"It’s always been the song that we would say, ‘This is our best song'": Creed's Mark Tremonti on the track that the band think is their finest

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On the 25th anniversary of their mega-selling second record Human Clay, the Creed guitarist looks back on its success

Creed in the late 90s
(Image credit: Sam Levi/WireImage)

We are in the thick of the Creed renaissance. The US rockers are currently in the middle of an extensive US tour, the celebratory vibe around their reunion only heightened by the fact that their multi-million-selling second album Human Clay turns 25 next week. Speaking to this writer for Classic Rock recently, guitarist Mark Tremonti said that the album contains a song that the quartet all agree on being one of their all-time top tracks: the stirring, epic ballad Faceless Man.

“It’s always been the song that we would say, ‘This is our best song’,” Tremonti said. “It’s got a lot of emotion, especially live. It’s something that really resonates with us as a band.”

Tremonti explained it was a track they could never not put everything they’ve got into. “It’s funny, when we were doing rehearsals for the tour, Scott (Stapp, singer) sang his heart out at first and then he was like, ‘You know, I’m gonna take it easy, I’ve gotta rest my voice for the shows’. Then once we hit Faceless Man, he’s giving his all! It’s just that type of song where when you play it, it draws you in.”

Tremonti also looked back on the huge success of Human Clay, casting his mind back to the first time the band were treated to a “Platinum party” in recognition of their gargantuan sales. “It was at the World Trade Center,” he recalled. “I remember going to the very top of the World Trade Center and they had all this fancy food. I couldn't eat any of it because I'm a picky eater. I don't eat sushi and lobster and whatever the hell they had up there. I was real friendly with the owner of the record label back then, Alan Meltzer. There was a bridge to the other tower or something and he took me to a more laid-back restaurant and got me a burger and then we came back to the party. But it was a pretty special moment to be able to remember that being in the World Trade Center.”

Now you know not to bringing any sushi or lobster to a Creed show and waving it at Mark Tremonti. Wave a burger at the man, that’s what he likes. Creed’s tour winds on deep into the winter in North America, but as yet there’s no plans announced to bring it across the Atlantic.

Niall Doherty
Niall Doherty

Niall Doherty is a writer and editor whose work can be found in Classic Rock, The Guardian, Music Week, FourFourTwo, on Apple Music and more. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Q magazine, he co-runs the music Substack letter The New Cue with fellow former Q colleagues Ted Kessler and Chris Catchpole. He is also Reviews Editor at Record Collector. Over the years, he's interviewed some of the world's biggest stars, including Elton John, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Robert Plant and more. Radiohead was only for eight minutes but he still counts it.