CREEPER, SANGUIVORE II: MISTRESS OF DEATH

It wouldn’t be Halloween without a Creeper album. Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death lands today with the band leaning into full theater, extending the blood-streaked story they began two years ago. This time the setting moves toward a sleazier, more electric world where the band’s fictional vampire troupe tours through an imagined 1980s underworld while being hunted by the Mistress of Death. 

 Creeper has always written their own rules, turning theatrical excess into a space where melody and menace fuse together and with Sanguivore II they take this to a whole new level. "It’s sleazier and sexier,” the band said, describing how dueling guitars, gang vocals, and gospel layers push their sound wider. The 1980s backdrop, from glittering keys to arena sized choruses, works as both musical style and throwback, and it suits these songs just right. This setting is also perfect for Gould’s voice which is built for the stage. 

I have always loved Creeper's over-the-top theatrics. As Gould has said “Creeper is more in the magic business than the music business a lot of the time,” and Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death proves that point. Every track catches you off guard just a bit, forcing a little smile in the process and sometimes it's just what's needed...and no more so than today. So vampires and curses be damned. Sanguivore II is a super fun album and a happy surprise. Happy Halloween!