After nearly a decade together, mainstream rock band Creed—which always had quasi-Christian leanings in its lyrics—has decided to disband.
In a statement posted on the band’s website, frontman Scott Stapp said, “Creed was one of the most amazing journeys through music and friendship I am blessed to say I was a part of. I made memories I can never replace! I just want to thank the fans who supported us and became a part of the Creed experience.”
Stapp, the band’s main singer/songwriter who has identified himself as a Christian, will be one of several mainstream and CCM artists featured on a new album inspired by Mel Gibson’s recent film, The Passion of the Christ. The album will be released on Wind-Up Records on August 31, the same day The Passion releases to video.
Wind-up Records told Christian Music Today that Stapp’s song, “Relearn Love,” will be the first radio single from the album. Wind-up won’t yet release names of other artists on the album, as the final lineup has not yet been determined and musicians around the world are now in studios recording their songs. Rumor has it, however, that P.O.D. will be one of the featured artists.
“Scott had discussed doing something like this with Mel Gibson and his people,” Wind-up spokesman Steve Karas told Christian Music Today. “Like many others, Scott was impacted by the film. Every artist who is contributing to the album has seen the film and was moved to write something about it.”
Simultaneously to tracking his contributions to the Passion CD, Stapp will continue to work with producer 7 Aurelius, and has joined forces with Canadian rockers The Tea Party to work on his solo debut.
During their eight years and three albums together (My Own Prison, Human Clay, Weathered), Creed achieved many milestones and sold over 30 million albums worldwide. With their great success at radio and their captivating live shows, Creed became one of the most successful acts to rule the charts over the past ten years.
Creed songwriter/guitarist Mark Tremonti and drummer Scott Phillips have joined with original Creed bassist Brian Marshall and former Mayfield Four singer/songwriter Myles Kennedy to form a new band, Alter Bridge, which will release their debut album on Wind-up Records on August 10.
On Creed’s dissolution, Tremonti said in a statement, “It’s kind of sad to end a chapter of your life, but it’s also exciting to be starting a new one. We’ll always be proud of the music we made with Creed, but Alter Bridge gives me the opportunity to start over with a different perspective and a more evolved direction. This band begins and ends with the love of the music.”
Phillips added, “Creed was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I’m really excited to be starting over as well. The most significant things that we are taking from the Creed experience are the lessons that we learned. We truly believe that the decisions we’ve made for our future are the right ones. After writing and rehearsing the new material, we are confident that we’ve made the right choices.”
Also in 2004, Wind-up Records will release a Creed Greatest Hits compilation. Details will be made available as plans for the album take shape
