2003 Charles - 2.5 out of 5 stars
I can’t believe I bought this CD. I thought it would suck, but these guys still rock, sort of. Though I’m not as big a fan of them as I am of, say, Led Zeppelin, Creed is back on track to becoming the Led Zep or AC/DC of our times—sales-wise, at least, if not in terms of bombast. It’s too bad we’ve had to wait eight years since their last release.
As the nation reeled from the tragic events of 9/11, Creed seemed to know exactly what America wanted with its 2001 release, “Weathered,” comforting with songs like “My Sacrifice” while encouraging healthy nationalistic rage with songs like “Bullets.”
“Weathered” sold over six million copies, as did 1999’s “Human Clay,” and 1997’s “My Own Prison,” amazing sales figures that no artist will ever reach again if music pirates have their way. The question is, does Creed still know what ever-fickle listeners want?
Their new album “Full Circle” has essentially the same balance of heavy and soft as Creed’s prior work. There’s some ragers and there’s some ballads, and lead singer Scott Stapp is as fervent and emotional as ever. Though the group has somewhat eschewed its nu-grunge leanings to embrace a more modern douche-rock sound, “Full Circle” melts faces with “Overcome” and “Bread of Shame,” then wipes away the tears with lullabies like “Rain” and “Time.”
Fifth track “Rain” is a solid song, the kind of tune that cheers up the forlorn on a cloudy day. The next track, “Away in Silence,” finishes a solid one-two punch of sensitive tunes that provide a welcome contrast to an otherwise tumultuous album. The tender guitar playing in “Away in Silence”’s intro and outro is a nice bookend to Stapp’s hopeful lyrics as well.
Among the batch of harsh rockers, “Bread of Shame” is the standout. I like the track partly because of its filthy Korn-like guitar licks, partly because the image it conjures in my mind of a person crying on (then eating) a loaf of bread, is either intense or unintentionally hilarious.
Though Creed labors harder to find solid riffs, the ballads are less lighter-worthy than in past albums. Everything is. This is merely average rock, ballsy, yet strangely non-threatening. It’s a genre they basically own. I don’t love this album, and it’s not as essential as Creed’s past releases, but I’d recommend it to fans of hard, sludgy rock, especially if you’re religious or seek “deeper meaning” in your music.
2009 Charles - 1 out of 5 stars
I can’t believe I bought this CD. I thought it would suck, and it does, but it blows, too. Have my ears changed that much since a) Scott Stapp allegedly performed drunk and Creed got sued for millions, b) Stapp got in a fight with members of 311, and c) the group unceremoniously broke up? Have I cultivated a better taste in music since their last release? Yes. Yes, I think I have.
“Full Circle” is a turgid, sludge-filled schlock-fest rife with quasi-religious imagery, lyrical preening and unpardonable bombast. Same as always for Creed, but at least in the past they could write a decent uplifting song. “One” was pretty awesome—as was “My Sacrifice”—but that was eons ago.
In 2009, we’re stuck with grating guitar-shredders like “Bread of Shame” and “Fear.” “Rain,” a sensitive, catchy ballad, is the highlight of the album by default, because it’s not as overstuffed with pointless noise as the majority of “Full Circle”’s songs.
Much like some people say about U2, Creed is “Christian,” if you really parse the lyrics. Though I must say if all their fans are as uptight as the four who brought the $2 million lawsuit against them for Stapp’s “drunken performance” a couple years ago, Creed should look for a new audience. Drinking and rock stardom go together like cigarettes and cancer.
You could never accuse lead guitarist Mark Tremonti or bassist Brian Marshall of being inventive or poppy before, but they’re more metal and derivative than ever. It seems like Creed has taken stock of their time apart, studied other contemporary bands’ styles, inspected their rapidly emptying checkbooks, and decided to cash in with this pile of turd.
If there’s any justice, they’ll break up again in a couple months. But you never know. I’m always amazed by the general public’s taste in music, though this is so horrendous I have a feeling even the public will stay away, mostly because there are no obvious radio hits like “What If?” or “One Last Breath” here.
The balance in Creed’s albums between hard rockers and slow ballads has always seemed mathematically preordained—“here’s four heavy songs, now here’s two sensitive songs”—but never has the formula been so flawed. This insane need to include ballads killed hair metal, and it’s still killing Green Day, and Creed has a miniscule margin for error if their ardent fans are as uptight as I suspect they are.
Creed is as Christian as arena rock gets without actually admitting to being “Christian Rock,” which is usually the mainstream kiss of death. I understand they can’t wear priestly robes and baptize people on stage if they want to sell out arenas and enjoy the devil’s lucre, but who do they think they’re fooling with their pious, vague pussyfooting?
If Creed is Christian, or quasi-Christian, or whatever, fine.
But dumping this flaming pile of excrement on doorsteps like a Halloween prank—gotcha, we’re actually hacks! Your doormat’s on fire!—is a sin against humanity, and eardrums.
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