Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Mark Tremonti is currently winding down the latest North American tour leg for his self-titled band, and Alter Bridge  are about to become his primary focus. The guitarist tells Billboard that after meeting briefly earlier this year, the band is ready to resume work on a new disc and has the beginnings of the effort in place. He explained, “[We have] about five songs outlined [for the new album] … All of them are kind of real high-energy, just real fun rock/metal. We want to not be predictable. We want to make it a little surprising and we’re having fun with it.” At present, Alter Bridge are planning to regroup in late April and hope to begin recording their new album in earnest this summer, with a tour tentatively slated for September. As for the Tremonti band and their plans, the guitarist admits that he might line up some shows during breaks in Alter Bridge’s schedule, just as frontman Myles Kennedy is planning to do with Slash . “It’s always good when you’re recording a record to go take a break and come back,” says the guitarist. “That way you can make sure it’s still exciting and fresh to you.” The rocker says he’s also thinking about a second album from Tremonti, but admits that it will take a back seat to his other bands for the immediate future. “We’re going to just keep pushing the limits of what we can do,” says Tremonti. “We’ll try to be as heavy and progressive as we can without losing the vocal melodies and the reasons why most people listen to music. I don’t want to be just self-indulgent, but we want to have a lot of fun with it, too.” And as for his other band,  Creed , Tremonti simply states, “It’s Alter Bridge’s year.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tremonti-wish-you-well-video/” title=”Next: Watch Tremonti’s ‘Wish You Well’ Video” align=”center”]