Alter Bridge: A Different Creed With Universal Push

Alter Bridge is currently out on the road in support of their new effort, Blackbird, and it's the follow-up to their debut, One Day Remains. The band features three out of four members of Creed; Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips, and Brian Marshall, but they've stepped away from the shadow of their old band.

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The members bought out their contracts with Wind-Up Records, and signed a new deal with Universal. This along with severing ties to old management was part of their declaration that this wasn't a shadow band to Creed. Tremonti talked about the biggest obstacle in getting the album done.

Watch video: Mark Tremonti On Alter Bridge Album Obstacle

"Getting the album done was probably just we went through a lot of business things on the side. In these three years we had to switch record labels and management. That was the biggest obstacle. We had the record pretty much written before we went in the studio, but we're glad it got drawn out because it helped us keep building on the ideas that we already had. We parted ways because it was in our both best interests. We saw things differently. We think of Alter Bridge as the band we're going to retire with. I think they kind of thought of it as a baby-band, side project thing, and for Alter Bridge to be successful we needed a lot more support than we were getting."

We asked Tremonti if he felt "the Creed thing" got in the way of their Wind-Up relations and their success.

Watch video: Mark Tremonti On Creed Stigma

"I think the Creed thing has been a stigma here in the (United) States. Over in Europe there hasn't been that because over in Europe Creed never toured extensively over there. So we had pretty much had a fresh start. The fans got to look at us with an open mind, whereas over here, you got one out of ten guys who hear that it's the Creed guys and they don't want anything to do with it. Slowly but surely, especially on this record, we're really stepping away from that. All the reviews we've gotten and all the people that once compared it to Creed say that it's a completely different thing, and I think we've spent enough time away to gain the respect of people looking at this as its own thing."

Alter Bridge is currently on tour through November 30 in Fort Myers, Florida. The first single from Blackbird is "Rise Today."

Comments

[therealdave]

hooray for alter bridge!
seriously amzing band, don't deserve the stick they get for their past.

[abs_n91]

Sounds like Tremonti SERIOUSLY regrets ever being in Creed xD
But love them or hate them, Creed were great, though I really like Alter Bridge a lot more.

[Limaj_daas]

I LOOOOOVE the new record. Sounds damn amazin'. Oh and when i first heard that 3/4ths of this band was Creed... i lik ran away from em until i stumbled across sum of their stuff. im hooked! love their music work.

an ya, he does sound lik he regrets being in creed. lolz

[st1llb0rn]

Seriously under rated guitarist!! the new album is pretty descent, maybe one or two slower ones i didn't like, but all talent on that record. Myles' voice is in it's prime, and givin more time they could "bridge" the gap between metal and hard rock.

[ready2breakdown]

Glad to hear shit finally got all worked out for them. And I damn sure hope that one day they could retire as Alter Bridge. Screw Creed.

I think that Wind-Up probably was pushing for them to do a reunion so that they could make another million selling album since everyone knew their name already.

The guys in this band are killer at the stuff they are playing in Alter Bridge. The music they're making is actually inspirational and it seems to me that it's utilizing their abilities much more. After hearing Blackbird I was yearning to hear more! I was simply stunned. I already can't wait for the next CD!

[thecolorsbluer]

alter bridges new album is great. it may not sell as big as any creed album, but it is musically and lyrically superior to any creed album except my own prison because tremonti co-worte some of the songs there. and myles kennedy's voic is wayyyyy better tahn scott stapp's. and no boyband posturing either.. lol

[guitaristben]

i like the ending of him talking about creed, how he stutters lol, my idol!!