June 24, 1997 - Creed and My Own Prison

A month after my last release a new band joins my library when Creed released their debut album "My Own Prison" on June 24, 1997. But who are Creed? They are a four-piece post-grunge/alternative rock band from Tallahassee, Florida consisting of lead singer Scott Stapp, guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. Creed definitely take from grunge bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, but they also have a hard rock edge that at times can be pretty heavy and at other times more pop-y and ballads. Let's see what Creed is all about!

The album begins with "Torn" and Tremonti plays a light guitar riff to lead the way while Marshall plays sole solid bass to back him. We hear Stapp's vocals for the first time and he has a very low and grunge-y vocal style that is pretty unique and at times, polarizing. The chorus has some nice heavier guitars and Stapp sounds pretty good singing in a slightly angrier voice. The verses are decent and the heavier parts sound pretty good, this is a nice introduction to what Creed is all about. Solid opener. Up next is "Ode" and Tremonti leads the way with some cool high and low guitars while Phillips plays a cool drum beat. Stapp sings a decent verse and chorus but it's the guitars that steal the show as Tremonti plays some nice stuff throughout this song. It's a little repetitive, but still a solid song. Track 3 is the title track "My Own Prison" and it's much slower, but has a nice, dark feel to things. The guitar and bass are both solid and Stapp's low voice fits perfectly in this mood. Eventually there is a nice louder part to spice things up and it's no surprise that this was the first single off the album. It's nicely done, accessible and still a solid song. The next track is "Pity For A Dime" and it starts off slow with the first verse and chorus being pretty quiet. Then they turn things up and play a heavier version of the verse and chorus and this part sounds pretty good with some nice guitar and some solid vocals by Stapp. It also has Tremonti's first guitar solo, and he plays a pretty epic solo that starts slow but wnds with him playing some nice fast stuff. It's another pretty good tune! Track 5 is "In America" and it's got a cool main riff with some interesting guitar, bass and drums. The chorus is pretty cheesy and made-for-radio though. After a couple goes round they switch to a metal-lite riff that sounds pretty good with Tremonti playing some cool guitar. Up next is "Illusion" and Marshall lays down a nice bassline that the band nicely builds around, including some epic guitar by Tremonti. Stapp's vocals are solid as well and Tremonti goes off on another nice guitar solo in this one. Stapp tries to do some heavier vocals at the end, but I don't think it hits as hard as they wanted. Still a good song for sure. Track 7 is "Unforgiven" and it's got a nice fast-paced main riff with some cool guitars and Stapp sings nicely and quickly along to match the mood. The chorus is pretty solid and catchy and Marshall shows out with some cool bass as they move into the "no more raging innocence" section. This section sounds pretty sweet with nice contributions from everyone and they move smoothly back to the main riff to finish off this pretty cool song. The next track is "Sister" and it's got a pretty catchy rock-and-roll main riff and I'm surprised this one wasn't a single. The chorus starts nice and heavy, but the latter half is very made-for-radio. Parts of this song are cool for sure, but most of it is a simpler version of Creed. Track 9 is another slow song that was a single, "What's This Life For", and Tremonti leads the way with some cool acoustic guitar while Stapp sings nicely overtop. The chorus is just the name of the song several times, but it still manages to be a solid chorus with Stapp singing it well. After a couple sid goes through Stapp leads a new verse that starts light and acoustic (and still solid), and then gets louder and builds very nicely. Stapp's yelling sounds great to me and there's some cool piano during the heavy part that sounds quite nice. For a soft ballad, this was actually quite a good one! They wrap up the album with "One" and it's got a great catchy main riff that is pretty cool and Creed are really great at coming up with pretty jammin' singles! Tremonti's guitar is cool the whole way through and Stapp does a great job leading the way in another pretty cool single and a solid way to end things.

That is the end of "My Own Prison" and I thought it was a pretty good debut album by Creed. Scott Stapp has a grunge-y yet unique voice that really stands out and Mark Tremonti plays some pretty solid guitar. Brian Marshall's bass is also pretty good and all that adds up to a solid album with no real weak points. It took a little bit,  but this album eventually became really popular and I'm sure Creed is about to take off!