Helios Creed


Helios Creed is an American guitarist, singer and bandleader. He first came to prominence in the mid-1970s with the San Francisco band Chrome. The band Chrome broke up in the mid-1980s when founding member Damon Edge moved to Paris. Helios then recruited some local hard rock musicians and launched a solo career.

History

Other members of Creed's band have included Bill Roth, Paul Della Pelle, and Rey Washam on drums, Paul "Bean" Kirk and Mark Duran on bass, and a mysterious woman named "Z" on keyboards. The music is usually mid-tempo to slow-tempo space rock, hard rock, acid rock. The popular band Butthole Surfers, among many others, have cited Helios Creed as a major influence. He even contributed guitar work to their album Independent Worm Saloon as well as Gibby Haynes and Jeff Pinkus collaborating on a few Helios albums. He has released records on Sub Pop, Amphetamine Reptile, Cleopatra and other indie labels.
Creed uses a large number of effects on his voice and his guitar, including echoes, phase shifters, flangers, guitar synthesizers, fuzz, and octave dividers.
Creed has said that he invented his trademark sound while trying to replicate the sound he heard in his head while "listening to Black Sabbath on LSD on headphones when I was a teenager."
Creed has lived in Hawaii, San Francisco, Kansas, and currently lives in California. He still tours occasionally.
His latest album Galactic Octopi was produced by Michael Sheppard of the Transparency record label. Creed is an avid model railroad enthusiast. He is the father of two sons and a daughter. Creed is 6'4" tall.

Appearances in film and video

Creed made a special guest appearance in this film from Friendly Pirate Production.
Creed released two albums under the name Dark Matter. The Dark Matter albums are more electronic and ambient than his guitar solo work, and performed by old musician acquaintances of his Hilary and John Stench.