REVIEW: Creeper - Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death

CREEPER have done it all; they’ve taken us through stories of shady disappearances and immortal gangs, of fallen angels and prophecies, and hungry, horny vampires in the night. But one thing they’ve never done is a sequel - on Halloween night, that changes. Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death may not be a direct follow-up as the name suggests, but as a spiritual sequel, the themes that permeated Sanguivore course rapidly through the dead veins of this record’s body. Here, the band set out not to reimagine themselves again, but to dive further into the extravagant theatrics that the first record established - and they do so remarkably.

A darkwave-infused synth beat brings us into the beginnings of this story, with haunting strings courtesy of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to follow. CREEPER have always worn their influences on their sleeves, from their early AFI-esque sound to Sanguivore's epic rock ballads in the manner of JIM STEINMAN - here, the roots of the latter stand strong as opening track A Shadow Stirs leads with a spoken-word intro from goth legend PATRICIA MORRISON. It’s a thin tightrope, paying homage to your musical inspirations without sounding derivative, but the band walk it with finesse.

Following the grand, cinematic intro is title track Mistress of Death. It's easy to picture Sanguivore II through the lens of film - it’s absolutely dripping with eighties horror nostalgia. If this record was a movie, this would be the backing to the classic training montage scene. We can picture it already: the titular huntress arming up a crossbow, sharpening her axe, pumping iron and staring daggers at mugshots of our vampiric band. This fully sets the scene for what we can expect from this record - it may be a cheesy, direct-to-video sequel, but sometimes that’s the perfect way to spend your night.

The next three-track selection takes us through prior-released singles. Blood Magick (It’s a Ritual) asks the question: what if BELINDA CARLISLE had discovered that in fact, it was hell that was a place on earth? It’s a ridiculously catchy, goth-rock tune that we’ve been humming to ourselves since its release months ago. Headstones follows, the single that kickstarted this all - for good reason. It’s a huge standout on this record, with electric axe riffs taking the forefront - IAN MILES and LAWRIE PATTISON are locked in a fiery duel, and JAKE FOGARTY’s relentless drumbeat is an ever-present antagonist. This is the band’s essence dialled up to eleven. Prey for the Night capitalises on that, with its soaring, glam-rock chorus and WILLIAM VON GHOULD’s Dracula-incarnate vocals. A killer saxophone section soon kicks in, sounding like it’s been ripped from the Lost Boys.

Daydreaming in the Dark, despite the album’s dark subject matter, opts for a glittery approach, with a softer, lighter overall sound that doesn’t do much to stand out. Parasite is its opposite, a classic rock anthem that’s built on a chanting chorus designed for arena-level crowds. Grimy riffage introduces a BON JOVI, It’s My Life-type sound, and VON GHOULD turns up the camp with his refrain of “suck, suck, suck!” It’s incredibly on-the-nose, entirely unsubtle - it’s incredibly fitting for an album like this. Razor Wire follows with another cinematic approach; a crowd cheers as our eponymous antagonist makes a grand appearance - HANNAH GREENWOOD is given a chance to shine in her role of vocals as she steps into the role of the Mistress of Death. Prey for the Night experimented with saxophone, but here CREEPER go all the way into a jazzy serenade lead by GREENWOOD’s powerhouse vocals. If there was one critique to be had about Sanguivore II, it would be that she isn’t given nearly enough focus outside of this track.

There’s an interesting element introduced with a brief interlude, From the Depths Below - a televised preacher warns about the perils of rock’n’roll, and how satanic powers are at work with the band’s music. These interludes are a common theme in CREEPER’s discography, and usually inform the stories their albums tell - here, the interlude plants the record firmly in the satanic panic era of the eighties, where bands like BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN had accusations hurled at them and protests in the name of banning their music. Our vampire band take the heat in this instance, though they may be closer to the devil than the real-world examples given. It would’ve been interesting to see the band delve deeper into these themes instead of using them as a backdrop - but perhaps we may still see that explored in a future release.

Eagle-eyed CREEPER fans may have noticed another recurring trend in their discography; in every album or EP, one track begins with the word ‘Black.’ We've had Black Heaven, Black Moon, Black Mass, the list goes on; here, it’s The Black House. There’s shades of THE CURE to its instrumental, while the vocals hail back to the original Sanguivore in all their gothy glory. The televangelist soon appears once more, backed by soaring guitars and a rolling drumbeat - it’s as if the band is actively mocking his words, interrupting his vicious sermon with their instruments. The Crimson Bride gives us another standout track, a groovy bassline from SEAN SCOTT carrying the track’s immense weight. The chorus is massive, as it’s been for nearly every other track in this record, but when it fades out, we’re brought into the slow, gentle strums of Pavor Nocturnus. A slow ballad, ruminating on death and mortality, this feels like Sanguivore II’s answer to its predecessor’s More than Death. We’ve seen the words "it's only rock and roll, but tonight it could take your life" plastered all over the band’s marketing and merch, and suddenly as the chorus echoes that line, it all makes sense. GREENWOOD’s work on the keys shines here as the album reaches its crescendo, and distorted guitar riffs soon become the central focus. The track’s title forms the chant of a gospel choir, and PATRICIA MORRISON returns to bookend the album with a not-so-subtle reference to Sanguivore’s opener Further Than Forever.

This was a bold venture for CREEPER; Sanguivore found them harnessing an energy unlike anything they had done before, but instead of changing up their sound, opting for a different approach on their following musical endeavour, they doubled down on the theatrical, satanic blood-soaked rock’n’roll. This record doesn’t set out to establish new ground, but to capitalise on what’s come before. Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death holds some of CREEPER’s best work yet, dashing between frenetic axe riffs and towering orchestration, to harmonic vocals and anthemic chants; all elements the band have toyed with before, except here they’re pushed to their limits. Vampires may not age, but CREEPER certainly do, and they do it like a fine, blood-infused wine.

Score: 9/10

Words: Naomi Colliar Duff

Photos: Harry Steel

Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death will be released on 31st October 2025 via Spinefarm Records.