Crippled Black Phoenix | Artist
Crippled Black Phoenix are an English dark rock band formed 2004 by multi-instrumentalist Justin Greaves. Greaves was previously drummer of several doom and sludge bands like Iron Monkey and Electric Wizard. When starting out Greaves worked closely with Dominic Aitchison of Mogwai, and their ideas would lay the backbone for Crippled Black Phoenix. Several other musicians have contributed to the band, with the current lineup, in addition to Greaves, including Belinda Kordic (vocals, percussion), Helen Stanley (piano, synth, trumpet, vocals), Andy Taylor (guitars), Joel Segerstedt (vocals, guitars), Matt Crawford (bass), and Jordi Farré (drums), and Georg Paco L. Fleischfresser (synth, keyboards, saxophone, backing vocals). Greaves and the band write what they call "end-time ballads" signifying both the melodic but slightly macabre nature of their songs and their unusual blend of styles, as the final evolution in music. Their style has been described variously as everything from progressive rock, to dark folk, to psychedelic, to post rock/metal. Their live shows, usually in a formation from 7 to 9 members, employs folk and Victorian-era instruments in tandem with their rock elements. To date the band has released 11 studio albums plus numerous live albums. Standouts include I, Vigilante (2010), Great Escape (2018), Ellengæst (2020), and Banefyre (2022). Also recommended is the 2017 live release Destroy Freak Valley.
Artist Website: crippledblackphoenix.com
Featured Albums: Crippled Black Phoenix
Related Artists: Pantheist, Esoteric, Mogwai, Iron Monkey
Video Clips: Great Escape, Supersize Live, Nebulas