Greatest Hits

Recording information: J-Stanley Productions Inc. Ocore, FL; The Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL; The Kitchen Studio, Tallahassee, FL; TransContinental Studios, Orlando, FL.
Photographer: Glen Dicrocco.
Despite Creed's lack of critical acclaim, Scott Stapp and crew made a lasting connection with millions of fans, along the way selling truckloads of CDs and filling stadiums. More importantly, the Florida ensemble kept an updated version of grunge alive (a style many music-industry pundits predicted would fade with the early 1990s), burning ferociously into the new millennium, and spawning nearly as many imitators as the genre's Seattle-based pioneers.
Spreading the gospel of loud guitars, louder drums, and angst-ridden, baritone growling even further into the mainstream than before, Creed added a Christianity-inspired lyric sensibility matched with heavy Soundgarden-style de-tuned six-string riffs ("Torn") and a big dollop of arena-rock drama ("One Last Breath"). GREATEST HITS comes as advertised, straightforwardly delivering all of the band's chart-toppers and fan favorites in one convenient package without the remix/bonus track filler that plagues many other superstar best-of collections. The fine bonus DVD features footage of the group performing live and nine music videos.