In the last decade or so, there have been few bands who can match the commercial success of Creed. When their debut album, 'My Own Prison,' first hit the airwaves in 1997, radio programmers filled up their playlists with the Florida band's infectious blend of post grunge guitars and soulful vocals. While stuffy music critics largely dismissed the band's output, their massive and loyal fanbase grew with each single and tour. "You know, I don't think we ever felt that we needed validation," vocalist Scott Stapp told Noisecreep last week when he and the band stopped by our studios. "But it would be nice to get a nice article written every now and then you know?"

Critical acclaim or not, Creed have sold well over 30 million albums thus far. Clearly, they were the people's band.

But despite all of their artistic and commercial triumphs, not everything was perfect in Camp Creed. In 2004 the band announced their official break up after a string of bad shows and inter-band issues. Three fourths of the band started a new outfit called Alter Bridge while lead vocalist Scott Stapp pursued a solo career. Meanwhile, Creed's three studio albums were still all over rock radio and the sound that critics had panned countless times was influencing a crop of new bands. "It's humbling to know that you've impacted other artists, but I know that we want to, as a band, kind of push the envelope and not have any boundaries on what we're doing," explained Stapp.

Creed were gone but not forgotten. After months of internet gossip and speculation, the group officially announced their reformation on their website this past April. We asked the band if they feared that their original chemistry would still be there, "We've got a long history. We cut our teeth together writing songs and playing music so it was very natural when it came to the music and it was easy," revealed guitarist Mark Tremonti. We had to know what the first song they played together was when they reformed and Tremonti responded, "My Own Prison." "Back to the roots," said Stapp.

The band has been in the studio with producer Howard Benson (The All-American Rejects, My Chemical Romance) recording their fourth album which will fittingly be called 'Full Circle.' The band will also be launching a U.S. tour later this summer but for now, you can check out this intimate Sessions performance which offers the first look at the band together again after nearly seven years.

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