UMUR "Creep Diets" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK, Nottingham based metal act Fudge Tunnel. The album was released through Earache Records in April 1993. Fudge Tunnel was formed in 1988 and released the "Sex Mammoth" EP in 1989 and "The Sweet Sound of Excess" EP in 1990. The band´s debut full-length studio album "Hate Songs in E Minor" followed in 1991. The trio lineup who recorded the debut album is intact on "Creep Diets".

Stylistically the material on "Creep Diets" also reek consistency as the the tracks more or less are a natural continuation of the material on "Hate Songs in E Minor (1991)". Sludgy riffs, hypnotic heavy grooves, industrial influences, and touches of alternative/noise rock. The vocals are raw and shouted (often effect laden and relatively low in the mix), but oddly sedated/monotone for that vocal style. It´s the heavy grooves and riffs which are in focus at all times though and Fudge Tunnel shine in that department. The tracks are often a bit simple and repetitive in nature, and there isn´t that much variation between them (although a few tracks stand out as a bit different), but if you manage to lock on to the irresistable almost hypnotic heavy grooves, variation matters less.

"Creep Diets" features a raw organic sound production, which brings out the best of the trio format. Personally I would have prefered the vocals a bit more up front in the mix, but that´s just a personal preference, and it´s definitely a conscious production choice to place them relatively low in the mix. Upon conclusion "Creep Diets" is a quality sophomore album by Fudge Tunnel. It´s not quite as surprising or fresh sounding as "Hate Songs in E Minor (1991)" was when that album was released, and it´s overall a slightly less interesting album than its direct predecessor, but a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved.

Vim Fuego Fudge Tunnel were one of those rare bands who managed to disconnect themselves from all the bullshit associated with the music business. Forget the posturing and posing, the trendy genre labels, and the commercialism. Fudge Tunnel focused on nothing but the music. The rhythm section looked like a pair of trainspotters, while Alex Newport could easily have been mistaken for a floppy-haired Manchester shoegazer, or an early grunge fan. Nondescript and unremarkable standing in a crowd, get them behind their instruments and the result is anything but unremarkable.

`Creep Diets' is stripped back, bare bones rock, but not the sort of rock you'd ever hear anywhere near a radio station. Fudge Tunnel produced more of a stoner version of hardcore. Imagine Fudge Tunnel are the little brothers of Neurosis or Today Is The Day or Unsane and you won't be far off the mark. The riffs are a wall of noise, almost but not quite droning, and the effect is quite stunning at high volume. Feedback and sloppy guitar noises prevail more than sparse solos, which are nothing more than slightly twisted riffs.

On first listen, it's easy to think something has gone wrong with the production on the album, because the vocals are indistinct and buried deep in the mix. It was done deliberately, so the voice is nothing more than another instrument. The lyrics mean very little anyway.

The rhythm section of Dave Ryley and Adrian Parkin seem to get bored with straight 4/4 rhythms, and mess with timings, add fills, and generally wander around somewhere near the beat, if not exactly on it. It's nothing fancy, but it's effective.

The band mangle Black Sabbath's "Changes" until unrecogniseable, and it comes out the same shade of minimalist grey as the rest of the album. There are no real highlights here to point out here. Neither are there any low points. The entire album is a Ritalin-induced emotional flatline.