Tremonti bringing solo sounds to Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall

Voted "Guitarist of the Year" for three consecutive years by Guitar World and listed in Total Guitar magazine as the fourth greatest heavy metal guitarist of all time, Tremonti bring his band to the Wulfrun on Thursday, February 14.

The tour is to promote Tremonti's debut solo album, All I Was, released last July.

All I Was reveals another side of Mark Tremonti. Assuming both vocal and six-string duties on his long-awaited solo debut, he thrashes with a fierce, metallic intensity.

Flanked by rhythm guitarist and bassist Eric Friedman and drummer Garrett Whitlock, Tremonti engages an incendiary metallic assault that's relentless from the first moment until the last.

When the band hits the road it expands to a four-piece, with Brian Marshall, Tremonti's cohort in Creed and Alter Bridge, assuming touring bass duties.

In many ways, Tremonti returned to his roots for All I Was. Growing up on the likes of Pantera and Metallica, heavy metal has always had a very special place in his heart. However, he never had the avenue to truly follow those impulses to the fullest until now.

"From day one in Creed, I'd pull out metal riffs and the guys would remind me that we weren't Slayer," he laughs.

"Over the years, our sound got heavier. Then, Alter Bridge became even heavier than Creed. That's my foundation. It's a style that I'm really comfortable with. Now, there are no holds barred. I figured the solo album was my opportunity to get that part of myself out there without losing the sense of melody I've worked so hard to achieve.

"At first, I was just going to put a couple of tracks online when I had the time. As we got deeper into the album, we realized that we had to get it out there properly and tour it. We're going to give it all we've got."

The record is available via FRET12 Records. FRET12 is the online guitar hub that Tremonti founded with his brother Daniel Tremonti and Tom Stanley in 2008.

"I hope people have fun listening to All I Was and want to see it live," says Tremonti. "This record is heavier than anything I've done, but it's still a fun record. I hope it makes people want to go out, face the world."

• Tremonti play Wolverhampton's Wulfrun Hall on Thursday, February 14. Tickets cost £16.50 plus booking fees.