Powerhouse vocalist/guitarist Mark Tremonti‘s 2021 solo album “Marching in Time,” released under the TREMONTI moniker, proved such a carpe-diem clarion call of flawless hard rock that I feared his future endeavors would be doomed to be forever overshadowed by this magnificent riff-o-rama. Yet, with mileage comprising three decades, 18 studio albums, and countless shows, Tremonti keeps pushing boundaries as a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter also with his new solo offering “The End Will Show Us How,” released on January 10th, 2025, via Napalm Records. The album is his 19th, overall, and sixth TREMONTI endeavor and, just like its predecessor, this new selection is characterized by hulking grooves and muscular riffs recalling some of his best work in the ranks of CREED and ALTER BRIDGE. While, for me, the title track of “Marching in Time” still stands above the rest in TREMONTI‘s catalog, with its unstoppable, anthemic power, I feel compelled to repeat myself and assert that these twelve new songs kick some serious ass, too.
Right off the bat, the album gets straight to the point. “The Mother, the Earth and I” sets things in motion in such an epic hard-rock fashion that it should have, perhaps, been the title track. In a way, the opener picks up on where “Marching in Time” left off, with a sly, seductive, and charming psychedelic twist. The chorus is diabolically catchy this time around as well. On the same note, the first single, “Just Too Much,” shares the sentiment of that epic banger from 2021, inspiring you to keep pushing forward with its earth-shattering, somewhat SOUNDGARDEN-like riffs. So, it soon begins to seem very much like Tremonti did the unspeakable – effed the ineffable and released a worthy sequel to his greatest triumph so far. Well, maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise. His résumé is earmarked by a Grammy Award, cumulative streams in the billions, and total sales of 60 million units worldwide across his signature contributions to these three prestigious bands.
Sandwiched between these two anthemic bangers, “One More Time” rolls out the heaviest nitroglycerin grooves on the album. While it’s true, again, that TREMONTI isn’t venturing too far from the tried-and-true hard-rock paradigm, this bunch is one of those pedigree acts that possess quite the ultimate weapon in their armamentarium against sounding stagnant and boring – killer riffs. I noticed how some fans have voiced their not-so-excited opinions about this new offering on those dubious online forums, but I beg to disagree. Yeah, Tremonti plays rather exclusively on his strengths throughout the album but, then again, why not? If his trademark Sinatra-crooning and pristine riffing are not exactly your cup of tea, you’re out of luck with this beast.
Speaking of Tremonti‘s signature hard-rock-tinted bel canto crooning, the Sinatra vibes shine through most prominently on the mid-tempo mood piece, “It’s Not Over.” His soft and commanding voice paired with the guitar riffs swinging in 6/8 meter just works like magic. Then, traversing in a significantly slower tempo and more plaintive, 1990s-esque waters, the title track relies heavily on Tremonti‘s vocal and guitar prowess, rolling out one of the best guitar solos on the outing. Now that 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of many a hard-rock and alternative classic, it is rather befitting to spot these echoes on this new track.
“I’ll Take My Chances” picks up the momentum, after a few mellow tracks, with a good punch-up riffathon. Next up, “The Bottom” is another riffage that is guaranteed to make you feel dancey, should you be inclined to that sort of thing. Once again, Tremonti triumphantly asserts that the guitar riff is truly a paramount force in the heavy-metal universe. The rest of the album offers no disappointments in this respect. So, instead of spending an inordinate amount of time and energy trying to secure the proper daily amounts of feel-good chemicals in whatever short-term, digital dopamine feedback loops, I would rather put this record on.
Closing the album, “All the Wicked Things” is almost as anthemic as “Marching in Time” was back in the day, albeit with a tad more introspective approach. As far as the riffs go, the song is almost grunge in that sweet SOUNDGARDEN way – that is, guaranteed to wash away the rain from all those dreary days of our lives. So, it’s safe to say that these rogues did it again. While it must have been not an easy road to live up to the hype created by the previous album’s unbridled greatness, TREMONTI put out a killer album, again.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- The Mother, The Earth and I
- One More Time
- Just Too Much
- Nails
- It’s Not Over
- The End Will Show Us How
- Tomorrow We Will Fail
- I’ll Take My Chances
- The Bottom
- Live in Fear
- Now That I’ve Made It
- All the Wicked Things
Lineup
Mark Tremonti – vocals, guitars
Eric Friedman – guitars
Ryan Bennett – drums
Tanner Keegan – bass
Label
Napalm Records
