[Malevolence]

I think that we, all, essentially, are suffering from the fact that we were all dissapointed with "Weathered".

Now, granted, it's a good album. But, by Creed standards, it is undeniably THE WORST out of their three full-album releases.

I mean, even the cover looked wacky. Like, Limp Bizkit "Hot Dog Flavored Water and Chocolate Covered Starfish" bad. And that's *really* bad.

So, needless to say, we've seen a decline in the quality of music these guys are putting out. And yes, it is *very* unnerving to think it could get worse.

At this stage, we really are hoping for another great album -- an album we know will do them justice -- an album that will show their true potential -- an album to end-all-other-rock-albums!

And we're worried. Because it might not happen. While it isn't the main reason, Brian Marshall's absence has, musically, been a huge blow to the "Creed" sound. Mark Tremonti simply cannot compensate for the natural raw talent of Brian Marshall.

It should also be noted, Mark used a pick. Now, it's been in my experiance that the most awesome of bassists tend to favor finger-picking versus using an actual pick. Look at Robert Trujillo or Newsted. Look at Flea. Look at the great, sadly lost, Cliff Burton. He was, like, the BASS GOD OF ALL when he was with Metallica.

... something about using you fingers simply sounds *better*. Picks add an element of "clanginess" that sticks out far too much for something that should be the solid, low foundation of a song.

Anyway. Rambled a little there. Sorry.

The point is, Creed lost a measure of it's signature sound when they lost Brian Marshall. The same would have happened if we lost, say, Mark, Scott, or Flip. Every member of the band was absolutely crucial to the music that was created.

Frankly, if I were Creed, I'd beg my ass off to Brian. Bribe him. Kidnap him. Eat his brain and try to gain his godly Bassist ability. WHATEVER IT WOULD TAKE -- anything! ... to get that same quality and skill.

Brian Marshall is, in a word, irreplacable, and paramount to the Creed quality sound we fell in love with.

Let's be honest with ourselves. If we stopped and listened to Weathered as Creed's first album, would anyone of us here really have such a fascination with their music? Probably not. People who were drawn in by Weathered have, and do, listen to mildly different types of rock, and even other milder forms of music.

People who listened to Creed's first two full album releases had and have different tastes than those who prefer Weathered's brand of music.

The first two had certain quality to them. Each, in their own way, had something special. They were perfect, in my mind, musically, and remain my two most favorite albums of all time. They were just so cohesive, thematic, and driven by simple, honest to goodness raw talent.

Weathered lacked this, in my mind. It felt ... quite simply ... lacking. I believe the bass work attributed to this.

Ok, so we've established that the bass work was REALLY important. And it's true -- every element is important in Creed. Drums, Guitar, Vocals, and Bass -- all important. Without either, it just wouldn't be the Creed we've come to enjoy.

That's why we absolutely need a bassist, seperate from Mark. The man is a guitar-lord-of-doom, but he just doesn't stack up to ANY truly professional bassist. It'd be like having Mark on Drums. Or Stapp at guitar. Or Flip at bass.

Now, it looks like the only choice we have is Brett Hestla. Hmph. He's not ... *bad*.

I suggest hearing "Brother of Mine" by the Virgos. The guitarwork is, actually, by none other than our boy Mark. Hestla takes care of bass/vocals. Some-random-drummer-guy from Virgos did drum work.

Check it out. You can hear the kind of stuff they can create. Personally, it doesn't sound so bad. Almost Creed-worthy, actually.

Brett is said to be a musical genius. They said he was a prodigy in his youth and mastered several elements of music easily.

Well, I say put that man to work. Try him out for an album. If he sucks, then ... well. I don't know. We'll all take turns stabbing Brett in the eye with a broken pencil. Or something.

A LOT is riding on this last album. You guys remember when Metallica was starting to suck after Kill 'Em All/Master of Puppets/Ride the Lightning wasn't really gaining any ground? Not to mention, they also lost their genius-of-a-bassist Cliff Burton?

Well, it was the BLACK album that shut everyone up and kicked some serious ass, as far as worldwide goes. It got them to unheard of heights of acclaim and power, and established them, for all time, as the ultimate Metal/Thrash/Rock/Whatever band of all time.

They became *gods*. And people realized how good their first albums really were.

Before the BLACK album, many people questioned their resolve, playing ability, and so on. They shut everyone up with that awesome, awesome album.

Creed need's their own BLACK album. Coincidentally, it would also be their fourth.

The following needs to happen.

A: Get a bassist. Preferably Hestla, since we've seen a little bit of their work.

B: Get their bassist to fingerpick. Normal pick-attacks come out too "clangy" in the music. *Especially* live.

C: Raise the bar on this album's content -- Stapp needs to draw from this past year's hardships and channel it into emotion. He was getting too cushy and happy to write anything as moving and feeling as MoP or HC.

D: Have Mark re-establish himself as the Rock god of all -- AND, furthermore, have him beat Tom Morello for Guitarist of the Year, 2004.

and E: Creed, overall, needs to cement that they can, will, and shall commit to making awesome music. Once people key into the incredible music they're capable of, even the most stubborn of critics will have to agree --

Creed rocks