New day dawns for ex-Creed members Web Posted: 10/15/2004 12:00 AM CDT Tim Adams Special to the San Antonio Express-News If you were the lead guitarist of a band almost 5 months old whose debut album and single have both landed in the Top 10, you might want to pinch yourself to make sure you weren't dreaming, you may be even wondering how long the ride would last. Alter Bridge Where: Sunset Station, 1174 E. Commerce St. When: Thursday; doors open at 6:30 p.m. For openers: Crossfade, Submersed Tickets: $22.50 in advance at Ticketmaster outlets; $25 day of show But if you were Mark Tremonti, you wouldn't be living a dream, but merely enjoying the satisfaction of returning to your roots, of having the pleasure of being vindicated for being true to your vision. "Scott, Brian and I have always had the same vision for music," Tremonti said from his Orlando, Fla., home. "And it's that vision of just playing good rock 'n' roll that drives this band." "This band" is Alter Bridge, which features former Creed guitarist Tremonti, drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall. Alter Bridge makes its Alamo City debut Thursday at Sunset Station. Opening acts include fellow Wind-Up Records signees Submersed and Crossfade, whose current single, "Cold," has been getting significant airplay. Tremonti, Phillips and Marshall were the music and a good part of the writing that propelled Creed from post-grunge obscurity to arena-rock kings from their debut in 1997 until the announcement of their breakup in June. The three albums they made with former lead singer Scott Stapp (although Marshall, who left after a run-in with Stapp, did not contribute to 2001's "Weathered") sold more than 30 million units and stayed in the Top 10 more than 100 weeks combined. So why would anyone walk away from a band like Creed? "It wasn't a snap decision," Tremonti said. "It was a long process that goes back to creative and personal differences that had been festering for a while. I didn't just wake up one day and say, 'I want to leave Creed and start a new band.'" While Tremonti would never point the finger directly at anyone, it's obvious that he views differences with Stapp as the root of Creed's demise. Asked if he still considered Stapp a friend, Tremonti said, "I haven't talked to that guy since February." Asked how he would respond if he were to receive a call from Stapp, Tremonti reiterated, "I haven't talked to that guy since February." Rumors had been circulating for months that all was not well in the Creed camp, fueled by an announcement by Creed's publicist last October that Tremonti and Stapp would be devoting time to solo projects. Fan conversations on www.creed.com often mentioned how band members would hardly acknowledge each other's presence toward the end of the Weathered Tour. Considering that the official statement of Creed's breakup came in June and Alter Bridge's debut album "One Day Remains" was released only two months later, it's obvious that the split happened long before it was announced. Tremonti says he contacted Marshall in October 2003, about collaboration and that they started working with Phillips shortly thereafter. The three self-produced a few demos in Tremonti's home studio and then recruited former Mayfield Four singer Myles Kennedy for their new band. But even though three-fourths of Creed vow that Alter Bridge is here for the long haul, some of the tracks on "One Day Remains" have a Creed flavor, notably the debut single "Open Your Eyes," which reached the Top 10. "We're not dismissing the past," Tremonti said. "There's enough on this album to appeal to Creed fans, but it's definitely not just a fourth Creed album with a new singer. We appreciate all the fans who made Creed the huge success it was, and we certainly don't want to alienate them. That's one of the reasons 'Open Your Eyes' was our first release — we wanted to put out something that would sound familiar." That familiarity certainly comes through, but anyone who has heard the entire disc cannot miss the fact that "One Day Remains" is far more aggressive musically than any of Creed's albums and Kennedy's vocal range shows that Alter Bridge has the talent to continue to produce. Tremonti is so adamant about making a clean break from Creed, he and his bandmates have vowed to bypass the entire Creed catalog in concert. They've made good on that promise to date, playing all 11 tracks from "One Day Remains" along with a few cover tunes that acknowledge the band's '70s and metal influences at each show on the tour, which kicked off Sept. 23 in Pontiac.