Following the success of SANGUIVORE and their landmark show at the OVO Wembley Arena, CREEPER breaks with their tradition of complete reinvention by expanding the creative world of their previous record with SANGUIVORE II: Mistress of Death, out October 31 via Spinefarm. Rather than a direct continuation, the album is a thematic sequel, drawing from the vampiric bloodline of its predecessor to tell a new story steeped in ’80s metal excess and the cultural paranoia of the Satanic Panic.
Lead single Blood Magick (It’s A Ritual) is built on a razor-sharp ’80s metal riff, with William Von Ghould’s commanding, theatrical vocals entwined with Hannah Greenwood’s haunting backing harmonies. The track cements the band’s maximalist approach, weaving dueling and harmonic guitars reminiscent of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden with darkwave synths, art-rock sax, and layered vocal arrangements.
The album’s narrative casts CREEPER as a vampire band rampaging across 1980s America, leaving a trail of bodies until confronted by the Mistress of Death, a vampire huntress determined to end their bloodline. Blending slasher horror and Satanic Panic iconography, the story pays homage to figures like Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, W.A.S.P., and Mötley Crüe, as well as the decade’s provocative theatricality.
Directed by Harry Steel, the Blood Magick (It’s A Ritual) video shifts from the punk chaos of previous single Headstones to reveal the decadence and evil behind the scenes of the fictional band’s tour. Mixing original and archival footage, it channels the grim surrealism of Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses and the fever-dream energy of Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers.
Produced once again by Tom Dalgety, the album will be available in multiple physical formats: a CREEPER purple vinyl, a mistress purple marble vinyl via select indie stores, a blood red marble gatefold exclusive to the band’s store, an exclusive two-tape set containing both SANGUIVORE and SANGUIVORE II, and a mintpak CD.
yo
