Creeper
Sanguivore
Spinefarm Records
The excellent goth punks Creeper have been rocking our socks off for almost a decade and this latest offering will send them into the stratosphere on a rocket ship painted black and lined in crushed velvet.
First Single from the album ‘Cry To Heaven’ released back in May had us all salivating with its sheer decadence and gave us a clear indication of what was to come – however we in fact had no idea JUST how deep they were going to go and let me tell you – you’re going to need to bite down (vampire pun intended and probably not the last).
Opening Track ‘Further Than Forever’ opens the door and beckons you into Creepers glorious world full of theatrical flair. It is a hefty nine minutes and thirteen seconds of pure unadulterated pleasure in the form of cinematic melodies, beautiful pianos, heavy riffs, and story weaving lyrics – think Dracula the musical from the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall sung by Meatloaf – it is just glorious, and we’ve only just begun!
Nestled comfortably between tongue in cheek and as serious as a heart attack Creeper’s approach to music is one that illuminates their authenticity and passion for what they do in the most enjoyable way. Incorporating a plethora of influences to create a truly exciting and unique concoction of their very own and its magic.
Singer and front man extraordinaire Will Ghould – or in his new incarnation William Von Ghould explores the darker corners of his vocal range on this album which really lends itself to the ominous themes, velvety and rich at times such as latest single ‘Black Heaven’ which is just pure 80’s gothic greatness, to gravelly and sinister at others, each track craves the execution he delivers, and it is always spot on.
There is just so much here to sink your teeth into (vampire pun 2 and counting) big heavy riffs, sexy synths, swooning instrumentals and, although it is a shift in direction , their punk roots are still honoured too.
Other stand out moments here include ‘The Ballad of Spook and Mercy’ it trips through a twisted tale of Mercy a vampire and bloodthirsty hunter of men as she slaughters all in her path, it’s gloriously macabre and chilling. Then my personal favourite ‘Lovers Led Astray’ which instantly made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up it’s a heavy synthy rock banger and it will be a showstopping favourite live – in fact the whole album will be. Sanguivore is purpose built for stages and the scope for it is so exciting for their tour in November.
They finish the album with ‘More Than Death’ a heartbreakingly beautiful gothic romance of a ballad that swells grandly and then sighs the record softly to a close. This is what hard work and dedication looks and sounds like and Will, Ian, Hannah, Jake, Sean, and producer Tom should all take a bow because this is definitely the album of the year and Creeper’s greatest work without a doubt.
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Review By Rebecca Bush