Creeper’s Second Full-Length: Worth the Extended Wait
Words by Cris Rulli
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
On July 31st, English rock band Creeper released their second full-length studio album titled Sex, Death & the Infinite Void. The album has been long awaited by the band’s adoring fans who had to wait an additional couple of months to hear it after its release was postponed due to the pandemic. The band said that they wanted the community to share the album together and that it all had to be adjusted to fit with the current circumstances. That being said, the album was definitely worth waiting for!
The album follows the story of two main characters, Roe and Annabelle. Roe arrives in a small American town and delivers the prophecy that the world they’ve always known would end in seven days when he makes his departure from the town. He ends up meeting the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen, Annabelle, and they fall for each other. Now, Annabelle is set to be married to Buddy, the son of the richest family in town, and he does not react well to the news of Roe and Annabelle’s budding romance, so he plots revenge against Roe. Buddy follows Roe and Annabelle up the mountain and shoots Roe, which essentially leads to the world as the townspeople knew it, coming to an end, thus in a way fulfilling the prophecy Roe had delivered.
The few singles released before the full album came out provided a great teaser for what was to come, but nothing compares to listening to the album in its entirety. From the first track, “Hallelujah!,” to the final track, “All My Friends,” this album envelops the listener into the world of the story of Roe’s journey from his arrival in Calvary Falls until his tragic fate that ends his story. Listening to Sex, Death & the Infinite Void from beginning to end feels like reading a novel. The album creates a vivid mental vision for the listener and makes it easy to visualize the story that goes along with each track.
Something that stands out on the album is the few spoken-word interlude tracks that provide some context for the narrative and add to the listener’s experience. Not only is this album a journey of love and death, but it is also sonically a journey as well. The backing music and lead singer Will Gould’s vocals compliment each other in order to draw out and portray emotions to the listener.
“Cyanide” is the track that stood out the most, in my opinion. The song has a certain sass about it in both the music and vocals. It has some sonic similarities to songs by Queen and David Bowie. This song specifically paints a mental image of a smokey bar in the 1950’s or 60’s, almost like something you’d find in the musical Cabaret. This track is unique and captivating from the first listen, and definitely continues to stand out to me.
Sex, Death & the Infinite Void is a true musical work of art in every sense of the term. It is sonically intriguing, the lyrics are descriptive and create vivid images for the listeners, and the story of Roe and Annabelle is tragically captivating. Creeper has outdone themselves with this album. It is one-of-a-kind and will be on my playlist for years to come.
The album is available on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and other music streaming services. Make sure to check Creeper out on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with rescheduled tour info and other fun updates about the band. You can find all things Creeper at the band’s website!