Creeper frontman William Von Ghould guides us through the making of new album ‘Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death’, out October 31.

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For William Von Ghould, the process of burning it all down to start again is just part and parcel of the Creeper experience.

It’s not a case of self-sabotage for the sake of it, but more set in not resting on laurels and in focusing so heavily on what feels right in the here and now for him and his gang. And if that means bringing an end to a saga that they have injected so much of themselves into, then so be it. It’s been the case twice in the past for Southampton’s favourite travelling circus, famously taking place during a special show at London’s Koko, a final dramatic swansong for a story they had embedded themselves within. First with the Peter Pan-influenced lovelorn magic of 2017’s ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ and again on the angelic storytelling of 2020’s ‘Sex, Death & The Infinite Void’, a record bolstered by as much real-life heartache and struggle as within the angelic narrative.

And when it came to 2023’s ‘Sanguivore’, a blood-stained love story of sorts pulled from the fiery depths of heavy metal’s underbelly, the same routine may have been on the cards. Yet, something shifted. And William noticed that the people drawn to the band were more entranced with their creation than ever before and were acting upon it like never before. From a fan in Texas standing in the queue, coated in blood and dressed as the album’s protagonist, Mercy, to legions of faces painted with the identical makeup as the dancers in the video for ‘Cry To Heaven’, the album’s universe had struck a much deeper chord. One that made William rethink his lighting of the match and question whether a sequel was the right move.

“The audience has played much more of a role in picking us up and putting us back on the tracks than they realise,” he smiles. “And a good deal of this record that we have now was informed by them. The first time around, we didn’t wear the makeup on stage, but the kids came to the shows in droves wearing it. There was a call and response that hadn’t been there before. They didn’t want us to destroy the band again. So, we started wearing the makeup alongside the crowd, and that led to this record now. It’s something that has created a happy ending and landed us in the best, most creatively accomplished place, and the happiest it has been in a long time, too.”

In allowing themselves to marinade in this universe that little bit longer, the band have crafted ‘Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death’, their most artistically brash, densely layered and thoroughly confident body of work to date. As much a hedonistically vibrant celebration of both a legendary monster and a deeply influential period as it is a marker for what it means to let your true self shine that bit brighter, for William, it is a sign that carving out these unique spaces for the past decade has had an effect on people. And in realising that, he has never felt more comfortable, content or confident in the band, blood trickling down his chin and all.

THE SOUND

Creeper have always been a band to wear their influence proudly on their sleeves. Tracing things back to their earliest songs – tributes to the Alkaline Trios and AFIs of the world – through to the more Roy Orbison and Nick Cave nods of ‘Sex, Death & The Infinite Void’, they are a band who have never been ashamed to let the music that made them guide the way. And especially when it comes to the ‘Sanguivore’ universe, pulling on a particular moment in time for their crimson caper to exist within, it’s been more critical than ever to get the vibe spot on.

For William, much of that comes from knowing that the talent that oozes from every pore of the band will allow them to sit down, choose a sonic location, and be confident they will find their way there.

“We’re really lucky with Creeper that we have some really excellent musicians, and really great players, in our ranks,” he beams with pride. “Hannah [Greenwood, keyboards and vocals] is classically trained, Lawrie [Pattison, guitarist] is a guitar teacher away from the band. We have a lot of brilliant minds here, and this is the first record in a while that all of us are on. It is a real decent outing for everyone, and it really shows off a lot of the cool stuff we can do. To be able to sit down and go, ‘What do we want to do?’, I now have full faith in my team that we can do that.”

And so, what does that mean for the cues that have been taken on this latest project? Well, ‘Sanguivore’ is deeply rooted in the darkness of the late 80s. That’s why the first iteration pulled from the dramatic decadence of Meatloaf, the devil-may-care ferocity of Mötley Crüe and the fantastical world-building of Jim Steinman. But though rip-roaring rock and metal – overblown solos, driving riffs, screeching melodies – were very much hot at the time, they weren’t the only noises defining the era.

That’s why ‘Mistress Of Death’ expands on its celebration of the period. There are references to the Misfits and The Sisters of Mercy, alongside homages to Stevie Nicks’ ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and Alannah Myles’ ‘Black Velvet’. There are as many ominously pulsating synths as there are grandiose guitar tricks. You can feel the cool of the Lost Boys rippling through these songs as much as you can the hot leather of Judas Priest. And in an excellent cameo, Patricia Morrison, a name synonymous with the dark and the daring, offers up her dramatic tones for some beautiful exposition throughout, too. Things that are far from in vogue or part of the zeitgeist right now, but that mean a lot to the band. That mean a lot to a whole generation of people. That deserve to have a bridge built between then and now.

It all amounts to creating a mood. A universe in and of itself, a place where one can constantly exist rather than just escape to. This is something that William has always strived to put into practice – “We’re in the magic business, not the music business,” as he so beautifully surmises – but it feels like now is when he is the most fully invested in that sentiment. Much of that comes from a realisation of the work that has to be put in to make that so. In his case, learning more about his voice. Be that practising and focusing more on his baritone delivery or knowing when not to overperform, it’s been a case of understanding when it is okay to step back from the limelight. When not to do something as a means of allowing another aspect of the band to be the focus.

And that even extends to the far reaches of this world-building. It comes from the ghostly hues and fake blood applied by Charlotte Clutterbuck, longtime makeup artist and partner to Will, or the characters that have joined the fold, such as Darcia the Vampire Familiar. The intricate and time-accurate props that appear in the band’s music videos, specifically the awesome ‘Prey For The Night’, or the forward-thinking and unique merchandise that has accompanied this cycle, including a custom ‘STALKMAN’ tape player. It’s been a case of letting every member of the band’s collective family shine at what they do best.

For William, it’s another aspect of the band that stems back to their roots. From putting on punk shows in whatever room in Southampton would have them to creating something bigger than the sum of its crimson parts, it is this close-knit, personal work ethic that he hopes the band will be remembered and revered for.

“I think that it’s one of the things that is really rare these days, and something that people who didn’t come from punk may not be aware of or don’t have,” he explains. “We know how to make something from nothing. There was a sense of community when I was younger that came from putting on shows in football pubs, this scene unity. We have friends from that world, and everyone within it has always been creative. There is always someone at the end of the phone who knows how to do something or who wants to be involved and help out.

“It’s always been about us when we were younger, discovering records, plugging our headphones in and disappearing into that world. That was a safe place to go, and we have created this Stephen King-like collection of records with these slightly different themes and takes on horror stories for that one person who wants to plug it in and disappear into it. Everybody is working so hard for this one fictitious kid that we imagine who hears it when they need it. That’s a really magical thing, and it’s the electricity that keeps this whole machine going. That is special to one more person than us.”

THE LYRICS

For Will, one of the key elements in staying within the ‘Sanguivore’ universe, and a key to why, in the past, the band have moved to another tale when the current one has been told, was to make sure they were not rehashing what has already come to pass. So, though the vampiric core of these two records is very much the same, the stories being told within are very different. It is a bloodline, if you will.

For ‘Mistress Of Death’, it was very much a focus for William to reflect the pastiche of this 80s time period they have laser-focused on musically in the same manner with their lyrical turns, influenced heavily by the Satanic Panic that gripped parents and newsrooms across the world at the time. And so, two different stories intertwine throughout the record.

The first is from the perspective of the Vampire rock band, given their moment in the spotlight, so to speak, with the likes of the braggadocious ‘Blood Magick (It’s A Ritual)’ and entendre-laced ‘Headstones’. Harsh, hedonistic and heavy on the sex, drugs and rock and roll, it is a lifestyle – or deathstyle – that has so long been associated with the heavier side of music. On the other side of the coin is the Mistress of Death, a terrifyingly intimidating figure who appears villainous on the surface, tracking the vampire band in hopes of putting an end to their partying, detailed through the likes of ‘Daydreaming In The Dark’ and ‘Razor Wire’ By the album’s end, the roles are reversed, with the Mistress revealed as the hero and the vampires very much the bad guys in all of this.

It’s within this cat-and-mouse tale, a switcheroo of who is the heel and who is the face, that Creeper not only express their love of ebbing-and-flowing storytelling but also offers a critique of the industry they call home. A reminder that not everything is what it seems on the surface and that even though the rock star lifestyle may be irresistible from a distance, it is very different once you are in the middle of it. It can be treacherous, deplorable, and it can even end up costing you your life if you’re not careful. In the same way as a familiar thinks that all they want is to be turned, the other side is not always as it seems.

In many ways, this tale of blood and guts is a reminder to Creeper that it is okay to not follow the path that may have been laid out for them. That by not indulging in the sin that many have been seduced by during their time as a band, they will come out the other side stronger. That even if you feel invincible now, that won’t be the case forever. And by offering commentary on how it feels on both sides of the coin through this complex fairy tale, the band are also adding to their own legacy, penning their adventure in real time.

“Even though all of these tales are fiction and in a realm of fantasy, they all seem to have relevance to where we are as a band,” William ponders. “‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ took place in Southampton and nodded to where we came from. ‘Sex, Death & The Infinite Void’ was our American record, made out there off the back of all the time we had spent out there, telling the story of where we have been. ‘Sanguivore’ then showed where we were trying to go and where we wanted to land. Now, with this record, after those three, it feels like an evaluation of some of the goods and the evils that we have encountered. It is gore, sex, and all these powerful and fun things to play with, part of the mythology of rock and roll. But it’s also about taking a deeper look and not putting the false idol on the stage.

“One of the things I say about a Creeper show is that when you come through the door, you know you’re going to see a pantomime. We always make sure that it is known. And when the makeup starts to melt off, that’s when you see that there is a sincerity to this. Underneath the veneer and the silliness, there is a heart. And with this album, it would be easy for us to just say this is a rock and roll record about drinking and having sex. But there’s a lot more going on than that, and it’s important to show and comment on it as we go.”

THE ARTWORK

An essential aspect of this album that William wants to really hammer home stems from the idea of making it all for that one person who needs it. That this is a record tailormade for you and you alone. It’s there for you in whatever form you want it to be in and how deep you want to dive into it. Much of that can be felt through the musical and lyrical easter eggs that are littered through to and fro of ‘Mistress Of Death’, but it even extends to the artwork. On the surface, the image of the aforementioned Mistress grabs your attention. Leather-clad, shining eyes and stepping out of the misty fog to deliver that killer blow, it’s the sort of image made to stand out from dusty crates in the corners of overflowing record shops. That stops young minds in their tracks, the want and need to discover what this image means, taking over.

But look closer, and a hint at what all of this means is there for all to see as well. You will see the lyric, “It’s only rock and roll, but tonight…it could take your life”, pulled from the chorus of final crescendo and curtain-closing death scene ‘Pavor Nocturnus’, serving as a foreshadowing of what is to come as well as a push in the direction of what this album is truly about. It’s a small detail, but one that defines the care and consideration that Creeper prioritises so heavily.

For William, it’s not just a case of making sure that every avenue is covered in his own band’s output. It’s also keeping alive the traditions of those who have come before them. Because if they stop caring about this stuff, this stuff will simply cease to exist.

“It’s about trying to be the change that we want to see within our own tiny world,” he muses. “It’s almost like a lost dark art that we are doing with some of these things. It’s not something that doesn’t provide a great deal outside of the satisfaction of making something really special with your fans. That’s been an incredible thing for me. The fact that someone may learn to speak the language of this record because of those things, that they had the end of the record there in front of them before it even began, that they can see that there is a larger story at play here. That makes it all worth it.”

THE FUTURE

Between all of the bloodshed, one of the biggest things to take away from the whole ‘Sanguivore’ cycle is how many rewards can be reaped when you don’t hold back. When you let your passion shine through in every shade that it comes in, because there will be someone there who shares in it. The confidence and courage reverberating around the Creeper camp right now are thanks to a decade-long dive into the unknown that has finally found its footing. The fact that it has come at a point when they are bigger, better and more bombastic than they have ever been before is the eyeball on top of the sundae.

But for William, it’s in knowing that no matter where this second chapter of sharp teeth and sharper wits takes them, they have done it their own way. This travelling troupe of misfits, marching to a beat of their own wondrous creation, not letting anyone or anything dull their spark. And if that’s what you’re looking for, there is always a seat in the theatre for you.

“We are the midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show,” William proclaims proudly. “We are for the comic book nerds, the movie nerds, the flamboyant and theatrical kids that we have always been. It’s really cool to look out and see that in action. Because we always feel like the Babadook at the Halloween party, the black sheep that doesn’t fit in with the cool kids, because we are always overdressed. But as long as people keep coming, interacting with what we do, and having fun alongside us, the possibilities will remain boundless.

“Because when we are your thing, there is nothing more magic.”