thevoid99's Full Review: Full Circle [Digipak] by Creed (1~Post-Grunge)
Following the fallout of grunge and alternative music by 1997 amidst a wave of wannabe-grunge bands like Silverchair and Bush. A new sub-genre emerged called post-grunge. Adopting a more polished sounds that was more accessible than the sounds that bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden created. The sub-genre would also become one of the most dominant music scenes to come around for more than 10 years. In 1997, a new band arrived in the form of a Tallahassee, Florida quartet known as Creed. Led by vocalist Scott Stapp along with guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips. Creed arrived with a harder, dramatic take on post-grunge that spawned four mainstream rock singles from their debut album My Own Prison.
In 1999, their sophomore release Human Clay became their biggest hit with songs like Higher and the power ballad With Arms Wide Open. Despite their huge success, the band received harsh criticism from music critics, rock purists, and artists who all felt they sounded way too much like Pearl Jam. While there were vocal similarities between Creed's Stapp and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, the comparisons became too much where bassist Brian Marshall bashed Pearl Jam that led him to be fired from the group. Just as Creed was becoming the biggest band in the U.S., their success also spawned the arrival of more post-grunge acts like Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, and Fuel who all brought a polished take on grunge.
Just as Creed got bigger, so did Scott Stapp's ego as he made comparisons of his own band to Led Zeppelin in terms of critical receptions while stating that their third album Weathered would be number one. Released in the fall of 2001, the record did go to number one but it only added fire to the criticism the band was receiving as even former Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant stated that the band sounded too much like Pearl Jam. With success also came trouble as the band had imploded due to Stapp's ego and drinking where a notorious show in Chicago in late 2002 had Stapp drunk and unable to sing forcing fans to sue the band. In early 2004, Creed had officially disbanded with Stapp forging a very unsuccessful solo career while drummer Scott Phillips and guitarist Mark Tremonti reunited with bassist Brian Marshall to form Alter Bridge with vocalist Myles Kennedy.
Five years after their break-up, the post-grunge sound that Creed had popularized is now as viable as ever thanks to the success of bands like Nickelback and 3 Doors Down along with newer acts like Daughtry. Despite all of their success, the post-grunge sound has been a scorn among rock critics and purists who all felt that it has done nothing but ruin rock music. With the success of these acts, the time feels right for Creed to reunite with its successful line up of Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall, and Scott Phillips for the band's fourth studio album entitled Full Circle.
With songs by Scott Stapp and Mark Tremtonti with production by Howard Benson. Full Circle is an album where Creed do what they do best. Overly-dramatic lyrics with heavy rock mixed in with sentimental ballads and a polished sound. While it's a return of sorts to the sounds of Human Clay in terms of heaviness and power ballads. It also shows that the band isn't doing anything new as it fits in with everything that is going on with rock. The result is Creed just being who they are as they bring more of the same and not much else with Full Circle.
The opening track and leading single is the rocking Overcome kicks things off with a bang thanks to charging guitar riffs from Mark Tremonti, hard-hitting rhythms from drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Phillips. Then the song slows down to Tremonti's apreggio guitar flourishes and a mid-tempo rhythm as Scott Stapp sings through his snarling vocals. Yet, the song's lyrics is filled with lots of melodrama as Stapp tries to be aggressive as just as the song started strong for 10 seconds. It loses its momentum as moments to make it into a full-on rocker fails as Tremonti's wailing solo goes way overboard. Bread Of Shame is another upbeat rocker with growling guitar riffs, heavy bass lines, and charging drum beats that drive through with Stapp's vocals try to be engaging and heavy. Yet, it's cluttered production and Stapp's overblown lyrics keep it from being into a strong rock song despite some good musicianship from the band.
The power-ballad A Thousand Faces opens with an acoustic guitar melody from Tremonti that is supported by a smooth, mid-tempo rhythm. With Stapp's somber vocals that snarls in the power-laden chorus, the song delves into very dramatic lyrics as it features Tremonti playing a wailing guitar solo as it's a song that is loud but with no power as Stapp tries to identify the people around him in those bad lyrics. Suddenly is a rocker with growling riffs that starts off very strong with Phillips' thundering beats, Marshall's low bass lines, and Tremonti's charging riffs. Yet, Stapp's dramatic-laden lyrics and his vocals try to do too much as he is joined by Tremonti in backing vocals that don't really work. The second and current single is the ballad Rain is a mid-tempo track with an acoustic guitar accompaniment as Stapp sings in his growling baritone vocal. Yet, with its overly-polished production and an overblown chorus with raging power chords and extremely sentimental lyrics. It's one of the worst tracks on the album.
Away In Silence is another ballad that features a slow, mid-tempo rhythm that is led by a melodic, arpeggio guitar track with Stapp's somber vocals with overly-dramatic lyrics about how much he's changed. Then comes the chorus where Stapp delves well into melodrama as he's accompanied by soft power-chords as it reaches to the point of boredom. Fear is a wailing rocker that is led by Tremonti's blazing guitar riffs and the hard-heavy rhythms of Phillips and Marshall. The song then turns into a mid-tempo track once Stapp starts to sing with his engaging vocals with its overblown lyrics as it's mired by its production which is way too pristine while the rocking portions of the song tries to be too hard at times. On My Sleeve is a ballad that features a slow, mid-tempo rhythm with acoustic guitar flourishes as Stapp delves into more anguished lyrics that gets overblown in its raging chorus. With Tremonti's wailing solos, the song features a soft string arrangement in the background that only makes things worse as it becomes a bloated track.
The album's title track is an upbeat, raunchy track that has a twangy, acoustic guitar track with a bopping beat that seems to work. Unfortunately, Stapp's snarling vocals and nonsensical lyrics make things seem lame and it gets worse when it gets to rock mode with its raging power-chords and blazing solo despite a good way to open the track. Time is a mid-tempo ballad led by arpeggio-laden guitar melodies with a steady, pulsing beat and smooth bass lines. Stapp sings some lyrics of regret and despair with such overwrought sentimentality, he needed string arrangements to accompany him on vocals to make it more overblown than ever.
The Good Fight is led by a twangy, melodic guitar flourish with a mid-tempo rhythm driven by Brian Marshall's sturdy bass line. Yet, Stapp's growling vocals and anthemic vocals are overblown in its delivery, particularly in the rocking chorus as the band tries to be heavy but fails thanks in part to its overly-clean production. The album closer The Song You Sing is a ballad that opens with an acoustic flourish with mid-tempo rhythms that accompanies Stapp's somber vocals. Then comes raging power-chords with Stapp's overbearing lyrics about the world and such as it's a closing track that ends things on a very bad note as Tremonti displays a wailing solo in its coda.
The thing that makes Creed a thorn in the side of the critics isn't just their lack of original ideas as they're often compared to Pearl Jam. It's also the fact that they sometimes take themselves way too seriously, particularly vocalist Scott Stapp. They strive to become the biggest rock band out there and Stapp tries to play the role of a so-called rock messiah with a God-like complexity. While the rest of the band are definitely talented musicians, they're often overshadowed by Stapp and his ego which led to their 2004 break-up. Now they're back together and seemingly they have the chance to reclaim their throne as one of rock's biggest bands. Do they succeed?
Not exactly because they're doing what they've been doing since they started out. At the same time, rock music since 2000 hasn't changed much so a record like Full Circle is likely to be successful amidst the band's contemporaries like Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Shinedown, and Daughtry. The record itself however, shows the band doesn't really progress very much as band stick to what they do best to their credit. They do try to explore outside of their comfort zone a bit but they're always holding themselves back by just sticking to the rock formula they succeed in. A lot of which is bloated, unimaginative, and tries very hard to either be a full-on rock song or a sentimental, dreary power-ballad. There's no humor in a band like Creed and they try so hard to be this serious, anthemic rock band that it comes across as very dumb.
At the same time, the record is a reflection of how unimaginative today's mainstream rock is. For years, it's always about a power ballad or the most overly-polished anthemic rocker. Creed was successful with that formula that spawned bands like Fuel, Nickelback, and 3 Doors Down to great success. Now, not much has changed as these bands are still around not because of hit records, sellout tours, and having their songs being played on radio whether its mainstream rock or top 40. It's because their music, as original as it is, appeals to the lowest common denominator in rock audiences. The kind of music that lacks passion, lacks real emotions, has no sense of imagination, no humor, and certainly no personality. Creed is a representation of those things and more as they're more concerned with putting on a certain pose on a magazine cover than do something real. Their new records show that not much has changed and it never will.
Full Circle is a dull, unimaginative, and bland album from Creed. While fans will be happy the band stuck to their sound, detractors will find themselves be unimpressed. While it's not the worst record they've done or the worst record of 2009. It's still an album that reflects all that is wrong with today's mainstream rock as well as everything that Creed is. In the end, Full Circle shows Creed going back to what they were. A third-rate Pearl Jam with a vocalist who sounds like a fat, constipated Eddie Vedder.
Track Listing1. Overcome2. Bread of Shame3. A Thousand Faces4. Suddenly5. Rain6. Away In Silence7. Fear8. On My Sleeve9. Full Circle10. Time11. Good F...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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