Its been 8 years since the last Creed album, ‘Weathered’ was released and went on to sell over 6 million records worldwide. In that time, the band split up rather acrimoniously, vocalist Scott Stapp leaving the band to record some solo work, and the rest of the band hooking up with vocalist Myles Kennedy to form Alter Bridge and both band and vocalist declared that Creed was part of their past, and they were looking to the future; so it was somewhat surprising to hear that Creed had reformed for a tour earlier this year. This led inevitably to recording a new album, and so we now come ‘Full Circle’. The question that remains to be answered is does anybody care anymore about a band who sold over 20 million albums nearly a decade ago.
The first thing that needs to be said about ‘Full Circle’ is how little it actually sounds like a Creed record; perhaps the best way to describe it would be to say that Myles Kennedy has been replaced by Scott Stapp on vocals for Alter Bridge but whilst the musical element of both bands is the same, Creed and Alter Bridge were two very different creatures. That line now appears to have blurred somewhat, which is a shame considering that Creed for a long time were at the forefront of the nu-grunge revival.
The first two tracks on the album, ‘Overcome’ and ‘Bread of Shame’ are good, heavy, rocking tracks, which the old Creed would have been very proud of. Sadly, it’s at this point that things start travelling south. Rocking ballads have always been a staple of Creed, but whereas before they sounded very much like their own, Creed are now sounding like a mash-up of their own influences, such as Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, and the bands that they influenced, specifically Creed and Nickleback. The problem is that the originators of the sound are held up as legends in their own right, and on some level Creed were there too. Now however, the band appear to bring nothing new to the table, and Scott Stapp’s husky whine is no longer anything to get excited about.
The other problem with the album is the lyrical content itself. The album title refers to the fact that the band have come full circle, and that their reunion was the only thing that made sense. The title track is a direct reference to this fact. But if you delve deeper into the lyrics, there are numerous songs that, if you have an understanding of the history of the band, make reference to the split and the reunion. It’s not done in a celebratory way, but more in a simple matter of fact “this is what we’ve done” manner. It’s not that the lyrics are bad, but appear to be more lazy than anything else, like nothing else has happened in the last 5 years than the band reforming.
Whilst this sounds like a very negative review, there are many positives to be found. The songs, although they may sound somewhat generic with a view to what has come before, are still full of the passion that imbued most of Creed’s back catalogue. The fact that the band have reformed is a triumph in itself. It is still an album worth listening to for fans of heavy rock and the nu-grunge scene. But fans of Creed, after getting over the excitement of having the band back, may find themselves a little disappointed with the output produced.
The first thing that needs to be said about ‘Full Circle’ is how little it actually sounds like a Creed record; perhaps the best way to describe it would be to say that Myles Kennedy has been replaced by Scott Stapp on vocals for Alter Bridge but whilst the musical element of both bands is the same, Creed and Alter Bridge were two very different creatures. That line now appears to have blurred somewhat, which is a shame considering that Creed for a long time were at the forefront of the nu-grunge revival.
The first two tracks on the album, ‘Overcome’ and ‘Bread of Shame’ are good, heavy, rocking tracks, which the old Creed would have been very proud of. Sadly, it’s at this point that things start travelling south. Rocking ballads have always been a staple of Creed, but whereas before they sounded very much like their own, Creed are now sounding like a mash-up of their own influences, such as Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, and the bands that they influenced, specifically Creed and Nickleback. The problem is that the originators of the sound are held up as legends in their own right, and on some level Creed were there too. Now however, the band appear to bring nothing new to the table, and Scott Stapp’s husky whine is no longer anything to get excited about.
The other problem with the album is the lyrical content itself. The album title refers to the fact that the band have come full circle, and that their reunion was the only thing that made sense. The title track is a direct reference to this fact. But if you delve deeper into the lyrics, there are numerous songs that, if you have an understanding of the history of the band, make reference to the split and the reunion. It’s not done in a celebratory way, but more in a simple matter of fact “this is what we’ve done” manner. It’s not that the lyrics are bad, but appear to be more lazy than anything else, like nothing else has happened in the last 5 years than the band reforming.
Whilst this sounds like a very negative review, there are many positives to be found. The songs, although they may sound somewhat generic with a view to what has come before, are still full of the passion that imbued most of Creed’s back catalogue. The fact that the band have reformed is a triumph in itself. It is still an album worth listening to for fans of heavy rock and the nu-grunge scene. But fans of Creed, after getting over the excitement of having the band back, may find themselves a little disappointed with the output produced.
