Release Date: October 31, 2025
Label: Spinefarm Records
Genre: Gothic Rock, Horror Punk, Goth ‘n’ Roll, Gothic Punk, 80s Rock, New Wave, Rock Opera
Line Up:
William Von Ghould – Lead Vocals
Ian Miles – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Lawrie Pattison – Guitar (made official member in 2024)
Hannah Greenwood – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Sean Scott – Bass, Backing Vocals
Jake Fogarty – Drums
Tracklist:
A Shadow Stirs
Mistress Of Death
Blood Magick (It’s A Ritual)
Headstones
Prey For The Night
Daydreaming In The Dark
Parasite
Razor Wire
From The Depths Below
The Black House
The Crimson Bride
Pavor Nocturnus
Following the 2023 release of ‘Sanguivore’, which redefined Creeper’s sound and propelled them toward certain greatness through standout tracks including ‘Cry To Heaven’ and ‘Teenage Sacrifice’, it’s hardly shocking the group chose to leverage this momentum for a sequel.
‘Sanguivore 2: Mistress of Death’ serves as an excellent follow-up to the 2023 record and is deeply appreciated. Too frequently, bands discover a successful approach only to abandon it entirely because their artistic vision demands constant boundary-pushing, frequently in needless ways. Fortunately, Creeper has fully adopted the ‘if it ain’t broke..’ philosophy and pursued excellence by delivering more of what made ‘Sanguivore’ so magnificently Gothic.
The parallels to Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman persist naturally, but considering both cherished artists have passed away and honestly nobody else created music with such a bombastic, everything-included style, the market clearly had room for a band to assume this responsibility and continue that tradition. Creeper has achieved exactly that, though intelligently they’ve managed it without sacrificing their original aesthetic, musical skill, visual presentation, and crucially, overall atmosphere. Indeed, they’re equally comfortable at a vampire-themed evening as they would be covering ‘Bat Out of Hell’, but this quintessential Sisters of Mercy meets Meatloaf fusion is so flawless it allows the band complete creative freedom to make everything distinctly theirs.
Similar to Ghost’s explosive success throughout the past decade, Creeper appears poised to follow an identical trajectory. The Roundhouse today, Wembley Arena and The O2 tomorrow, plus festival headline slots.
‘Blood Magick (It’s a Ritual)’, immediately followed by ‘Headstones’, encapsulate the album brilliantly, though honestly I discover something to appreciate in each individual track, and it’s precisely that everything-included philosophy that makes me cherish it even more.
They span generations, and with songs like ‘Prey For The Night’, they possess a chart-topping single if this were 1982. It would and deserves to sell in the millions, and should someone create a time machine, they must re-release it four decades in the past. A surefire smash!
It’s apparent why they resonate with such varied demographics. Some of us recall the iconic Steinman period tracks and crave more, while younger listeners born after 2000 discover something novel and exciting and desire more, others seek the gothic aesthetic, and still more simply appreciate quality music. Check, check, check and check…. What else could we request? Simple response: ‘Sanguivore III’ please!
Ratings: 10/10
Reviewed by Adrian Hextall
Editors Pick 
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