Eight weeks at No. 1 in the U.S. Billboard Top 200 and still going. It has been selling in record numbers: close to 4 million copies so far.

Well, with their third album Creed has all the attributes that go with being a No. 1 group. In the CD you can find out what brand clothes Creed wears, what instruments they recommend and a lot of other fan-geared info.

But music-wise, their popularity is something of a mystery. All the tracks are, of course, professionally done, with a cohesive grunge-rock sound and poetic lyrics that must come straight from the soul, the way they pour out of Scott Stapp¨Vs deep bass.

But basically all the songs sound the same, with one mid-tempo riff-o-rama blurring into another. Or to be more exact, there are two types of songs: either ballads (a cross between hard-rock ballads and Pearl Jam) or adrenalizers (fast, heavy riffs from either Metallica or Soundgarden).

The only explanation for Creed's stunning success, the only thing that's pushing Britney Spears down the charts, is a burst of grunge nostalgia. However, from my own creed - Creed just can't compare with their heroes. Unfortunately.

CD supplied by Purpurny Legion, 1 Novokuznetskaya Ul.