I was almost totally out of the mainstream rock loop until high school. At that point I heard some friends talking about
My Own Prison as a newer cool thing and had to check it out. I listened to that album a fair amount, as well as the next two when they came out. It was kind of a bizarre feeling, because in retrospect I don't know whether Creed being the hot new thing to becoming reviled was gradual, or overnight. By the time it happened I was getting so deep into the European metal scene that I didn't even notice, it just seemed to sneak up on me culturally, and all of a sudden everybody hated Creed and Nickelback (yet somehow they still kept selling millions and packing arenas). Nu-metal too, but I think that was much more controversial right out of the gate.
I always liked Tremonti as a player, he had some killer heavy tones mostly starting on
Human Clay, and I dug the clean intros of some of the songs. I was pretty indifferent to Stapp at first, but I guess absorbed some cultural dislike by osmosis over the years. Alter Bridge suited my tastes much more, because Myles, while initially not a favorite, was definitely a superior vocalist, and I liked Mark's voice the most of them. The songwriting I thought was better, and more focus on guitar parts. But still, I always maintained that people who thought they were worlds apart were being silly, Alter Bridge is still 3/4 of Creed.
at the time they were the only mainstream band really carrying the hard rock torch that wasn’t Nu Metal.
I dunno about that. There was Sevendust, Tool, Breaking Benjamin, Fuel, Disturbed, and Stone Sour, just to name a few. Or semi-mainstream bands like Drain S.T.H., Loudmouth, and Local H.
I think the "hate" spewed at bands like Creed are human nature. Everyone always looks to take down someone else. It sucks. If there was one thing in this world that I'd like to change, it really is that - eliminate the hate toward others for things they like. The world be a lot more peaceful.
I try and think like this as much as I can. There's too much else wrong with the world for music to be the focus of our hatred. There's very little music I hate, and the artists that don't connect with me I just tend to ignore and focus on what I like instead.
I honestly think that rock bands who gain mainstream acceptance are always going to be reviled to a degree. Rock is often felt to be a counter-culture or rebellious thing, so when it gets popular, that doesn't compute in some rock fans brains.
Except that somehow some bands escape it. Nirvana already being discussed, but The Beatles, Queen, The Police, Radiohead and others, for various reasons. I think Creed and Nickelback are just perceived as pandering to a lower common denominator, but in that regard they're really not that different from AC/DC, who never were nearly as hated.
Topic: The Official CREED Thread - v. Never Die (Read 6486 times)
