Epic statement or hollow bombast? For Creed, record three minces even less words than the two sullen blockbusters before it. The Tallahassee, Fla., quartet's ostensible answer to The Joshua Tree is intended as a counter strike against the critical storm it's weathered (hence the title). It's a clear attempt to make its artistic intentions as evident as its commercial success. But this is, after all, Creed, and it hasn't changed its Everyman rock ways that much; while Weathered takes a subtle step back from the Led-heavy callings of Human Clay -- 10 million and counting in sales -- it still mines the soft-loud hard rock dynamic the band's been perfecting since 1997's My Own Prison. Parts are louder ("Bullets" and "Signs" veer closer to nu-metal than anything Creed's done), parts softer (the short closer, "Lullaby," glides on little more than a faint acoustic guitar), but the collision of '80s arena rock (think Def Leppard) and '90s grunge (Alice in Chains) continues, and Scott Stapp and company continue to brilliantly overplay it. Yes, for all the religious imagery and personal strife of "Torn" and "One," the new Creed is at its best when its anthems are full-blown cheese: The center of Weathered is a trio of surefire hits ("One Last Breath," "My Sacrifice," "Stand") that sparkle with the most blazing guitars and vocal pyrotechnics since Whitesnake. Break the Kleenex out for "Don't Stop Dancing," the logical successor to "Arms Wide Open," but the marvel of the album is "Who's Got My Back?," eight minutes of Indian scales and chanting -- sort of Creed's "Kashimir" -- that's so over-the-top that it just might be genius. Creed's Joshua Tree? Their answer to Hysteria is more like it.
Brad Cawn
CDNOW Contributing Writer
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The article entertained me, especially that I've already heard the record. The critic has some good points and a few I do not agree with. I have to say I appreciated him calling Creed a "quartet" rather than a trio, even if they are a trio now. I'll never get used to it without Marshall. Maybe I will accept the facts when Grand LuXx's debut comes out. I guess I'll have to get used to Hestla in the meantime. He is a nice guy, but I'll still think of him as an outlier.