Earlier this may, Mark Tremonti dropped the news that Alter Bridge’s upcoming album will be titled Pawns & Kings, and that it is scheduled to arrive on October 14 via Napalm.
While we’ve yet to hear anything from the album, at the time Tremonti did say the record will be promoted with an extensive tour soon after its release, starting November 1 and concluding December 12.
Now that the release date is creeping ever closer, Tremonti has started stoking the proverbial fire of the hype train, teasing an upcoming album full of, in true Alter Bridge fashion, some seriously heavy riffs.
What’s more, the electric guitar titan revealed that this time out it was his bandmate and fellow six-string hero Myles Kennedy who brought the heaviest riffs of the lot to the writing table.
Speaking to My Planet Rocks, Tremonti confirmed the mastering process had recently been completed and teased, “I think if you're a fan of Alter Bridge, you'll dig this record.”
“There are some heavy riffs on there,” he said. “And you know, some of the heaviest riffs on the record, Myles brought to the table. It's funny that even my producers can't tell who's bringing what to the table anymore.
“Because back when the band started, [I was] the heavy guy, Myles was the moody guy,” he added. “And now you never know.”
Tremonti elaborated by saying he and Kennedy swapped roles more regularly while recording Pawns & Kings, with Kennedy taking on more solo action and Tremonti handling more vocals.
“At this point, Myles loves playing guitar solos, and I love singing,” he continued. “So we like to do each other's roles, because I think he doesn't feel the pressure as a guitar player because he's known as a singer; I don't feel the pressure as a singer because I'm known as a guitar player. So we liked filling the other person's role. It's fun.”
The Creed guitarist went on to pile the praise on his bandmate, and recalled being suitably impressed by Kennedy’s playing prowess when Alter Bridge were in their formative years.
“He's an amazing guitar player,” he observed. “I remember when he was at my house, when we were putting together the first or second [Alter Bridge] record, I heard some jazz going on in my spare bedroom.
“And I walked by, knocked on the door, opened it up, and I thought, 'Who are you playing on the radio?' And it was him. 'I had no idea you could play guitar like this, you've got to play on the next record!'
“To me, he's got one of the best vibratos of any guitar player I've ever heard. So he's definitely a very studied guitar player.”
Pawns & Kings will arrive later this year. For updates, head over to Alter Bridge.
