Creeper frontman William Von Ghould guides us via the making of recent album ‘Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Dying’, out October 31.
Plus, now we have teamed up with the band to deliver you this world unique t-shirt design, out there to preorder now at SHOP.ROCKSOUND.TV.
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For William Von Ghould, the method of burning all of it down to start out once more is simply half and parcel of the Creeper expertise.
It’s not a case of self-sabotage for the sake of it, however extra set in not resting on laurels and in focusing so closely on what feels proper within the right here and now for him and his gang. And if which means bringing an finish to a saga that they’ve injected a lot of themselves into, then so be it. It’s been the case twice up to now for Southampton’s favorite travelling circus, famously happening throughout a particular present at London’s Koko, a ultimate dramatic swansong for a narrative that they had embedded themselves inside. First with the Peter Pan-influenced lovelorn magic of 2017’s ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ and once more on the angelic storytelling of 2020’s ‘Intercourse, Dying & The Infinite Void’, a file bolstered by as a lot real-life heartache and wrestle as throughout the angelic narrative.
And when it got here to 2023’s ‘Sanguivore’, a blood-stained love story of kinds pulled from the fiery depths of heavy metallic’s underbelly, the identical routine might have been on the playing cards. But, one thing shifted. And William observed that the individuals drawn to the band had been extra entranced with their creation than ever earlier than and had been appearing upon it like by no means earlier than. From a fan in Texas standing within the queue, coated in blood and dressed because the album’s protagonist, Mercy, to legions of faces painted with the an identical make-up because the dancers within the video for ‘Cry To Heaven’, the album’s universe had struck a a lot deeper chord. One which made William rethink his lighting of the match and query whether or not a sequel was the appropriate transfer.
“The viewers has performed rather more of a job in selecting us up and placing us again on the tracks than they realise,” he smiles. “And a great deal of this file that now we have now was knowledgeable by them. The primary time round, we didn’t put on the make-up on stage, however the youngsters got here to the exhibits in droves sporting it. There was a name and response that hadn’t been there earlier than. They didn’t need us to destroy the band once more. So, we began sporting the make-up alongside the group, and that led to this file now. It’s one thing that has created a cheerful ending and landed us in one of the best, most creatively completed place, and the happiest it has been in a very long time, too.”
In permitting themselves to marinade on this universe that little bit longer, the band have crafted ‘Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Dying’, their most artistically brash, densely layered and totally assured physique of labor thus far. As a lot a hedonistically vibrant celebration of each a legendary monster and a deeply influential interval as it’s a marker for what it means to let your true self shine that bit brighter, for William, it’s a signal that carving out these distinctive areas for the previous decade has had an impact on individuals. And in realising that, he has by no means felt extra comfy, content material or assured within the band, blood trickling down his chin and all.
THE SOUND
Creeper have all the time been a band to put on their affect proudly on their sleeves. Tracing issues again to their earliest songs – tributes to the Alkaline Trios and AFIs of the world – via to the extra Roy Orbison and Nick Cave nods of ‘Intercourse, Dying & The Infinite Void’, they’re a band who’ve by no means been ashamed to let the music that made them information the way in which. And particularly in the case of the ‘Sanguivore’ universe, pulling on a specific second in time for his or her crimson caper to exist inside, it’s been extra essential than ever to get the vibe spot on.
For William, a lot of that comes from realizing that the expertise that oozes from each pore of the band will permit them to sit down down, select a sonic location, and be assured they may discover their approach there.
“We’re actually fortunate with Creeper that now we have some actually wonderful musicians, and actually nice gamers, in our ranks,” he beams with delight. “Hannah [Greenwood, keyboards and vocals] is classically educated, Lawrie [Pattison, guitarist] is a guitar instructor away from the band. We now have a whole lot of sensible minds right here, and that is the primary file shortly that every one of us are on. It’s a actual respectable outing for everybody, and it actually exhibits off a whole lot of the cool stuff we will do. To have the ability to sit down and go, ‘What can we need to do?’, I now have full religion in my crew that we will try this.”
And so, what does that imply for the cues which were taken on this newest undertaking? Nicely, ‘Sanguivore’ is deeply rooted within the darkness of the late 80s. That’s why the primary iteration pulled from the dramatic decadence of Meatloaf, the devil-may-care ferocity of Mötley Crüe and the fantastical world-building of Jim Steinman. However although rip-roaring rock and metallic – overblown solos, driving riffs, screeching melodies – had been very a lot scorching on the time, they weren’t the one noises defining the period.
That’s why ‘Mistress Of Dying’ expands on its celebration of the interval. There are references to the Misfits and The Sisters of Mercy, alongside homages to Stevie Nicks’ ‘Fringe of Seventeen’ and Alannah Myles’ ‘Black Velvet’. There are as many ominously pulsating synths as there are grandiose guitar methods. You’ll be able to really feel the cool of the Misplaced Boys rippling via these songs as a lot as you’ll be able to the new leather-based of Judas Priest. And in a superb cameo, Patricia Morrison, a reputation synonymous with the darkish and the daring, provides up her dramatic tones for some stunning exposition all through, too. Issues which might be removed from in vogue or a part of the zeitgeist proper now, however that imply quite a bit to the band. That imply quite a bit to an entire technology of individuals. That need to have a bridge constructed between then and now.
All of it quantities to making a temper. A universe in and of itself, a spot the place one can consistently exist quite than simply escape to. That is one thing that William has all the time strived to place into follow – “We’re within the magic enterprise, not the music enterprise,” as he so fantastically surmises – but it surely appears like now’s when he’s probably the most absolutely invested in that sentiment. A lot of that comes from a realisation of the work that must be put in to make that so. In his case, studying extra about his voice. Be that practising and focusing extra on his baritone supply or realizing when to not overperform, it’s been a case of understanding when it’s okay to step again from the limelight. When to not do one thing as a way of permitting one other facet of the band to be the main focus.
And that even extends to the far reaches of this world-building. It comes from the ghostly hues and faux blood utilized by Charlotte Clutterbuck, longtime make-up artist and companion to Will, or the characters which have joined the fold, reminiscent of Darcia the Vampire Acquainted. The intricate and time-accurate props that seem within the band’s music movies, particularly the superior ‘Prey For The Evening’, or the forward-thinking and distinctive merchandise that has accompanied this cycle, together with a customized ‘STALKMAN’ tape participant. It’s been a case of letting each member of the band’s collective household shine at what they do greatest.
For William, it’s one other facet of the band that stems again to their roots. From placing on punk exhibits in no matter room in Southampton would have them to creating one thing greater than the sum of its crimson elements, it’s this close-knit, private work ethic that he hopes the band will probably be remembered and revered for.
“I believe that it’s one of many issues that’s actually uncommon as of late, and one thing that individuals who didn’t come from punk will not be conscious of or don’t have,” he explains. “We all know methods to make one thing from nothing. There was a way of group after I was youthful that got here from placing on exhibits in soccer pubs, this scene unity. We now have associates from that world, and everybody inside it has all the time been artistic. There may be all the time somebody on the finish of the cellphone who is aware of methods to do one thing or who needs to be concerned and assist out.
“It’s all the time been about us after we had been youthful, discovering information, plugging our headphones in and disappearing into that world. That was a protected place to go, and now we have created this Stephen King-like assortment of information with these barely completely different themes and takes on horror tales for that one one who needs to plug it in and disappear into it. All people is working so exhausting for this one fictitious child that we think about who hears it after they want it. That’s a extremely magical factor, and it’s the electrical energy that retains this complete machine going. That’s particular to 1 extra individual than us.”
THE LYRICS
For Will, one of many key parts in staying throughout the ‘Sanguivore’ universe, and a key to why, up to now, the band have moved to a different story when the present one has been instructed, was to verify they weren’t rehashing what has already come to go. So, although the vampiric core of those two information may be very a lot the identical, the tales being instructed inside are very completely different. It’s a bloodline, if you’ll.
For ‘Mistress Of Dying’, it was very a lot a spotlight for William to mirror the pastiche of this 80s time interval they’ve laser-focused on musically in the identical method with their lyrical turns, influenced closely by the Satanic Panic that gripped dad and mom and newsrooms internationally on the time. And so, two completely different tales intertwine all through the file.
The primary is from the angle of the Vampire rock band, given their second within the highlight, so to talk, with the likes of the braggadocious ‘Blood Magick (It’s A Ritual)’ and entendre-laced ‘Headstones’. Harsh, hedonistic and heavy on the intercourse, medicine and rock and roll, it’s a life-style – or deathstyle – that has so lengthy been related to the heavier aspect of music. On the opposite aspect of the coin is the Mistress of Dying, a terrifyingly intimidating determine who seems villainous on the floor, monitoring the vampire band in hopes of placing an finish to their partying, detailed via the likes of ‘Daydreaming In The Darkish’ and ‘Razor Wire’ By the album’s finish, the roles are reversed, with the Mistress revealed because the hero and the vampires very a lot the unhealthy guys in all of this.
It’s inside this cat-and-mouse story, a switcheroo of who’s the heel and who’s the face, that Creeper not solely categorical their love of ebbing-and-flowing storytelling but in addition provides a critique of the business they name residence. A reminder that not all the things is what it appears on the floor and that despite the fact that the rock star life-style could also be irresistible from a distance, it is extremely completely different as soon as you’re in the midst of it. It may be treacherous, deplorable, and it will possibly even find yourself costing you your life in case you’re not cautious. In the identical approach as a well-recognized thinks that every one they need is to be turned, the opposite aspect will not be all the time because it appears.
In some ways, this story of blood and guts is a reminder to Creeper that it’s okay to not comply with the trail which will have been laid out for them. That by not indulging within the sin that many have been seduced by throughout their time as a band, they may come out the opposite aspect stronger. That even in case you really feel invincible now, that received’t be the case without end. And by providing commentary on the way it feels on either side of the coin via this complicated fairy story, the band are additionally including to their very own legacy, penning their journey in actual time.
“Although all of those tales are fiction and in a realm of fantasy, all of them appear to have relevance to the place we’re as a band,” William ponders. “‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ occurred in Southampton and nodded to the place we got here from. ‘Intercourse, Dying & The Infinite Void’ was our American file, made on the market off the again of on a regular basis we had spent on the market, telling the story of the place now we have been. ‘Sanguivore’ then confirmed the place we had been making an attempt to go and the place we needed to land. Now, with this file, after these three, it appears like an analysis of a few of the items and the evils that now we have encountered. It’s gore, intercourse, and all these highly effective and enjoyable issues to play with, a part of the mythology of rock and roll. Nevertheless it’s additionally about taking a deeper look and never placing the false idol on the stage.
“One of many issues I say a few Creeper present is that once you come via the door, you already know you’re going to see a pantomime. We all the time guarantee that it’s identified. And when the make-up begins to soften off, that’s once you see that there’s a sincerity to this. Beneath the veneer and the silliness, there’s a coronary heart. And with this album, it could be straightforward for us to only say it is a rock and roll file about ingesting and having intercourse. However there’s much more happening than that, and it’s essential to point out and touch upon it as we go.”
THE ARTWORK
A vital facet of this album that William needs to essentially hammer residence stems from the thought of creating all of it for that one one who wants it. That it is a file tailormade for you and also you alone. It’s there for you in no matter type you need it to be in and the way deep you need to dive into it. A lot of that may be felt via the musical and lyrical easter eggs which might be littered via backward and forward of ‘Mistress Of Dying’, but it surely even extends to the paintings. On the floor, the picture of the aforementioned Mistress grabs your consideration. Leather-based-clad, shining eyes and stepping out of the misty fog to ship that killer blow, it’s the form of picture made to face out from dusty crates within the corners of overflowing file retailers. That stops younger minds of their tracks, the need and want to find what this picture means, taking up.
However look nearer, and a touch at what all of this implies is there for all to see as effectively. You will notice the lyric, “It’s solely rock and roll, however tonight…it might take your life”, pulled from the refrain of ultimate crescendo and curtain-closing loss of life scene ‘Pavor Nocturnus’, serving as a foreshadowing of what’s to come back in addition to a push within the route of what this album is actually about. It’s a small element, however one which defines the care and consideration that Creeper prioritises so closely.
For William, it’s not only a case of creating certain that each avenue is roofed in his personal band’s output. It’s additionally preserving alive the traditions of those that have come earlier than them. As a result of in the event that they cease caring about these things, these things will merely stop to exist.
“It’s about making an attempt to be the change that we need to see inside our personal tiny world,” he muses. “It’s nearly like a misplaced darkish artwork that we’re doing with a few of these issues. It’s not one thing that doesn’t present an important deal exterior of the satisfaction of creating one thing actually particular together with your followers. That’s been an unimaginable factor for me. The truth that somebody might study to talk the language of this file due to these issues, that that they had the tip of the file there in entrance of them earlier than it even started, that they’ll see that there’s a bigger story at play right here. That makes all of it price it.”
THE FUTURE
Between the entire bloodshed, one of many largest issues to remove from the entire ‘Sanguivore’ cycle is what number of rewards may be reaped once you don’t maintain again. While you let your ardour shine via in each shade that it is available in, as a result of there will probably be somebody there who shares in it. The boldness and braveness reverberating across the Creeper camp proper now are because of a decade-long dive into the unknown that has lastly discovered its footing. The truth that it has come at a degree when they’re greater, higher and extra bombastic than they’ve ever been earlier than is the eyeball on high of the sundae.
However for William, it’s in realizing that regardless of the place this second chapter of sharp enamel and sharper wits takes them, they’ve completed it their very own approach. This travelling troupe of misfits, marching to a beat of their very own wondrous creation, not letting anybody or something boring their spark. And if that’s what you’re searching for, there may be all the time a seat within the theatre for you.
“We’re the midnight displaying of the Rocky Horror Image Present,” William proclaims proudly. “We’re for the comedian e book nerds, the film nerds, the flamboyant and theatrical youngsters that now we have all the time been. It’s actually cool to look out and see that in motion. As a result of we all the time really feel just like the Babadook on the Halloween get together, the black sheep that doesn’t slot in with the cool youngsters, as a result of we’re all the time overdressed. However so long as individuals preserve coming, interacting with what we do, and having enjoyable alongside us, the chances will stay boundless.
“As a result of after we are your factor, there may be nothing extra magic.”
