The latest albums by household name Creed and lesser-known rockers Chevelle represent a bit of a departure from each band's previous work, and while this has caused some unrest among their fan bases, I think in both cases it is change listeners can believe in.
Creed reunited in 2009 and in late October launched its new album, Full Circle. The band, which has sold approximately 30 million albums worldwide, had taken a multi-year hiatus that saw guitarist Mark Tremonti, drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall team up with vocalist Myles Kennedy (and touring bassist Brett Hestla, now of Dark New Day) to form the widely-acclaimed Alter Bridge, while Scott Stapp pursued a brief solo career.
To far less fanfare, powerhouse rock outfit Chevelle also released its latest album in Fall 2009 entitled Sci-Fi Crimes. Chevelle was formed by Loeffler brothers Pete (guitar, vocals and Johnny Knoxville look-alike), Sam (drums) and Joe (bass), and its rock-ribbed approach has led to broad commercial success with albums Point #1, Wonder What's next and This Type of Thinking Could Do Us In. Chevelle is no stranger to personnel changes; brother Joe departed the band in 2006 (they say voluntarily, he says fired) and the Loefflers' brother-in-law and long-time friend Dean Bernardini took over on bass. Chevelle has since recorded the album Vena Sara and now Sci-Fi Crimes; Joe Loeffler is now bassist for Daylight Division with guitarist Marcos Curiel, formerly of P.O.D., and drummer Dave Buckner, formerly of Papa Roach, and the three are currently auditioning vocalists.
Full Circle shows Creed hiking harder-edged, less radio-friendly terrain than the the work that immediately preceded the band's breakup, which has prompted some fans to lament "the good old days" marked by tunes such as Arms Wide Open. There is a reason Creed has sold more albums than most rock acts who have ever lived, and I have enjoyed even those portions of its catalog that have drifted a bit too close to top-40 pop for my taste. Yet I believe Creed's persona had, unfairly perhaps, become one of "Christians who happen to rock," beset by a sex-drugs-rock 'n roll culture for which seemingly no evil is too evil and spiritually positive artists start every game two scores behind. So the reunified Creed has come screaming out of the gate with full-out rocker Overcome, complete with the most incendiary guitar solo in recent rock memory, as the album's first single and a new, heavier image. The Overcome video, with time-honored metal-band devil-horns fist pumps by the band as they play, may reflect the boys trying a bit too hard to shake that old image. Yet this album feels a lot more like the one that started it all, My Own Prison, and that's a good place to (re)start. As metal master Ronnie James Dio once put it, "We play hard rock and metal; we write in minor keys." Creed has done well on its new outing by expending little capital on up-with-people inspirationals and getting comfortable again with those minor keys.
Conversely, judging by various reviews the complaint with Chevelle seems to be that with Sci-Fi Crimes, the band has "sold out" and created a radio-ready songbook just this side of the Jonas Brothers. To which I say: You've got to be kidding. The only frustration I've had with Chevelle has been that, while I appreciate a thinking person's band that shifts time signatures over the course of a song, it is precisely those Kansas/Dream Theater-like rhythmic departures that have kept a wider universe of listeners from appreciating the molten melodic jackhammer that is Chevelle. So more straight-ahead 4/4 time signatures and a tad more mainstream feel on Sci-Fi Crimes are music to my ears. You're going to be hearing Jars and Letter From a Thief on the radio, and I do like ...Thief (video here), but my favorite tracks on the album are Sleep Apnea, Fell Into Your Shoes and Mexican Sun.
LINKS to MORE CREED VIDEOS
A Thousand Faces: The Woodlands (Houston)
Bullets:
- Live (no audience) on channel labeled on various links as V or CPE
- Produced by ExtremE1502 using snippets from The Dark Knight
My Own Prison:
- Audio-only but killer performance, House of Blues (Orlando)
- Marquee Theater (Tempe, AZ)
- Fox & Friends TV (NYC)
Say I: The Woodlands (Houston)
Weathered: Billboard Music Awards (Las Vegas)
What If:
- The Woodlands (Houston)
- VH-1/Phillips Arena (Atlanta)
LINKS to MORE MUSIC VIDEOS...plus COMEDY
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