Creed

A Post-Grunge fairy tale, this 1999 effort was a massive hit and the song "With Arms Wide Open" was an even bigger success. Taking Pearl Jam's big sound and creating something more commercially viable and anthemic, Creed have succeeded where many have failed.

God is love — that's why so many rockers fall for him. Ray Charles helped invent rock & roll
when he exposed gospel's fervor as a form of transcendent lust, and since then countless
artists have gone in the other direction, riding their libidos to get to their souls. Elvis and
Van Morrison, Prince and U2, have all romanced their sweet Lord, a conquest much more
challenging than the average girl. Even now, with nookie and cash ruling the sce... More >

In the year rock died again, what should come storming back but metal--d/b/a "hard" or "loud" rock and, as Syracuse demonstrated, uglier than ever. Yet these God-fearing grunge babies sound falser than rape-inciting Limp Bizkit, abuse-tripping Static-X, party animals Buckcherry, or even world-dance Days of the New. Because their songs address universals, they don't debase women, a plus. But their spirituality is as sodden as their sonics. I mean, it's not as if familial oppression isn't real. It's the main thing that turns the hard and loud into truth-seekers and revenge-seekers both. So after years of Marilyn Manson lies, young bands seem to have found a psychic space where such themes open up the musical imagination. By contrast, these guys are still in denial, bellowing regressive circumlocutions to drown out the truth inside. Which is what? Maybe lust. (Grade - C)