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I realize this post may put my credibility on the line, but just hear me out. Against popular opinion, I used to really like Creed. I thought their first album provided a fresh look at the grunge genre and was really good all the way through… I even liked the second album. Then it became quite apparent Scott Stapp was… well, we all know what I’d like to call him. It brought about a really bad stigma for Creed. They’re original bass player left the band after the second album. The band as a whole broke up after the third album. Then I saw a single ray of hope… Alter Bridge, consisting of all original members sans Scott Stapp. What a wonderful concept.

Alter Bridge is what Creed should have evolved to. Their first album, One Day Remains (2004), was a pretty solid album. Although I thought it was pretty good, I didn’t think it was terribly exceptional. There is a little bit too much mainstream aspects to it, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. It was actually their second release, Blackbird (2007), that got my attention for a second look. Blackbird is heavier and has even better guitar work. Yes, nearly everyone knows who Alter Bridge is. And yes, they may still be mainstream. But I’m getting annoyed of people brushing off bands because of popular opinion rather than forming their own. That’s just as bad as liking a band strictly because of popular opinion. If you can get over the stigma developed because of Scott Stapp and listen to the new Alter Bridge with an open mind, I think you can at least agree it’s good music… assuming you’re obnoxious enough to be able to distinguish between what you like and what is good.

I haven’t decided how much I really like the singer’s style, but he’s definitely a good singer and he fits well with the overall sound. My only qualm with the band is that the sound isn’t terribly unique. I do feel like I’ve heard it before… but it is 3/4 of Creed. Another thing Obnoxious Listeners should be able to do is realize that it is possible to write good music that doesn’t blow away the walls that confine a given genre. Overall, Blackbird is a strong album and more enjoyable than their debut. I hope to see these guys continue to develop in the direction they’re heading.

As an aside, they have a duet version of Watch Over You with Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil. The only problem is that song is definitely cliche and very mainstream, but maybe they’ll get her in on some heavier material down road. One could hope anyway.