Stapp's lyrics are what truly kept me hooked as a fan. I first heard "One" when it came out on the radio, and initially, it was the intense build in the music that grabbed my ear. Then the simplicity of that song's message hooked me, and I picked up the album. To my surprise, it was all very deep, lyrically. And Human Clay took that to a whole different level.
Success really hit them all hard, Stapp became what sounds like a different person entirely. Tremonti and Phillips seemed fine, and Brian Marshall had his own demons that he dealt with until the late-2000s before getting help. But Stapp took the brunt of the criticism because he was the singer, the guy everyone interviewed, and the guy that wrote the lyrics. And with his Christian background, a lot of those thoughts came out in his lyrics. Not necessarily preaching, but the more deep thoughts and questioning. I always felt like the first three Creed records was Scott going through his personal battle of belief, and some of the difficulties he saw with what he was taught to believe, and what is reality.
I am glad he appears healthy and has his mental health under control. Everyone here knows I'm on record as being a bigger fan of Alter Bridge, because I think Myles Kennedy is a world class singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He brings Tremonti, Phillips and BMarsh to a whole different level of play than Creed does. But I am proud to be a fan of Creed, and while I'd be happier with more Alter Bridge, I'll patiently wait for that, and rock out with some Creed for a couple years.