Ever since Creed broke onto the music scene in 1997 with their debut album, My Own Prison, the Florida-based band has released one hit after another, quickly rising to the top of the charts and gaining fans worldwide. However, what makes them so loved by their fans?

“We’re the type of band that functions really well under pressure?” Scott Stapp, the band’s front man, said according to www.creed.com. “We definitely wanted to top ourselves [after the My Own Prison album] and make a really great record.”

Outdoing themselves may have looked daunting in the face of the six million albums that My Own Prison has sold, as well as the four number one singles off of the album. They did however manage to top themselves with their sophomore album, Human Clay, which has sold more than 10 million copies.

So how does their third CD, Weathered, stack up with their previous efforts? Creed fans will be happy to know that it compares quite favorably to their previous CD’s in some ways.

Others, however, tend to disagree with the existence of the band’s talent in the first place.

“Creed is just like every other band,” Paul McEntee, band director said. “I don’t like their music and I would never listen to it because it’s boring. Every single one of their songs sounds like the one before.”

Weathered is by far their most diverse album, with track names ranging from “Bullets” to “Lullaby”. Among the teeming masses following Creed since the release of their first album are those who will realize that tracks such as “Bullets” portray an angry, tormented and untrusting manner. Yet on other songs, they seem as though they are happy and at peace.

“They’re different than a lot of the wannabe popular rock bands,” Kristin Dunne, ’04, said. “Their lyrics are inspiring and motivating. They show a side of rock that nobody else does.”

One example of this is the last song on the CD, “Lullaby”, a song that Stapp wrote in dedication to his recently born son, according to www.creed.com.
As with their previous albums, the CD has an undeniably religious slant within some of the lyrics.

While Creed band members do not claim to be Christians and have rejected people who have labeled them as such in the past, lead singer Scott Stapp was raised in a religious home, often going to church. Stapp says that at this time in his life, he is, “searching for answers, about God, life and religion.”

Weathered, while not as gripping as their previous two albums, is a good alternative to many other popular secular bands today. However, for a casual listener, Creed will not gain their best impressions of the band through this CD.

Although Creed has never taken stage in Fresno, they will take the Centennial Garden stage in Bakersfield, California, on Oct. 6. For ticket information, visit ticketmaster.com or call the Centennial Gardens at 661-852-7777.