Tremonti - Cauterize

 "Cauterize" is the second album by American heavyweights Tremonti which was released back in 2014. For this album, Wolfgang Van Halen replaced Brian Marshal as bassist.  In 2020 Wolfgang is getting quite a name for himself after releasing a track in his own project but he has been around the music scene a lot longer than some people may think.  Eric Friedman remained on guitar for this album while Garret Whitelock was on drums.  The tracks from "Cauterize" and 3rd album "Dust" were recorded at the same time, with "Dust" being released a year later. The spearhead of the band, Mark Tremonti, who is on vocals and guitar said that the tracks on both the albums were divided so that both albums had balance in terms of different types of songs.....

Well yes he certainly divided them up ok and you can see in "Cauterize" there is a mix of songs.  But one thing, in my opinion, he didn't do was divide them up in terms of the actual quality of the songs.  I just feel that not only is this the weakest album he has put out as a Tremonti release but also anything he has put out by Alter Bridge too.  I do feel quite alone in this opinion as from what I have read it does seem like this album got a favourable reception.  But I do feel there are songs on here which either just don't work or I just don't think are very good.

First of all "Flying Monkeys".  This was actually released as a single and the two times I went to see Tremonti in 2018 supporting their "Dying Machine" record, they played this song both times.  And I tell you what - every other song he played those nights I thoroughly enjoyed.  But when "Flying Monkeys" came on I felt disappointment. I just wanted the song to end each time.  The guitars feel so heavy that it feels like it is just weighing the song down. For me it just doesn't work.  Another song which falls flat on the album is "Providence".  For me the "epic" track was attempted here to finish with a bang as it sits at nearly 6 minutes.  But it feels messy as if the different parts have been glued together badly.  The solo is a highlight but it comes too late to save the track. Given the standard Mark has delivered in both Alter Bridge and this band before this I know for a fact he is a lot better than this.

I have just gone into 2 tracks here I don't like and I would say there are more tracks that I think are just really average, particularly someone with the talent of Tremonti. But there are also some bright moments in amongst these.  The album starts off with "Radical Change" a ferocious track which actually starts the album off well with a catchy chorus and infectious hooks.  Title track "Cauterize" and "Another Heart" are main stays in the bands live set to this day.  "Cauterize" being in the same vein as "Radical Change" while "Another Heart" being more anthemic and slightly slower.  These are easily the standout moments from the album and worth listening to.

Overall this is the weakest effort out of the 4 Tremonti albums currently available.  Mark and members of the band are so talented and the 3 other albums are awesome. To me this is just like a bump in the road.  Nobody's perfect.  As I say though there is some good tracks on here that are worth a listen and since this album was well received maybe it is just me.  But for me this is an album I don't go back to and don't plan on going to in the future.  But this won't put a dent of what I think of Tremonti. A very, very good band.