On Sanguivore, they make a natural progression from the Jim Steinman-tinged theatricalia of their American Noir EP and deliver a showstopping performance. The stage they set is familiar – Darcia, a character introduced to narrate the band’s journey to Sanguivore on social media and create a characteristic sense of oddity and mystery, is reminiscent of the Jameses, Madeleines, and the rest of the cast of Creeper albums past, and the thematic content of Sanguivore (love, death, angels, heaven, hell, midnight cities, poison, sin, sex) is well within Creeper’s wheelhouse. Yet somehow, they do reinvent, as they always have done.
Where Creeper stick to the blueprint and do their classic-rock, soaring, Steinman turn, they excel musically and sound like they’re having the most fun of their career. “Further Than Forever”, the album’s ten-minute opener, slips and sashays between its structural segments, putting equal emphasis on the neon density of the guitar sections and the delicious, delicate piano-led pauses. Complete with an anthemic, howling outro and a consistent, crescendoing energy, it’s a true epic, and something of a tease as no other songs on the album break five minutes. From “Further Than Forever”, though, Creeper give us a wink and let us know they’re definitely capable of spinning a song out that long.
While Creeper sound absolutely in their element doing all
the chorals, classic guitars, twisting and turning – and 70s
flamboyance that dominates much of the album – the really exciting
moments and the most surprising come when they slip effortlessly into a
more electronic realm, drifting through time from the high-drama rock of
the 70s into the deep, dark new wave of the 80s. “Cry To Heaven”’s
dancefloor-ready undertones are subtle on first listen, buried in choirs
of angels and punchy riffs, but coming back to it after having listened
to the likes of “Black Heaven” with its swirling, decadent guitar tones
and New Order-esque beat drapes a new sensuality over the rest of the
album’s more subtle production notes. “Cry To Heaven” is also not only
one of the best tracks on Sanguivore but one of Creeper’s most exciting
ever, because it shows them taking yet another screeching left turn and pulling it off with flawless, intoxicating panache.
Wrapping up the album a la Creeper mode – with a devastating
piano ballad – “More Than Death” joins the ranks of “I Choose To Live”
and “All My Friends” in the screamable, cathartic, collective category.
It’s a friendly embrace, to hear Will Gould’s soulful, subtle vocals
weave a story of such emotional intensity over Hannah Greenwood’s
glittering keys. It’s a goodbye that reminds you, as you meander out the
door at the end of the night, that Creeper are so excellent and
effective in their various, otherworldly melodramas because they have
so much heart. At the core of whatever undead guise they’ve wrapped it
in this time, it’s beating strong and steady.
