5. Radical Change
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46IR1wv_tzY Where All I Was opened with a cool effect that slowly built into a mid-tempo riff, Radical Change is precisely that; starting Cauterize as it means to go on by battering your ear drums in and setting up residence in your primal cortex for the next 44 minutes. The relentless pace of the track only lets up for a second as the band juggle tempo changes like they were heavy metal circus performers, teasing some intricate guitar lines in and out of the rest of the composition, until another standout chorus ties it all together. At this stage in his career you have to imagine Tremonti knows the fretboard, every tuning under the sun and the possibilities therein like the back of his hand, so learned is his approach to the instrument that when it comes to delivering a solo, he has a staggering amount of techniques to pull from. Radical Change is such a solo, with a focus on some sky-high bends and particular notes elevating the song itself before the melody of the chorus gets mimicked for a return guitar line - a first for anything he's recorded.