Mark Tremonti may be best known as founder and guitarist with arena rock heroes Alter Bridge (and before them, Creed), but he’s an ardent fan of old school extreme metal. He here salutes one of the albums that shaped his formative years, Swiss icons Celtic Frost’s landmark 1984 mini-album Morbid Tales.
“Growing up and becoming a metal fan, Celtic Frost were right behind Metallica as one of my favourite metal bands. I still remember my friend John introducing me to them with [1987’s] Into The Pandemonium, which I fell in love with. As I used to do, I went and picked up everything I could by them, and this became my go-to record.
“I often see Celtic Frost referred to as one of the most influential, if not the most influential, extreme metal bands in the world. There’s no other band from that scene that drew me in like them. It was the mood and atmosphere they create with this record – and the aggression as well. At that point, I was just a beginner guitarist and songwriter and still developing. But once I started writing, there’s no doubt it influenced me and still does to this day.
“When I heard they were coming to play Orlando as part of their comeback in 2006, I hit the show with a couple of friends. I pushed my way to the rail, hands onstage, and stood there singing every lyric of every single song they played. I was so excited to finally see a band I loved from my childhood as a fan.”
