"Full Circle" is Creed's newest album.

Creed not up to par anymore but manages to pull it off in latest album

By: Jonathan Atwood

Posted: 11/5/09

Creed is one of those bands that just won't die. This is a band that has been through everything, from an indie start to superstardom and multiplatinum albums, then to a crashing stop thanks to vocalist Scott Stapp's problems with sex, drugs, and booze. Now, Stapp has brought Creed out of retirement with their new album "Full Circle" and is gunning to prove that Creed can be much more than a joke to rock fans.

Stapp has a lot to prove. His bombastic voice, not quite Christian rock lyrics, and a disturbing penchant for getting too drunk to remember his own lyrics, left him ridiculed by fans and critics alike. His solo album tanked. Guitarist Mark Tremonti had taken the rest of the band and achieved a fair amount of success without him, as Alter Bridge.

A lesser artist might have simply self-destructed. Instead, Stapp got clean, found Jesus, and started writing music again. Luckily, Stapp has always been at his best when channeling his own demons into his music, and "Full Circle" excels when Stapp is dealing with his struggle to endure his own self-destructive tendencies.

It's remarkable just how strong and mature the album is emotionally. Moments of angst and adolescent aggression are rarities. Stapp has obviously done some growing up in the past few years and his lyrics finally hold some resonance with an older, less na've audience. Stapp now speaks to things like the pain of finally accepting the consequences of one's actions in "On My Sleeve" and to lost opportunities in "Time." Meanwhile, tracks like "Rain" still hold out for the possibility of redemption and the ability to learn and change from one's mistakes.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Creed album without at least a small helping of overblown and cringe-worthy lyrics. "The difference that makes us so different," in "On My Sleeve" is perhaps the worst offender, though "Overcome" and "Good Fight" are both rife with the kind of vague anger that is so rightfully mocked by Creed's detractors.

Though Stapp is the album's main creative force, the rest of the band cannot be overlooked. Mark Tremonti flows effortlessly through styles ranging from southern rock to Beatles-inspired melody here, leading to what is perhaps Creed's most musically varied album.

Despite Stapp's lyrical excellence, it's obvious he can't quite keep up with Tremonti's musical talents. Perhaps the greatest flaw of "Full Circle" is the fact that Tremonti's experimentation makes the sameness of the vocals all the more obvious, but when Stapp and Tremonti do get in sync, the combination is as powerful as ever.

All flaws aside, "Full Circle" is still arguably Creed's best album since "Human Clay." There's an adventurousness here that they haven't had since their first album, "My Own Prison," and there's a solidity that no other album has possessed. It's not the kind of album that made Creed famous, but it's a start.