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The weakest part of Full Circle, the band’s first original release since 2001’s Weathered and the subsequent break-up in 2002, is the companion DVD that comes packaged with the disc. Instead of letting the music speak for itself, the band makes the mistake of producing a DVD that serves only to display to their audience how hard they’re trying to prove that they have nothing to prove. The video is full of moments that make the band seem old and stale rather than ready to start fresh. The viewer is shown too much of Scott Stapp sitting around in a wife-beater or shirtless, talking about himself. But let’s face it, maybe that’s what Stapp does best – aside from being the lead singer of one of the most popular bands in the last fifteen years. Drummer Scott Phillips does not look like the past seven years have been kind, and the obnoxious sidekick touring guitarist comes across as more of an excitable fan than a viable member of the band. And watching Stapp perform in the video of the first concert together since the band broke up is a painful and embarrassing experience.
Suffice it to say, this review isn’t about the DVD. It’s about the music. If only the Full Circle release was as well.
Full Circle sees the three constant members (Stapp, Phillips, and guitarist Mark Tremonti) re-united with bassist Brian Marshall, who sat out the sessions for Weathered and the following tour, to once again form the original powerhouse quartet. The lead track and the first single, “Overcome”, a song about the rebirth of the band and overcoming others’ perceptions, is a hard-hitting number that is solid but ultimately forgettable. What follows is a collection of songs that comes across as very uneven, with moments that leave the listener wondering where the classic Creed has gone, and brief moments of clarity that hint at the band’s former glory.
The second track, “Bread of Shame”, is a sludgestomper that features a riff that sounds like it was ripped off of a Korn record, and for Creed, that is no good thing.
“A Thousand Faces” is the first glimpse of the Creed that called it quits in 2002 at the top of the charts and the height of their careers, with a calmly picked intro followed by an explosive chorus that features Mark Tremonti in a back-up vocal role, sounding like the voice of Stapp’s shadow.
“Suddenly” is a run-of-the-mill fist-pumper with an uninspired verse progression followed by a chorus that could have been great but never really pays off.
“Rain”, one of the brightest moments and best songs of the disc, is an acoustic driven exercise in optimism in the vein of “With Arms Wide Open” from 1999’s Human Clay and “Don’t Stop Dancing” of 2001’s Weathered. It is also showcases some of the best of Stapp’s lyrical ability on the record, as he takes a break from the downer side and takes a moment to express hope for the future, which, for a band that is supposedly starting over, one would think there would be more of on the record. It’s a fact that Tremonti can shred; however, on Full Circle most of the time it’s to no avail. But on this song he takes a break from the chaotic, dissonant, look-at-me-I-can-shred moments to provide a lifting, melodic lead line that compliments what’s going on with the rest of the band.
The following track, “Away in Silence”, is one of the more poignant moments of the record, with Stapp leading the group in a driven chorus, pleading “Don’t give up on us, don’t give up on love”. There is a harmonious interplay with Stapp and Tremonti in the bridge, and Stapp closes the song with the words, “I’m not the man I used to be”.
On “Fear”, the band sinks back in the territory of another mediocre headbanger, with heavy riffage galore, and some of Stapp’s more philosophical lyrical meanderings.
The best track on the disc, “On My Sleeve”, is the sound of Creed in their prime. Like the other great moments on the record, this song benefits from all four members coming together to do what they individually do best. This is by far Stapp’s best vocal performance, singing out the searching verses with ease and rocketing into a huge chorus that rivals the best of the band’s past singles. The combined rhythm section of Phillips and Marshall are tighter than ever, especially on the bridge. Throw in a violin-led intro and an orchestral harmony, along with some of Tremonti’s most stand-out and solid playing, and you have the very best of which Creed is capable.
The title track starts as a groovy, hard-rock rhythm mired by Stapp bleating semi-rhythmically into the mic, and is followed by a disjointed chorus. The bridge is the best moment of the song, reminiscent of the fury and aggression of “Bullets”, the lead track from Weathered.
Next up is “Time”, a mid-tempo number that’s solid in its own right, but gets lost amidst the other forgettable tracks, especially since it is by far the longest song on the record, clocking in at just under six minutes. While it is a good song, the attention span required for a six minute song is absent this late in the disc.
“Good Fight” has a good message lyrically, but is another unremarkable venture that fails to stand-out.
The disc ends on a good note, albeit not the strongest, with “The Song You Sing”. Once again showcasing the faintly middle-eastern melodies that are a signpost of the band, the memorable acoustic intro gives away to a driving finish, climaxing with a soaring lead by Tremonti, and the echo of Stapp’s voice.
Full Circle is by no means a bad record. On the contrary. However, it does suffer from a marketing ploy gone wrong, one that focused more on the image of the band rather than the music that they were making. Had the disc been released sans the DVD, letting the music speak for itself, it would have been a much more solid release. As it stands, it only serves to taint the return of a truly good band, although the record itself holds its own among the bands past releases. Perhaps it was the seven-year hiatus, or perhaps it was the hurried two-month period in which the record was written and recorded, but Full Circle, good as it is, fails to live up to the potential Creed has proven they possess. Though this disc was just released, they’re next record is already anticipated. Full Circle is good, but Creed can do better. |
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