History
In 2004, Justin Greaves, previously drummer of several doom and sludge bands like Iron Monkey, Electric Wizard and Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine, [4] began recording his own material. He was encouraged by Dominic Aitchison of Mogwai, and their ideas would lay the backbone for Crippled Black Phoenix. The name of the band was taken from the lyrics (by Johnny Morrow of Iron Monkey) of "Big Loader," a song on the debut album Iron Monkey. [5] Greaves also used "Crippled Black Phoenix" as a pseudonym. Band members have chiefly been drawn from other bands to which Greaves has contributed; including Iron Monkey, Gonga, Mogwai, Electric Wizard, Hearts of Black Science and others. [6] [7]
Greaves and the band write what they call "endtime ballads" [8] signifying both the melodic but slightly macabre nature of their songs and their unusual blend of styles, as the final evolution in music. This blend has led to them being called everything from progressive rock to dark folk, to psychedelic, to post rock/metal. [9] Initially the band was produced by Geoff Barrow of Portishead fame, under his label Invada Records. Barrow occasionally played live in the first appearances of the band in 2007. [10] Crippled Black Phoenix have made live shows a focus and have performed onstage - usually in a formation from 7 to even 9 members - also in peculiar venues, using folk and Victorian-era instruments in tandem with their rock elements. [11]
The innate, ever ongoing evolution of Crippled Black Phoenix has reflected on multiple turnovers in his line-ups, both studio and live. [11] Of the first versions of the band, the most relevant changes were the departures of original singer/guitarist Joe Volk, who embarked on a solo career (2012) and guitarist Karl Demata (2014), who later founded the band Vly together with departing bassist Christian Heilmann. Following the split, Greaves and Demata engaged in a legal dispute over the registered trademark of the band's name. [12] In the second half of 2015, the issue with former guitarist was resolved and mastermind Greaves was able to continue his run under the moniker Crippled Black Phoenix, following his vision and continuing to be very prolific with different incarnations of the band and his cast of rotating musicians. [13]
A new phase of CBP started in 2014 with the arrival of Swedish guitarist/vocalist Daniel Anghede: a voice that Greaves confessed to have always wanted to work with, at the point he was supposed to be on the debut album of the band. [14] [15] [16] As a parallel project, female singer Belinda Kordic and Greaves formed the duo Se Delan. A second project involving Greaves and Kordic was called World War, later Johnny The Boy. [17] [18] Another major change of CBP's path happened in 2019, when Daniel Anghede left the band after six years and a prolific run of four studio albums and extensive touring. [19] He later announced a project ("Venus Principle"), a sort of CBP spin-off, with other former bandmates. [20]
Greaves announced in the summer of 2020 the start of a new era of the band, continuing temporarily with a main core of 4 members while in search of a new co-singer, with a more prominent role for Kordic. [21] A brand new album, Ellengæst was released October 2020, featuring several guest vocalists. [22] Metal Hammer named it as the 43rd best metal album of 2020. [23] Swedish Joel Segerstedt is announced as new co-singer and rhythm guitarist at the end of April, 2021. His first recording with the band was the single "Painful Reminder/Dead Is Dead. [24] In April 2022, Crippled Black Phoenix announced a new full length album, Banefyre, and their first European Tour after the Covid-19 pandemic. [25] In November 2024 the band celebrated 20 years of music with a double album, The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature & Horrific Honorifics Number Two(2), [26] which contained new versions of old material and covers that inspired the collective through the years.
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