During the 1990s, grunge and industrial textures dominated alternative radio, so most guitarists of the period absorbed their phrasing from the Sex Pistols, Zeppelin, Sabbath, and Metallica. A smaller cohort, however, drew impetus from the science-fiction paranoia that defined Helios Creed, who launched the proto-industrialist outfit Chrome and assembled a catalog of several dozen albums—roughly half issued under his own name—thereby establishing himself among the era’s second-tier influential guitarists.
After relocating to San Francisco, Helios Creed entered Chrome near 1977 with vocalist/drummer Damon Edge, guitarist John Lambdin, and bassist Gary Spain. Over the ensuing five years the group pursued punk and hardcore while steadily expanding its use of synthesizers, tape loops, and TV-derived samples. Chrome disbanded in 1982, leaving Creed inactive for several years until the 1985 appearance of his debut solo album, X-Rated Fairy Tales. Another stretch of silence followed until the decade’s end, when Superior Catholic surfaced on the Subterranean label; both albums were later combined on a single reissue disc. For his third album, Last Laugh, Creed signed with the grunge imprint Amphetamine Reptile. He subsequently recorded Boxing the Clown, Kiss to the Brain, and Lactating Purple for AmRep, while also issuing material on the industrial label Cleopatra, including Busting Through the Van Allan, Cosmic Assault, and a self-titled effort.
