The Stranger (EP)
| The Stranger | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| EP by Creeper | ||||
| Released | 19 February 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2015 | |||
| Studio | The Ranch Production House (Southampton, England) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 16:16 | |||
| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Producer | Neil Kennedy | |||
| Creeper chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Singles from The Stranger | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| DIY |   |
| Kerrang! | |
| Stereoboard.com | |
The Stranger is the third extended play (EP) by English horror punk band Creeper. Recorded at The Ranch Production House in Southampton with producer Neil Kennedy, it was released on 19 February 2016 by Roadrunner Records. The EP was the band's first release to chart, reaching the top ten of the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart. "Black Mass" and "Astral Projection" were released as music videos.
The material for The Stranger was written mostly by Creeper vocalist Will Gould and guitarist Ian Miles, following the departure of second guitarist and frequent songwriter Sina Nemati in December 2015. The EP is the first to feature contributions from Oliver Burdett, who replaced Nemati, as well as keyboardist and backing vocalist Hannah Greenwood, who had previously been a touring member of the band.
The Stranger received positive reviews from the majority of music critics, who praised the EP in line with 2014's Creeper and 2015's The Callous Heart as an indication of the band's potential future success. Songs such as "Black Mass", "Misery" and "Astral Projection" in particular were highlighted as some of the year's best songs by multiple publications, earning Creeper a number of award nominations.
In December 2015, Creeper announced that their third EP The Stranger would be released in February 2016, and would feature contributions from new guitarist Oliver Burdett (who replaced Sina Nemati) and keyboardist Hannah Greenwood (who was originally a touring member for the band). The recording of the EP was influenced by the work of veteran producer Jim Steinman, which Stereoboard.com's Alec Chillingworth claimed is most evident on the songs "The Secret Society" and "Black Mass". Other artists named by vocalist Will Gould as influences on the EP include Arcade Fire ("The Secret Society" was originally written to sound like the song "Wake Up"), R.E.M. (Gould wrote "Valentine" with the band in mind in order to make it sound "Poppy but not patronisingly so") and Alkaline Trio (one of multiple influences on "Black Mass").
...
Wikipedia