“The fact Wolfgang trusted us to come in and not totally ruin the legacy meant a lot”: Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti on recording the new Alter Bridge album at 5150
Alter Bridge guitarists Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti have reflected on the honour of recording their latest album at Eddie Van Halen’s legendary 5150 Studios.
The band’s self-titled eighth album arrived in January, and saw Kennedy, Tremonti and co enter the hallowed ground of 5150 in Los Angeles, California. And in a new interview with Guitar World, the guitarists reveal how the opportunity came about.
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“Wolf was incredibly kind enough to bring that offer up with our manager,” Kennedy says. “We were like, ‘Really?’ We knew the history of all the incredible music that had been made there. Just the fact that he trusted us enough to come in and not totally ruin the legacy really meant a lot. When we all showed up, we were very cognisant of that, and we wanted to honour the situation.
“If you know you’re going into this sacred ground where all these incredible riffs have been constructed and recorded, the last thing you want to do is show up empty-handed. It was definitely fuel for the creative fire.”
Asked whether a Van Halen flavour worked its way into the songs on Alter Bridge, Tremonti says, “We by no means sound like Van Halen in any way or form. But you can feel the spirit of the band and Eddie in that room.”
“The riff for Silent Divide has definitely got an ‘80s vibe. Mark kept comparing it to an old Judas Priest riff, but with the way I keep coming back to that chugging on the low D, I think of a riff like Unchained.
“Those were such important riffs for me. Does it sound like Unchained? No, but there’s definitely that element there.”
“I try to explain to people that 5150 Studios isn’t some sterile environment where they’re cleaning up for the next band to come in. It was pretty much left the way [Van Halen] used it last. Wolfie has a great Neve console in there now, but it’s pretty much the same letters on the kitchen fridge; there’s the 5150 necklace hanging over the door – all the cool stuff that was there when those guys were there.”
Listen to Alter Bridge’s new album below:
The post “The fact Wolfgang trusted us to come in and not totally ruin the legacy meant a lot”: Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti on recording the new Alter Bridge album at 5150 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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