A few weeks ago, I penned an article about the reunion of a band that many in the music world love to hate: Creed. Its comeback album, Full Circle, is the band's first since 2001, and many fans wondered what form the album would take after the members spent five years apart.
Creed was never a critic's band, as many reviewers mostly complained about the fact that the band never seemed to change its sound. It was always a rock band with a grunge-y heaviness to its songs ("What If," "Bullets"), or an anthemic, 10-feet-tall sound ("My Sacrifice," "Higher," "With Arms Wide Open"). Full Circle, however, seeks to respond to this criticism, as the band seems much more willing to mix it up. For instance, "Bread of Shame," the album's second track, features an interesting stop-start feel to it, which almost always feels forced in other songs but works here somehow. The song also features unconventional guitar tuning, giving it a different feel from anything Creed has done previously.
Creed also breaks out the acoustic guitar on this album frequently, something it almost never did on its first three releases. This is most apparent on "Rain," one of Creed's softest songs to date. Lead singer Scott Stapp pulls off the vocals with a simple sincerity that makes the song enjoyable. Another interesting moment occurs during the intro to "Full Circle," which includes a funny mix of bass and acoustic guitar that gives the song an almost Southwestern-ish feel.
Religious themes, which Creed used frequently in the past, are not really found here, which is probably a good thing. There's also no real big anthemic song either, which is somewhat disappointing, because that is what endeared Creed to many of its fans. Only "The Song You Sing," and "Time" show flashes of that style.
Lyrically, Stapp does a decent job. He lapses into clich
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