Lactating Purple

More lineup changes (this time around it's bassist Paul Kirk, drummer Paul Della Pelle, and synth person Z Silver) but as to be expected the same general modus operandi from Creed; anyone not convinced by his art won't be swayed here, anyone who loves it will enjoy this. Still, compared to his earliest solo efforts, the half-hour long Purple is a touch more run-of-the-mill; there's nothing as distinct as Rey Washam's killer drumming on Boxing the Clown or Jack Endino's solid production for The Last Laugh on this self-produced effort. When everything connects, though, it's more spaced-out/weirded-out goods from the master of such things. "Spider" is one of his best vocals (as opposed to simply being a guitar showcase), revisiting the low rumbles of "Boris the Spider" with an even more threatening edge. Sometimes the notable layering of maximum sound achieves new levels even for Creed, with everything notably overloading on "Ub the Wall." Other times it's more straightforward drug-tempo freakouts like "Modular Green," which does the launched-into-the-void approach pretty darn well, slowly fading away into squeals and shades of feedback and fuzz. "Flying Through the Either" shows what can happen when Creed applies a little restraint, most of the track consisting of an extended, generally lighter in feeling solo than many of his more explosive blasts of sludge. "The Radiated," meanwhile, is full-on hero-prog-rock epic fun that isn't as ridiculous as it sounds thanks as always to Creed's guitar skills (and the fact that it's barely two minutes long, as well). The good points throughout Lactating don't fully measure up to a distinct album in the end, though, so those looking for a good starting place for Creed would want to search elsewhere. Dyed-in-the-wool fans will happily embrace this without regret. ~ Ned Raggett