E’Last’s Dark Dream took awhile to grow on me, but once it did I found myself quite engrossed in its dramatic, symphonic sound. That song struggled with a shifting of energy and structure, but always brought things back with its knockout chorus. Because of this, I was ready for anything the group dished out with Creature. As long as they delivered another chorus like that, we’d be in the clear.

Unfortunately, Creature jettisons many of the elements I’ve loved about E’Last’s past work. The symphonic influences are still present, but relegated to the edges of the song. And the chorus? Well…

More on that later, because before we hit Creature’s hook we’ve got some verses to get through. The track kicks off with squeaky sample. To me, it sounds like a flute being strangled. It’s pretty irritating, but doesn’t last long. Instead, we move into a rather generic verse. The melody is clipped and doesn’t build to much, eventually surrendering to a brief volley of rap. The pre-chorus retains some of the theatrical weight E’Last have built their name on, but struggles to find an engaging melody.

Creature’s chorus pulls way back, delivering one of those anti-drop hooks that feels as if you’re crumpling the song into a ball to start all over again. I can appreciate the skill behind this style of production, but I don’t care for the approach. The guys deliver some great vocals, and the chorus eventually builds back up. But, Creature is too piecemeal to be satisfying. And without the centerpiece that made Dark Dream soar, there’s not much to look forward to.