Alter Bridge is an American rock band based in Orlando, Florida. The band was formed in 2004 by then-former members of Creed, Mark Tremonti (lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brian Marshall (bass guitar), and Scott Phillips (drums), with Myles Kennedy (lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar), formerly of The Mayfield Four.

The band is named after an actual bridge that used to be located in Detroit near Tremonti's home on Alter Road. The bridge led to a bad part of town and the neighborhood children, who saw the other side of the bridge as the "unknown", were not allowed to cross it. Thus, according to Tremonti, the name of the band symbolizes going into the unknown and starting something new.

Alter Bridge released their debut album, One Day Remains, in August 2004, followed by their second album, Blackbird, in October 2007. The band's third album, AB III, is set for an October 11, 2010 release.

Creed went inactive in late 2003 due to internal issues between Mark Tremonti and Scott Phillips with singer Scott Stapp. After that Alter Bridge was formed in 2004 by Tremonti and Phillips, reuniting with former bassist Brian Marshall, who had left Creed much earlier, and called Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four, a rock band that Creed had toured with earlier in their career before they made it big. Later in early 2004 the band started recording their debut album.

Creed consists of the instrumental members of Alter Bridge with singer Scott Stapp. They released two studio albums – My Own Prison in 1997 and Human Clay in 1999 – before bassist Brian Marshall left the band in 2000 after speaking out against Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder during a radio interview. In 2001, Creed's third album, Weathered, was released, with Mark Tremonti handling bass in the studio and Brett Hestla performing bass on tour. Although often criticized, Creed saw a great deal of success with songs like "Higher", "With Arms Wide Open", and "My Sacrifice", but they disbanded in 2004, with Stapp starting a solo career and the other members reuniting with Marshall to form Alter Bridge.

Despite the occasional rumor of a Creed reunion, Tremonti stated time and again that Creed would not return. However, beginning in late 2008, the rumors began circulating again and Tremonti appeared open to the idea of Creed reuniting. Finally, after months of speculation, Creed announced its reunion in April 2009, with reports of a new album and tour. The original Creed lineup released their first new studio album in eight years, titled Full Circle, in October 2009 and embarked on a corresponding tour with Staind (as well as Saliva, Hoobastank, Lo-Pro, and Like A Storm on select dates) earlier that year. A live DVD simply titled Creed Live was released in December 2009.

They are currently on a world tour called the "20-10 Tour" with Skillet.

In spite of Creed's return, both Creed and Alter Bridge will co-exist, despite rumors that Alter Bridge would disband as a result of Creed's reunion. On their MySpace and official website, Alter Bridge stated, "We have absolutely no plans to break up. Alter Bridge forever!"

Alter Bridge has been described as alternative metal, post-grunge, and hard rock and as an "an amalgamation of 1970s classic rock with contemporary hard rock," and have influences ranging from, according to singer Myles Kennedy, "the bluesier element of what came into the United States in the early part of the last century and all the way up through modern metal." The band is known for their live performances as they do more variations than their original songs while performing live. The band's music is heavier and more technical compared to most of the band's contemporaries and is characterized by the blend of guitar and overall musical styles between Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti. Kennedy, a former member of the jazz fusion bands Cosmic Dust and Citizen Swing and a longtime listener of soul and R&B musicians such as Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, has a bluesier, darker style and adds textures and colors to the band's music, while Tremonti's influences are primarily metal bands such as Metallica, Slayer, and Celtic Frost, which are evident in his playing. The music itself is co-written by Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy with most of the lyrics written by Myles Kennedy (though many of the lyrics on the band's first album were written or co-written by Tremonti). The band's lyrics often touch on dark subjects such as death ("Blackbird," "In Loving Memory") and addiction ("Buried Alive," "Watch Over You," "Burn it Down"), both of which are both common themes in the band's music.