We’re somewhere in the ’80s, and a band made up of vampires is on tour while the “Mistress of Death”—portrayed in the videos by bodybuilding champion Sarah Page—is hunting them down with the intention of wiping them out. As we’ve seen from their previous work, their devotion to the Jim Steinman–Meat Loaf duo is unquestionable, while influences such as Sisters Of Mercy, Alice Cooper, Billy Idol and Metallica, as the band themselves state, also find fertile ground in their sonic palette. On the stylistic and aesthetic side, add goth elements, occult themes and a touch of The Rocky Horror Show, and you’ve got the most accurate description of Creeper.
The album is carefully crafted, with great emphasis on what matters most: the songwriting. The tracks are all very strong and highly melodic. At times the heavy element becomes more intense, while the choral vocals steal the show in an overall extravaganza that Steinman and Meat Loaf would be proud of. Naturally, such an undertaking would be impossible without the crystal-clear, powerful production of master producer Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Pixies, Rammstein, Royal Blood) who—yes, you guessed it—worships Bat Out of Hell and the like, and who had also worked with the band on the first installment.
I must admit that listening to Creeper, and even more so watching them on YouTube, gives you the impression of a band from past decades, with great attention to detail, a strong sense of aesthetics, and a sincere homage to the influences to which they clearly owe their very existence.
