yet has a soft centre. With a shredding guitar solo, it is the perfect attention grabbing opening track, and that quality doesn’t fade. The thrash mental influence of Slayer shines through in the ferocious riffs of Wish You Well whilst New Way Out shows a softer side, much like the first Alter Bridge record which was mostly written by Tremonti. First single Waste Your Time has some brilliant sliding melodies and proved some weeks ago that this album was something exciting to look out for.

Former submersed members Eric Friedman and Garrett Whitlock provide a solid backing, both instrumentally and vocally, whilst letting Tremonti shine out on lead. Decay is an album highlight with its punchy rhythms and off beat hooks. The shouts of ‘fading like decay’ bare similarity to the style of James Hetfield; another big influence to the guitarist and a great way to finish the record.

Overall, this a strong debut album and shows a different side to Mark Tremonti that his current bands can’t accommodate. He has used his knowledge of heavy metal with excellent precision and proven he has the vocals that can stand on their own. Charging its way up the rock charts both here and the US, All I Was is creating a storm, a metal storm you should get caught up in!

Laura Woodhead