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Creed of Clay

by Spencer Ross

After being out on the shelves since last September, I finally picked up a copy of Creed's second album, Human Clay. Although I still don't have a copy of their first album, My Own Prison, my interest in this band first came around three years ago when Jon O'Neill came in the booth during a show and introduced me to a soon to be big Florida band. Most of the first album ended up being released on the radio so I never bothered to get it, but something finally prompted me to pick up Human Clay, particularly after local interest in the band seemed to peak with Creed's state appearance at the New Haven Colliseum a week ago.

By nature, Creed is a rather enigmatic band. The songs, all written by lead singer Scott Stapp and lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, are heavily steeped in alternative sounds and at times, Stapp even sounds like Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Creed is enigmatic because of their lyrical contrast to the genre of music they play. Stapp is the son of a fundamentalist Christian minister and his lyrics are somewhat indicative as is foremostely shown by the title of the album. Human clay would be indicative of the dust that G-d created man out of. However, the heavy alternative/acousticy sound of the music makes it seem alright to listen to. While Creed's lyrical message does have religious overtones, it is definitely not preachy, which is perhaps why I enjoy it so much. In "With Arms Wide Open," (which is the title of their tour as well) they sing about he and his wife having a child. While this is true in real life for Stapp, the lyrics could be interpreted as Adam and Eve-like. The second single and Scream 3 soundtrack song, "What If?" also paints the possibilities of if the Garden of Eden had turned out differently. With no obscenities, universal, yet at the same time religious messages, and good music, it's odd that this band has become popular in a culture that tends to spot religious values easily and reject them. Perhaps the face of America is changing towards rock that does not need to be direct, nor preachy. I can't help but think Christian rock when I listen to this, yet at the same time, I know that it isn't mentioning Jesus or any other specific biblical references. Its secular religiousness is what makes it so intriguing.

Musically, this CD is a little lacking though. The verse guitar riff on "Say I" (one of my favorite songs on Human Clay) sounds a lot like My Own Prison's title track. The short guitar solo in "Faceless Man" is similar to that on a later song on the album, the first single, "Higher." While it is clear that the band uses the same instruments throughout the album, the fact that the majority of the album is in the same key makes the album somewhat monotonous as a whole. Piece by piece, I enjoyed the album but listening to it as a whole is lacking something- it sounds like the neverending song with riff variations. I'd have to give the album 3 1/2 stars because I'm not sure how much musical improvement they've made since My Own Prison. However, they continue to put out good music with a good message without imposing on the listener. In today's day and age, that's what counts.

4/20/00