CREEPER: Sanguivore (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

It wasn't long before the Creepers were back in the spotlight. A year after the excellent "Sex, Death & the Infinite Void", an equally excellent EP ("American Noir") emerged, exuding a certain darkness to which we were not accustomed. And now, in the year 2023, the third album has appeared: "Sanguivore", a vampire-based concept album that tells the love story of two characters, Mercy, a violent vampire transformed at the age of 19, and Spook, an old man over whom she has control. The various tracks allow us to learn more about each of the protagonists and follow part of their evolution, particularly Mercy's as she recovers some of her humanity.

Listening to this album, it's clear that the Creepers didn't take the easy way out in terms of storytelling or composition, and that they had a lot to say. Opening with a nine-minute-plus 'Further Than Forever', the band offers us his most convoluted composition to date. In the style of progressive rock, with a succession of moods and motifs, and always supported by a strong piano, the track needs several listenings before revealing itself, despite the good cohesion of the different parts. The Creeper fan will certainly be surprised, perhaps even disappointed, by this opening, whereas the fan of Meat Loaf's "Bat out Of Hell" will be over the moon, despite a fade-out at the end that would have deserved much better.

Without recapturing the madness and success of "Sex, Death & the Infinite Void", the following compositions are closer to what the Creepers are used to offering. We find the huge vocal harmonies in 'Cry To Heaven', the liveliness of the punk rhythms in 'Sacred Blaphemy' or 'Chapel Gates' and, of course, the dazzling vocals of Will Gould, who lights up most of the songs. A certain dramatic tension is added, notably on 'Teenage Sacrifice', in the amusing 'Black Heaven', an unlikely blend of Depeche Mode and Rammstein, and in a completely different register, the poignant piano/voice 'More Than Death'.

Less direct and darker than the previous album, and eventually more in line with the EP, "Sanguivore" may disappoint with its lack of immediate hit. Taken in its entirety, however, it represents a very fine, coherent and well-constructed work. Compared with "Eternity, In your Arms", the evolution is quite striking, and Creeper, still a fairly young band, seems far from having reached its peak. - Official website

CREEPER

SANGUIVORE

SPINEFARM RECORDS

ROCK