creed

Just like they did from �My Own Prison� to �Human Clay�, Creed has once again made a big leap in their message and mission. �Weathered�, Creed�s latest CD, continues what seems to be Creed�s ongoing walk to spiritual security, leaning on the Christian side of the fence they have been sitting on since the start.
Let me start by saying that I love Creed. Their edgy, anxious sound is very tight, original and seemingly somewhat indifferent to pop-culture. Scott Stapp�s vocals are hard-driving, crunchy, but still very warm. Old fans of Creed certainly won�t be disappointed � Creed maintains that rawness but gains a huge degree of sincerity. The lyrics are very profound and personal.

While �My Own Prison� was basically an album of lamenting against God, and �Human Clay� was an album of exploration, �Weathered� is an album of confirmation. Only one lyric sounds slightly skewed, but hardly enough to raise any more than an eyebrow: �Hey God . . . Have you forgot about me?� The song �Bullets� cries out in frustration against the world which Scott seems to have a problem with. No problem with that. �Signs� disclaims Creed�s stardom by saying, �I�m fading underneath the lights.� The rest of the songs (the other 8 out of 11) are basically clear cut worship songs. Expressing ideals of faith, dependence, spiritual warfare and simple love for God, �Weathered� seems to be an honest attempt at worship � even coming from such strong characters as Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti, and Scott Pillips.
From a musical perspective, the CD starts out with heavy, classic Creed songs and then dabbles into newer, experimental sounds. Unlike in �My Own Prison� and �Human Clay�, the writers clung more to the major degrees as opposed to the minors, giving the songs a more uplifting and contented feel. It should be noted that the bass player from the other albums, Brian Marshall, is no longer present in the band. On this CD, Mark Tremonti, the guitarist, takes over the bass, and while he�s not quite as fancy, fill the gap perfectly. Scott�s wife sings back-up vocals on the track �Don�t Stop Dancing�.
In the CD jacket there are artistic and abstract images, some on the verge of being disturbing, but only because they are out of the ordinary. The band endorses a children�s charity founded by Scott Stapp called The With Arms Wide Open Foundation, the name being based on a lyric from their last album.
The ongoing blur over Creed�s spiritual stance has confused many listeners. Their lyrics, very clearly praise, are awesome, but without concrete address to God. The lifestyles and attitudes of the members however should be investigated by the listener to see if that is an influence they want. But in general, Creed presents a respectable message surrounded by an awesome sound that, in isolation, certainly won�t hurt anybody.