"Rock music is a lustful vampire, and tonight, it is indulging in you."
This line comes from goth icon Patricia Morrison in her narration for ‘A Shadow Stirs’, the dark introduction to Creeper’s rock sequel ‘Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death’. A tribute to extravagance, horror, and camp, this follow-up to 2023’s ‘Sanguivore’ showcases the Southampton-based six-piece achieving breathtaking levels of theatricality.
When we chat with frontman William Von Ghould via Zoom, his voice is raspy from a day of promotions and a late-night outing. “Despite singing all day, I somehow lost my voice at karaoke,” he chuckles. So, what's the karaoke favorite for the lead singer of a cult rock band? “Over the weekend, I sang ‘Feed The Birds’ from Mary Poppins.”
‘Sanguivore II’ doesn't directly continue the narrative of its predecessor. Instead, the album follows in the time-honored tradition of classic horror anthologies, presenting a new story set in the same universe as the first.
“Both tales inhabit the same world. There’s a lineage of vampires. Some tracks on the album are told from the perspective of a vampire rock band infiltrating 1980s America, while being chased by the Mistress of Death, who graces the album cover,” he elaborates. “In earlier years, Creeper was known for dismantling everything and reshaping it, but we thought introducing a twist was a great approach.”
The band had previously enacted a Ziggy Stardust-inspired breakup during a 2018 performance, demonstrating their dedication to reinvention before the release of 2020’s ‘Sex, Death & The Infinite Void’.
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to deceive fans after a decade, you know? They expect us to break up or create some kind of dramatic event. One thing we didn’t think they would anticipate was a sequel. It was a dedication to the concept, I believe.”
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The vampire rock band central to the narrative draws partially from their experiences touring America with Twin Temple, coupled with the extensive vampire lore that has influenced Creeper over the years. Bill Paxton's leather-clad vampire in Near Dark served as a reference for the characters on this album, as did David Bowie in The Hunger, and Robert Eggers’ recent Nosferatu remake.
Vampires and rock music have long been linked. From Bauhaus’ Dracula-inspired ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ to Anne Rice’s fanged rockstar in The Vampire Lestat, Will explains why he thinks these two elements fit together so seamlessly.
“Reflecting on the music I grew up with, it feels ageless. There’s a sensuality to vampires that I also see in rock music. Additionally, the notion of eternal youth and never aging resonates with us all when we listen to rock.”
“When I listen to ‘Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ or anything from that period, it feels as if the music hasn’t aged at all. It mentally transports you back to a time when you were younger. That's the attraction, I think.”
And just as vampires have been depicted in literature for more than a century, religion runs through the lyrics of ‘Sanguivore II’. This fascination comes from Will’s interest in the theatrics present on both ends of the religious spectrum, from Anton LaVey and The Church of Satan to the flamboyance of Christian televangelism.
The narrative unfolds in 1980s America during the Satanic Panic, a time marked by moral panic concerning satanic cults allegedly corrupting the youth through heavy metal. Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne found themselves at the center of the media frenzy.
Here, art reflects life and Creeper’s own history, as the extremist Westboro Baptist Church labeled the band as "100% Satanic. All they have is death." The church later condemned the lyrics of ‘Annabelle’, where the band asserts “God can’t save us / So let’s live like sinners”.
This critique still delights Will and the band today. “It was just the PR boost we needed for that song. Can you imagine how thrilled we were? I was absolutely ecstatic,” he smiles.
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‘Sanguivore II’ upholds a long-standing tradition of sultry vampires, with lyrics filled with innuendos and subtle metaphors. However, the album never feels exploitative. Drawing heavily from ‘80s hair metal and classic slasher films, it could easily fall into the pitfalls of objectified groupies and ambiguous consent.
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“Rock music is a lustful vampire, and this evening, it is indulging in you.” This is what goth icon Patricia Morrison declares in her narration for ‘A Shadow Stirs’, the