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Mark Tremonti<\/strong> of Alter Bridge<\/a><\/strong> isn’t shy about his Metallica<\/a><\/strong> fandom. In fact, he credits the thrash metal giants with igniting his musical passion, especially their 1986 masterpiece Master of Puppets<\/em>. But beyond the shredding solos and headbanging anthems, it’s Metallica<\/a><\/strong>‘s masterful use of dynamics that truly captures Tremonti<\/strong>‘s heart.<\/p>\n “Honestly, I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for Metallica<\/a><\/strong> and Master Of Puppets<\/em>!” he tells Guitar World<\/a><\/em>. “What I loved most was the dynamics. That’s something I really credit Metallica<\/a><\/strong> for. A lot of heavy bands from that period didn’t use dynamics like they did. Metallica<\/a><\/strong> would write these beautiful intros on songs like ‘Battery’, ‘Damage, Inc.’, and ‘The Call Of Ktulu’, the latter being the song with which I developed my own fingerstyle technique. Then there was all that beautiful stuff in ‘To Live Is To Die.'”<\/p>\n For Tremonti<\/strong>, it’s this ebb and flow, the quiet whispers before the sonic thunder, that sets Metallica<\/a><\/strong> apart. He points to “Orion” as his prime example, praising the contrast between the gentle verses and the gut-punching choruses: “My favorite song of all time could very well be ‘Orion’. That variation is a really big thing for me, going from cleaner verses to those kick-you-in-the-nuts choruses, which is what you hear on ‘Welcome Home’. Funnily enough, there’s a video online of me covering that song on a Hello Kitty guitar!”<\/p>\n But Metallica<\/a><\/strong>‘s magic isn’t just about one sound. It’s the interplay between two distinct guitar voices: James Hetfield<\/strong>‘s chugging rhythms and Kirk Hammett<\/strong>‘s electrifying leads.<\/p>\n “They’re two very different players, but you have to remember Kirk<\/strong> has to keep up with James<\/strong> when they play those fast riffs live!” Tremonti<\/strong> adds. “Kirk<\/strong> is a great alternate picker. He’s also a big reason why I love wah pedals so much, he often does those big one-string wah runs that I love.”<\/p>\n Tremonti<\/strong> draws a parallel to his own partnership with Alter Bridge<\/a><\/strong> bandmate Myles Kennedy<\/strong>: “Me and Myles<\/strong> are different \u2013 he’s more jazzy and bluesy, and I’m more of a metal guy. We complement each other’s sounds, using different amps to fill different frequency ranges to build a bigger picture. That\u2019s something Metallica<\/a><\/strong> have always done.”<\/p>\n \n