Reviewed April 26, 1999
Creed's 1997 debut album, My Own Prison , shot the now well-known band to stardom, and for good reason. Contrary to the way some bands complain with an upbeat voice in their music, lead vocalist Scott Stapp has an agonizing voice that shows he has truly been through the hardships of homelessness he sings of. Stapp begs many philosophical and spiritual questions throughout the ablum, such as in "What's This Life For," where he lets the listener know that he has finally found his faith. He has a way of letting listeners know how he feels using both lyrics and his painful voice. For instance, in "One," Stapp growls, "I feel angry, I feel helpless, want to change the world, I feel violent, I feel alone, don't try and change my mind." However, in "Torn," he remains determined to overcome, convincingly singing, "Yes, I'm the one who, the only one who, would carry on this far."

Of course, there's plenty more heartfelt lyrics, but there is another side to the music that makes My Own Prison  appeal to the masses. Something that I just can't get enough of is the heavy-hitting guitar riffs and pounding bass from guitarist Mark Tremonti, and bassist Brian Marshall. They have a way of beating their story into the listener like no others have done. For those of you who really don't care about what a band has to say, there are some of the hardest rocking tunes around on this album.

This is one of the few albums that I can listen to the entire way through and like every bit of it. With ten excellent tracks and no complaints, I give Creed's My Own Prison  a full five of five stars.

This review was originally published at the PHS Cardinals site.