Review: Creeper – Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death
The Gothy Horror Picture Show
Musically, Creeper have had a rather interesting journey. The goth-adjacent outlet from Southampton, UK gained popularity in 2016 with their debut album Eternity, in Your Arms which mixed horror punk with pop punk and emo that was the style at the time. Afterwards with further releases, they started incorporating more gothic rock and rock opera elements into their music. Their last album, Sanguivore, was a great example of this which came as a surprise to me for how enjoyable their sound ended up being. This ranged from a Meatloaf-inspired opening track to a gothic punk track that showed their direction change proved to be successful. Following up this album comes the sequel, Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death.
The album starts with “A Shadow Stirs,” a spooky spoken word introduction for what’s to come, replete with ’80s-style synths. The first full track “Mistress of Death” follows the introduction decently with a cool lead guitar riff and the haunting synths add another layer. However, while it has some fun moments, it does feel like it lacks the punch that the previous album’s opening track had in comparison. Things go more goth rocky with “Blood Magick (It’s a Ritual)” that is amped up with a big rock opera-inspired chorus which succeeds thanks to the keyboardist’s contribution on the vocals. Another strong point is their guitarists going ham on the solos, mixing up goth rock and rock opera together. They bring out some of the best moments on this album throughout.
Probably my favorite track on this album is “Headstones” which is an absolute riot. It has a faster punk rock style that mixes very well with rock opera especially for a strong sing-along chorus and great riffs. It’s like what if Billy Idol and Floodland-era Sisters of Mercy made a song together. The next song “Prey for the Night” goes for a jazzier and synthy affair. The addition of the saxophone here does make it feel like it would be a song made for The Lost Boys film. The Lost Boys-inspired feeling continues into “Daydreaming in the Dark” that has a big ’80s glam rock vibe in the vein of Dream Warriors from Dokken. The next track, “Parasite” is pretty fun, especially with the melodic guitar-work in play; it has a bit of a Bon Jovi vibe at points. Another synthy/jazzy track comes in the form of “Razor Wire” which is dominated by the keyboardist on vocals. It’s certainly an interestingly different vibe hearing a bluesy song with saxophone talking about decapitations and guillotines.
Following another synth-focused interlude with “From the Below Heights” comes “The Bleak House,” another strong track. It’s a very fun post-punk/goth rock-focused track that while still having that horror musical/rock opera element in the background, doesn’t go off track like other songs on the album. This momentum continues with “The Crimson Bride, ” another fun track that has similarly strong moments that made me enjoy the first Sanguivore album. I also like the traditional heavy metal-esque guitar riffing on this song too. Closing off the album is a ballad in “Pavor Nocturnus” that feels like what if Nick Cave did a Meatloaf song which also features Patricia Morrison (ex-Sisters of Mercy). It’s an interesting blend of goth, rock opera and musical songwriting, big guitar solos and an orchestra all mixed up together to close off in a bombastic style.
This is a rather intriguing album that has left me conflicted. On my first listen, I was initially disappointed as it felt like it was missing something compared to the previous Sanguivore. However, with repeat listens, Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death started to grow on me a bit more. This is mostly helped by some of the very strong tracks such as “Headstones” and “The Crimson Bride” as well as tracks that have some awesome epic moments like “Blood Magick (It’s a Ritual).” The highs of this album show that Creeper does a really good job in combining goth rock and rock opera together. I do think this is a step down from their previous album though, as it lacks the punk energy that I enjoyed on that record in favor of leaning into glam rock. This is still a pretty fun record from that could grow on me further. I’ll probably still remember the few tracks I really enjoyed on this so it’s still worth the listen as it’s not their worst album.
3/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Saniguivore II: Mistress of Death is out now via Spinefarm Records.
