Creeper - Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death (Album Review)
Friday, 07 November 2025
Written by Issy Herring
Photo: Harry Steel
While Creeper’s 2017 debut LP ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ propelled the horror-punk band towards the mainstream, they haven’t sought to replicate its crossover blueprint in the intervening years. Their latest effort, ‘Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death’, is a tantalising theatrical successor to the critically acclaimed ‘Sanguivore’, taking musical inspiration from heavy metal legends Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.
A Shadow Stirs is an exhilarating opener, clocking in at 1 minute 16 seconds and welcoming goth-punk icon Patricia Morrison — formerly of The Gun Club, The Damned and The Sisters of Mercy — back into the fold. Her vocals add a compelling yet haunting thespian element to proceedings before Mistress Of Death kicks in, every bit as dynamic as Creeper’s previous work but with a slick ‘80s metal melody at its core.
Headstones is another highlight, upping the ante with a choral melody similar to Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take It, but Prey In The Night is special.
Lyrically, it discusses the sexual tension and lust after a vampire transforms his lover into a bloodsucker, conveying dark romanticism throughout.
“I’m cast out of heaven and I’m praying for a night with you / Your body’s a temple and I’m praying for a night with you,” vocalist Will Gould (here styled as William Von Ghould) sings lecherously.
Hannah Greenwood takes over on Razor Wire, injecting sensational gothic cabaret flair — it could slot into The Rocky Horror Picture Show instantaneously. ‘Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death’ keeps Creeper on an upward trajectory — it’s perhaps their best to date and unmistakably the work of a band doing things their way.
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