Review: Creed – “Full Circle”
America loves a comeback story, and Creed‘s is a doozy: after racking up huge sales, conquering the world, and becoming the critical community’s favorite punching bag, the band’s arrogance and stupidity finally caught up with them. Singer Scott Stapp spent two years as a painkiller-addicted tabloid fixture, and his reign at the bottom was replete with on-stage breakdowns and an extremely odd Kid-Rock-assisted sex tape. But now the band is back, and they’re ready to reclaim their place at the top of the charts. Is America really ready for more Creed? Or are the memories of the pain they inflicted with “Higher” still fresh? After listening to their new album Full Circle (opens in iTunes) for six long hours, I have returned with a verdict: Too soon.
I’ve never been a Creed fan, and Scott Stapp is the primary reason. This is true for the majority of people who love to loathe Creed: it’s not that we hate bombastic rock ‘n’ roll, and it’s not that we’re “too cool” to get on Stapp’s wavelength. The critical reaction to Creed functions as a knee-jerk response to lyrics so misguided that even on this, their ostensible apology to the fans, Stapp keeps asking us to align our sympathies with his alleged misfortune. Late in the record he admits he “made this mess [him]self,” but it comes after a solid forty minutes of tortured bloviating about his heart being tattooed on his sleeve. Listening to Creed is like putting a book about why bad things happen to good people on your nightstand.
To the band’s credit, the riffs on half these tracks are absolute face-melters. Having never owned a Creed album or listened to their music beyond the ubiqutious singles, Mark Tremonti’s fretwork comes to me as a delightful surprise. This kind of grungy sludge isn’t necessarily what I require for my own heaviness needs, but I’m also not theoretically opposed to it. When these guys stay away from the ballads, their music is awesomely bottom-heavy and rhythmic; I can totally understand the appeal of watching the band shake stadiums. But, unfortunately, ballads comprise precisely half of the album, and that’s when Creed starts running into trouble. Without the sound and fury of Tremonti’s power chords, Stapp’s woeful, sub-Vedder crooning is fatally exposed.
“Away In Silence” and “Rain” are the most blatant offenders – the playing is competent but unexciting, and the lyrics are downright repulsive. I’m all for Stapp’s comeupance, but I wish he’d saved the self-flagellation for his therapy sessions. Everybody knows exactly what kind of trouble the dude has been mired in for the better part of this decade so I don’t know why we need to rehash the details, in the most banal and clichéd manner possible, for fifty minutes. Furthermore, it’s tough to muster much pity when the guy basically opens the record by bellowing “I’m entitled to overcome!” I’m hard-pressed to figure out why, precisely, this guy feels entitled to anything now: Creed had a good run of hit singles, they sold over thirty million records worldwide, and Stapp’s infamous onstage martyr-pose fueled countless teenage girl masturbation fantasies. It’s not really our fault, as listeners, that Scott Stapp became addicted to various substances, acted like a moron, and lost a lot of money. The guy should take a cue from hip-hop, embrace the inherent drama of his status as a drugged-up diva, and have some fucking fun with it already.
In the end, Full Circle faces the same problem Creed has always faced: the pseudo-Christian sprituality that functions as a lynchpin of their mythology is also their undoing. Rock ‘n’ roll is devil music, and has been since time immemorial (or, at least, the 1950′s.) So until Stapp learns to stop whining and accept his inner Lucifer, a Creed record will never be a good time. Full Circle is a mostly turgid slog that occasionally livens up but ultimately can’t shake free of the two-hundred pound albatross standing front and center. And so, thirteen years after they first tasted mainstream success, Creed remain locked in a prison made of pomposity and frustration; they still can’t shake the shackles of shittiness.
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About the Author
Oswald Hobbes is an amateur music appreciationist from the wilds of the Midwest.
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If you don’t have any idea how good Mark Tremonti is then you don’t have the musical background to reveiw Rock Albums. Mark has been with Alter Bridge since Creed broke up. He has won Best Rock Guitarists in Guitar World Magazine 2 or 3 times. He has an instructional video and has friends like Cooley, Batio and Stetina. If you don’t know those names go find out. I’m guessing you prob gave AC/DC Black Ice a good reveiw. Out for a week and gone. Creed is topping the itunes list, #10 on the Billboard Rock chart and will sell over a million copies of Full Circle. Learn Rock, come back and try again.
Is that Scott Stapp himself?
One thing to note: The Fray and John Mayer are also on the “rock” chart on iTunes. I think their definition of rock is a bit loose over there at Apple HQ. Journey also has an appearance there…
Um. I typically don’t listen to this kind of stuff. My tastes skew more towards “good” music. I could really give a fuck who wins ANYTHING from shitty guitar magazines that only care about technical skill. Tremonti’s chops won’t mean shit until he uses them to write good songs.
Awards are given to people who win over the majority of people. The MAJORITY doesn’t care what you call “good music”. Why don’t you tell us your definition of “good music”. This way we can hate on your taste. I didn’t define itunes as Rock. Billboard is the Rock Chart. Bands on that chart are Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters. Guess only the Creed fans are full of shit when they are enjoyed by the MAJORITY. Also winners of Guitar World awards are, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Slash and many more MUSICIANS who know all of that tech-ni-cal stuff. Fucking duh Oswaldo!
And Tim, It’s not Apple HQ that decides who downloads the most, it’s the customer.
All this knowledge available from a guy who thinks “The Fixer” is the best Pearl Jam ever!! Even Flow, Black , Glorified G are you for real!!
iTunes decides who’s featured on the front page of their iTunes Music store and approves the songs for which categories they end up in.
You cant deny, that being hyped on iTunes is due in large part to what gets put in the “new and noteworthy” section of iTunes as well as the big graphics they have on the front pages of all the different music categories.
Scott, this review is an expression of personal opinion and should be used for entertainment uses only. I’m sorry you disagree with me. I personally don’t base my opinions or who wins awards or what the majority of people enjoy; I gave the record a solid 10 listens and then wrote what I thought of it.
hey oswaldo check out the sales of the Full Circle
The new Creed CD is one of the best albums I’ve heard. I have seen these guys in concert several times and was very happy when I heard this album. Music isn’t a competition, it’s an art and a form of expression. I give anyone props for putting it out on the line and out there. Some go so far to say they are not any good, when they continue to set records. 10 million albums and “not any good”, lol. If 30 plus million isn’t good, I am not sure how you set your standard for good. Is good, only what “you” like? If so, then I can see why Creed isn’t good in your ears, but that’s about the only way Creed isn’t considered good. Like them, love them or hate them, plenty of people pay money to listen to them. If you liked any of the previous CD’s, well, you are going to like this CD. Personally, that’s what made me so excited with this cd, it was the Creed I have always liked and I feel as though they keep to their roots, and the guitar, bass and drums really stepped up their game for this cd, while keeping their “sound” that many once loved. I really think Scott Stapp delivered some really great lyrics and his vocals delivered everything Creed was and will be.
In closing, if you ever liked Creed, you will really enjoy this album. It’s not the same old Creed, but everything you once loved about Creed and even better.
Some bands feel they have to change, just to put something out that’s different. Creed has not changed from their roots, the only thing that’s changed is 6 years of growth as musicians and I think they should be very proud of this album.
your comments are lame, like your picture ..Album rocks !