"Black Mass" is a song by English horror punk band Creeper. Written by the group's lead vocalist Will Gould and guitarist and backing vocalist Ian Miles, it was produced by Neil Kennedy and featured on the band's 2016 third extended play (EP) The Stranger. The song was released as the only single from the EP on 11 January 2016, and as the first of two music videos on 28 January.

According to Creeper's lead vocalist Will Gould, the lyrics of "Black Mass" were written "from the perspective of the character of The Stranger, the heartbroken monster who is the EP's namesake. They're partly inspired by recounts of sleep paralysis, where sufferers describe seeing a 'black matter' or 'black mass' haunting them in their rooms at night, while they lie paralysed in bed." The song draws from a number of inspirations, including punk rock band Jawbreaker (on the verses), singer Elvis Presley (in the middle eight) and record producer Jim Steinman (on the chorus), all of which the band's frontman described as "on purpose and very intentional ... a pastiche, a wink and a nod to the listener".

Ali Shutler of Upset magazine described "Black Mass" as one of the fastest songs released by Creeper to date, noting a "rhythmic, frantic dance" pace in the intro and "the hurried yell of, 'Hey!'" which "sees the track kick in proper". In a review of the song for DIY, Tom Connick described "Black Mass" as a mix between "fist-aloft punk-rock and ballroom blitz", comparing its style to that of singer Meat Loaf and punk band Misfits. Shutler continued by claiming that, despite its fast pace and short running length, the track has "plenty of room for those big band theatrics", including Gould "channeling his inner-crooner".

"Black Mass" was premiered on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter on 10 January 2016 as the day's "Rockest Record", before its single release the following day. The music video for the track followed on 28 January. Directed by Jamie Carter, the video was filmed in the band's hometown of Southampton at a rehearsal space in which Gould and others used to practise. Gould described the choice of location for the filming of the video as "really nice ... as it gave the video a quiet sense of continuity".

...
Wikipedia