Tremonti - A Dying Machine

Tremonti’s return is perhaps their best effort to date. For long-time fans of Mark Tremonti, this album serves as a healthy sampling of his abilities from throughout his career. You can hear bits of Alter Bridge, Creed, and sounds reminiscent of his previous efforts as well, though this album is incredibly fresh and is by no means a repeat of previous efforts.

The kicker? Mark Tremonti clearly took this opportunity to showcase the wide array of tools, paints, canvases and techniques he has developed over the years. Most importantly, Mark Tremonti has clearly taken the next step not only as a songwriter, but as a vocalist as well. This concept album is packed with incredibly “hooky” vocal lines, while simultaneously packing a whole lot of heart within his lyrics.

Fans will likely be looking for “the heavy,” and boy do they bring it. Scorchers include the opening track “Bringer of War”, “Throw Them to the Lions”, “The Day When Legions Burned” and many more.

That said, they aren’t afraid to bust out his signature haunting, almost bluesy tones for an added layer. “Trust” brings that somber yet victorious feel Alter Bridge and even Creed showcased at times. Triapse sticks out as a haunting addition as well.

The concept of the album remains a tad vague at times, though this could be seen as a “positive”, as it doesn’t fall in the trap of boredom many concepts albums suffer from. Tremonti achieved what many artists cannot when attempting to write a concept album: He focused on making great songs FIRST, that just so happen to create an overall theme. Perhaps his planned book, a companion piece to the album, will shed some light on the concept as a whole. A Dying Machine hits hard and fast, while making you slow down when necessary. This album is certainly worth the purchase, and if their follow- up is as strong or stronger than this album, the world better be ready to view Tremonti in a whole new light.