It is widely known that musicians derive inspiration from each other, especially while navigating their talents and sound at the beginning of their careers. Despite the music industry’s competitive nature, many artists have named each other as muses, and one of the names that comes up the most is Metallica. Although Mark Tremonti has now built a reputation with his efforts in Alter Bridge and Creed, what kickstarted his career was the realization he had after listening to a Metallica classic.
While Tremonti was a teenager trying to find the direction he wanted to follow as a musician, Metallica was at the peak of its career with the album ‘Master of Puppets.’ The record had redefined heavy metal, introduced Metallica to the ‘big league,’ and became a strong representation of the thrash metal scene. As the guitarist recently told Kerrang, a song from this album had such a massive impact on him that it inspired him to be in a band.
Tremonti pointed out that the band’s ‘Welcome Home (Sanitarium)’ fueled his enthusiasm to play in a band. He stated that after discovering this song, he wanted to listen to the entire album. The guitarist noted that he focused on both James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, as he admired the whole track without focusing on one element. He also admitted that he looked up to Hammett and Papa Het, and their influence can be traced in Tremonti’s current sound.
The Alter Bridge guitarist said the following about Metallica’s song inspired him to be in a band:
“‘Welcome Home (Sanitarium)‘ was the song that made me want to listen to that record. I was looking up to both James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. I never focused solely on guitar solos or anything, and it was just the song as a whole.”
Following discovering his wish to be in a band after hearing Metallica’s song, the guitarist achieved his dream and played in multiple bands. Moreover, he formed his own band ‘Tremonti’ in 2011 and took his initial desire to a higher level.
You can check out the song below.
