================================================ Subject: Passing on article From: "Creed - 7M3 - Live" To: Date: Sun 30 Dec 2001 02:39:46 -0500 ================================================ The Real Heavies James Hunter 3.5 stars (doesn't look good, but it's usually the highest rating, they hardly give out 4's even) On Weathered, Creed's lucid powerhouse of a thrid album, the orlando, florida trio emerge as masters of hard-rock atmosphere. As Soundgarden proved with superunknown, there are a million little intricacies to pulling off what sounds like big enormous rock. and creed are all over them: weathered is rock of unusual focus and arrest, a beautifully distressed dance of sustained style and unapologetic emotion. on songs such as "who's got my back" and "my sacrifice" the current single, creed (now without brian marshall) issue exhilirating blasts of sculptured guitar. mark tremonti's playing and scott stapps gorgeously able tenorbaritone cohere with sriking symmetry and synchronicity. ironically, for a band known by its critics for its overblown romanticism, what's remarkable about Creed's album is its rich restraint. stapp remains a man who could sing for the stage, so long as he could wear leather pants. but he and tremonti don't rely on particularly catchy melodies or cheesy monster riffs; they just talk to each other - with a connected confidence. creed take nothing lightly for granted. on "stand here with me" stapp sings his earnest lyrics as if he might be cross-examined on the import of every word. his voice cuts against an edgy, restless bed of tremonti's guitar notes before the guitarist changes his rhythm, and stapp sings, "so now you live on in the words of a song/you're a melody," as the music gets more frenetic. where other bands may have lightened up their tone by their third album creed keep exploring the intricacies of their own heavy-rock calibrations (salma note: ummmm yeah they did???). Timea nd again on the album - as the title tune rocks out slyly, or during the harmonic churning of "hide" - creed obviously take pleasure in their command of these details. weathered crests with "dong' stop dancing," a song that begins with stapp declaring how "wicked" and murky life sometiems is. tremonti starts up with the creed equivalent of strumming - a bunch of slightly metallic sounding chords swiftly voiced, accumulating a spectacular sonic rush. on the choruses, stapp implores - and you really have to hear it with the music - "children don't stop dancing/ believe you can fly." it's a post-post metal gospel song for a post-post cold war world, a totally credible soundtrack in the grand rock tradition of viruosity and romance. ~salma~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Like earth, know balance. Like wind, fly free. Like fire, be alive. Like water, be peaceful. ~*~the death of rock is the death of me~*~ the doors ~*~at least look at me when you shoot a bullet through my head~*~ creed ~*~no i won't think like you if i did what am i trying to prove~*~ boy hits car ~*~the only thing you'll ever be is just a way for me to bleed~*~ cold ~*~the first time i knew you lied, i ended up crucified~*~ sevendust ~*~i bite my tongue everytime you come around 'cause blood in my mouth beats blood on the ground~*~ incubus ~*~you can talk me into fucking you but i don't think you'd survive~*~ snake river conspiracy ~*~i wonder what you're doing imagine where you are there's oceans inbetween us but that's not very far~*~ puddle of mud To unsubscribe or change your preferences for the Creed-Discuss list, visit: http://www.winduplist.com/ls/discuss/form.asp