Does anyone adhere to the glam commandments anymore? Following the Carmine Appice fashion disaster of 1985, it was written in stone: Thou shalt not play in a glam metal band and bear hair upon thy face. Meanwhile, Creatures boasts not one, not two, but THREE members with mustaches, and even the “clean shaved” one boasts quite a gnarly 5 o’clock shadow. How dare they? Don’t they know the rules?! Honestly though, I can safely say this bunch nails the mustache/guyliner combo better than good ol’ Carmine ever did. In other words, they look damn cool, and the music that makes up their sophomore album, Creatures II, is even cooler.
Like far too many newer acts I cover on this webzine, Creatures are a band I didn’t have the pleasure of discovering upon their debut, but rather this here sequel release. Considering they formed in 2019, and said debut dropped in 2021, they most certainly still fit the bill of a “new act”, especially in comparison to certain other bands we’ve reviewed this week. Being that they’re signed to the largely reliable High Roller Records, and certainly boast an ’80s look, I braced myself for another pleasantly copacetic NWOTHM album, piggybacking upon the likes of Enforcer, Cauldron, and so forth. What I didn’t expect was what the album ACTUALLY entails.
While I can’t speak for its predecessor, Creatures II is a full blown glam metal extravaganza, straight out of the genre’s musical glory days circa ’85. Though so many are quick to dismiss glam metal for the formulaic song structures, repetitive choruses, and wimp-out ballads that would come to define the genre in its commercial prime, its original incarnation was essentially a bastardized spin on traditional metal, fusing NWOBHM riffs and virtuosic soloing with earworm melodies and Sunset Strip hedonism. Creatures’ brand of glam falls squarely into this camp, toeing the line ever so discreetly between rawness and regality.
Of all the ’80s glam titans, the one Creatures bears closest resemblance to is Dokken. Guitarist Mateus Cantaleäno’s riffs and leads boast both the flash and flair of George Lynch circa Tooth and Nail, and while frontman Marc Brito isn’t a Dokken clone, his clean, soaring delivery recalls ol’ boy Don, as well as legends like Klaus Meine of Scorpions and the late Jack Russell of Great White. Hairspray-doused headbangers like “Devil in Disguise”, “Night of the Ritual”, and “Dreams”, the latter boasting strong AOR leanings with its lush synths, sound as if Michael Wagener was working his magic behind the boards. There’s even a couple sleazy numbers in “Pure Madness” and “Danger”, that virtually crawled out of the cellar AKA sound like classic Ratt.
With so many glam metal revival acts being hung up on trying to replicate Bon Jovi or Hysteria era Def Leppard for the two zillionth time, Creatures have treated us with an album of the niche done freakishly right. Every song boasts hit single potential. The production sounds genuinely out of ’84. The musicianship is tight, yet without sucking the soul from the music. And the music, again, kicks nonstop ass! You’d have to be allergic to fun to not fall head over heels for Creatures II. If you are, kindly take yourself elsewhere, because we don’t need that energy here.
9 out of 10
Label: High Roller Records
Genre: Glam Metal
For fans of: Dokken, Ratt, Hitten