Weathered

Weathered is the third studio album by American rock band Creed, released on November 20, 2001. It was the last Creed album to be released until Full Circle in October 2009, as Creed disbanded in June 2004. Weathered is the only Creed album to be recorded as a trio, as bassist Brian Marshall departed in August 2000, with guitarist Mark Tremonti taking over the bass guitar part during recording. Tremonti and vocalist Scott Stapp wrote most of the material for the album during a three-week period in late 2000, following their successful tour to support their second album, Human Clay. Manager Jeff Hanson once again paired the band with long-time producer John Kurzweg, who rented out a private residence/recording studio in Ocoee, Florida owned by Jay Stanley, where the band set up a studio inside to record the album. Recording sessions for the album began in July 2001 and took four months to complete. Stapp described the album as "two records in one" and "a very extreme record", as it features some of Creed's heaviest and most aggressive songs, plus experimental tracks and many of the band's most popular ballads. The lyrics on Weathered tackle familiar topics often addressed by the band, including Christianity and faith, discrimination and unity, depression, loneliness, and friendship, as well as more current and personal issues such as criticism and persecution of the band by their critics and the press, substance abuse, dealing with the pressures of fame and the rock star lifestyle, feelings of invisibility and insignificance, and Stapp's deteriorating physical and mental health, which continued to worsen throughout their hectic tour in support of the album. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, the band's second consecutive studio album to top the chart, and remained at the top spot...