The Creepshow – Life After Death

Replacing a vocalist can redefine a band.  It’s a tough feat, and most bands don’t survive the transition.  Don’t tell that to Ontario psychobilly giants The Creepshow though – the band is now fronting its third lead vocalist in just four records.  With the departure of Sarah “Sin” Blackwood (who actually replaced her sister before) comes Kenda “Twisted” Legaspi.  Newly at the helm, Legaspi’s strong, familiar voice makes for an obvious successor and safe choice.  Landing somewhere between the Blackwood sisters’ smoky tones, she slips in well with the band’s trademark thumping bass and ear grabbing melodies.

Perhaps to solidify the end of the Blackwood era, Life After Death marks the first Creepshow album to open without a spoken word “Sermon” track.  Rather the outing kicks off to the beep of a flat lining patient before plunging headfirst into the darkness of the afterlife with the punked up pace of “See You In Hell.”  It’s a throwback to classic fast moving Creepshow tracks like “Creatures Of The Night” and one that will likely catch longtime fans off guard – in a good way.  Plenty of backing shouts from the band’s most consistent vocalists, Sean “Sickboy” McNab and Paul “The Reverend” McGinty, help the track ring true to the Creepshow legacy. 

Then the tempo steps back, settling into a retro 50’s drive-in vibe.  “The Devil’s Son” amps up the distortion, heightening McNab’s upright bass for a hip shaking, head nodding dancehall romp that would have likely turned into a doo-wop number under lesser bands.  By the time “Sinners & Saints” roles around the five-piece is on a role and Legaspi has all but converted her most ridged skeptics.  It’s odd then that the following pure rock n’ roll of “Born To Lose” falters on the it’s musical merits rather than a vocal switch up.  While a more then adequate 50’s rock number, the track feels flat in the midst of all the wild distortion and psychobilly attitude of its neighbours.

The Creepshow has never been one for radical departures from its proven core and Life After Death is no exception.  To that end Legaspi’s debut makes for a natural addition to the Creepshow’s growing body of work with fans sure to embrace Life After Death as one of their own.  But in a direct comparison, the disc lands slightly less striking than say, They All Fall Down, which was audibly Sarah Sin’s tightest work.  Given that Life After Death represents Legaspi’s debut, it stands to reason that it might take a tad more time to achieve that same level of chemistry and show stopping performance as her predecessor.  Make no mistake about it though, The Creepshow will flourish under Legaspi should she stick around, and Life After Death is no small achievement either.