Though their reunion hasn't been met with the sort of enthusiasm they were probably expecting, you cannot underestimate just how big Creed were at their peak. The combination of radio-friendly riffing and post-grunge brooding made songs like "My Own Prison," "With Arms Wide Open," "Higher" and "My Sacrifice" into ubiquitous rock hits. So when frontman Scott Stapp ducked out to pursue a solo career, he left behind a powerful rock trio who decided to continue on as Alter Bridge. They recruited singer Myles Kennedy and released their debut album One Day Remains on this day in 2004.
One Day Remains is one of the great underrated mainstream rock records of the past decade, full of the same sort of charging riffs as the Creed albums without Stapp's Jesus Christ pose posturing. Songs like "Find the Real" and "Metalingus" bring together charging riffs with huge choruses for an over-the-top but undeniable rock stew. Kennedy has one of the best voices in rock music, and he uses it to full effect all over One Day Remains. (His bluesy versatility earned him a spot as the singer on Slash's latest tour, which saw Kennedy shift from Guns N' Roses tunes to Velvet Revolver songs to Slash's latest solo tracks with ease.)
Though a handful of their songs crept into pop culture (WWE wrestler Edge uses "Metalingus" as his entrance music, and the band played "Open Your Eyes" at the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game), they never truly enjoyed a massive hit. But the aforementioned "Open Your Eyes" is a truly spectacular rock song, full of angst, sadness and redemption folded into its shout-along chorus.