Review: Tremonti – ‘The End Will Show Us How’

Mark Tremonti is a lifer. For him, this is not a fad or a trend. Metal is for life. It’s easy to imagine the likeable guitarist singer/songwriter standing in line outside his local wax emporium on Record Store Day to pick up a rare vinyl from acts like Celtic Frost, Children Of Bodom, or King Diamond.

More at home with fellow metalheads enthusing over a rare pressing than walking the red carpet at the Grammys; he’s a lifer. And it shows on ‘The End Will Show Us How’ the sixth studio album from his band project known simply as Tremonti.

Mark Tremonti is also driven. Juggling roles in Alter Bridge, Creed, and Tremonti – along with his annual donning of a tuxedo for his Frank Sinatra charity shows over the US holiday season – had James Brown still been alive today then the self-proclaimed “Hardest-working man in show business” would be telling Tremonti to slow down.

Within a few spins of ‘The End Will Show Us How’ it becomes obvious how much Tremonti has benefited from performing these Sinatra big band shows as his vocals have grown considerably in the four years since Tremonti (the band) released their last studio album ‘Marching in Time’.

‘The End Will Show Us How’ opens in glorious cinematic 4K form with the brooding ‘The Mother, The Earth and I’. The intro, which hints at a Brad Fiedel Terminator 2: Judgment Day influence, is best enjoyed through a decent pair of cans where every little nuance is heightened as noises dart from ear to ear. Dealing with the connection that everyone – regardless of where they are in the world, and what their opinions and beliefs are – has with Planet Earth, it packs a foreboding punch (thanks to the eery, wailing tones that Tremonti coaxes out of his guitar) that keeps on coming back to that Terminator 2: Judgment Day comparison, although, Tremonti’s vocals convey a strong feeling of hope so maybe we are going to make it after all.

Tremonti

‘One More Time’ quickly follows on with razor-sharp riffage from the Facemelter-In-Chief himself (the guitar solo that lands on the three-minute mark is punishing, but in a good way) and thunderous kick drum activity from Ryan Bennett, so thunderous that the cans the listener popped on for the opening track need to come off to allow Bennett’s stellar work to fill the room.

Track three, ‘Just Too Much’, yeah, that also kinda belongs to Bennett as well, who along with bassist Tanner Keegan make for one hell of an engine room team. Fans of bending, down-tuned guitar notes will lap up the work from Tremonti and fellow six-stringer Eric Friedman on this one.

‘Nails’ is one of the highlights of the album. Here, it’s all about Tremonti’s guitar chops which are as impeccable as ever on a track that will slay when played live. Gonzo guitar-fuelled to the max, it hangs around for ages after the last notes fade out. It’s also loud. Damn loud. The loose feel of ‘Tomorrow We Will Fail’ is another highlight and comes with the sensation that it was cooked up there on the spot after Bennett was doodling around in the studio. Slight industrial tinges here and there, almost synth-like arrangements at times.

‘I’ll Take My Chances’ keeps up the momentum and at times it pulverizes thanks to Tanner Keegan’s gorgeous bass grooves and Tremonti’s soaring vocals (as touched on above, Mark Tremonti singing with a big band has paid dividends, here, his enunciation is perfect and his vocals crystal clear). Look out for this one bringing the house down on the forthcoming live dates.

‘The Bottom’ is perhaps the surprise of the bunch. The track begins with a bounce courtesy of Bennett and as bizarre as it might sound, Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ springs to mind. That same punchy intro. Then the crunching guitars land and all bets are off. The almost spoken-word vocals from Tremonti delivered in a lower register are incredibly effective and give the track an organic feel in places. Loving the spacey guitar touches on this boneshaker.

With each passing album, Mark Tremonti grows in stature as a performer no longer content to simply rely upon his standing as a guitarist par excellence. While ‘The End Will Show Us How’ is a guitar-heavy album of some quality, it is the growth in Tremonti’s vocals and songwriting skills that impress the most.

Pick up ‘The End Will Show Us How’ on January 10th via Napalm Records, pre-order HERE.

The End Will Show Us How Tour 2025

14.01.25 DE – Hamburg / Gruenspan

16.01.25 SE – Stockholm / Debaser

17.01.25 NO – Oslo / John Dee

19.01.25 DK – Copenhagen / Lille Vega

20.01.25 DE – Berlin / Columbia Theater

21.01.25 CZ – Prague / Palac Akropolis

23.01.25 PL – Krakow / Hype Park

25.01.25 CH – Zurich / Komplex 457

27.01.25 IT – Milan / Magazzini Generali

28.01.25 AT – Vienna / Szene

30.01.25 DE – Munich / Technikum

31.01.25 DE – Frankfurt / Zoom

01.02.25 DE – Cologne / Kantine

02.02.25 NL – Amsterdam / Melkweg

03.02.25 NL – Tilburg / O13

05.02.25 GB – Bristol / O2 Academy

06.02.25 GB – Glasgow / SWG3 Galvanizers

07.02.25 GB – Belfast / Limelight 1

09.02.25 IE – Dublin / Academy

11.02.25 GB – Birmingham / O2 Institute

13.02.25 GB – Manchester / O2 Ritz

14.02.25 GB – London / O2 Forum Kentish Town

16.02.25 FR – Paris / Alhambra

17.02.25 BE – Antwerp / Trix

Tickets available HERE

 

Review – Dave

Band photo – Chuck Brueckmann

Live images – Rob Wilkins

 

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