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CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX

Psychedelic/Space Rock • United Kingdom


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Crippled Black Phoenix picture
Crippled Black Phoenix biography
Founded in Bristol, UK in 2004

From the organization in 2004 till today, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX have been an unsettled rock project around the key drummer Justin GREAVES (also of Electric Wizard, Iron Monkey, Teeth of Lions Rule The Divine) with lots of his band mates. Through much experience in some outfits Justin had harboured his own soundscape and enthusiasm for 'macabre stoner/doomy progressive rock', which could let every collaborator go the same steady way regardless of such an unsteady formation of the project.

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX made Justin's ideas more concrete - encouraged especially by Dominic AITCHISON the Mogwai's bassist - and released their debut album 'A Love Of Shared Disasters' from Invada Records, managed by Portishead?s Geoff Barrow, in 2006.

Repeating the band segmentation and fusion as before, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX now go ahead in stage and studio, for gigging many times around Europe and releasing a box set 'The Resurrectionists/Night Raider' and the selection of this box '200 Tons Of Bad Luck' in 2009.

See also: HERE

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CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX discography


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CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.26 | 75 ratings
A Love of Shared Disasters
2007
4.18 | 79 ratings
The Resurrectionists
2009
4.05 | 60 ratings
Night Raider
2009
3.59 | 136 ratings
I, Vigilante
2010
3.92 | 237 ratings
(Mankind) The Crafty Ape
2012
3.86 | 74 ratings
No Sadness or Farewell
2012
3.78 | 111 ratings
White Light Generator
2014
3.88 | 57 ratings
New Dark Age
2015
3.76 | 90 ratings
Bronze
2016
3.85 | 137 ratings
Great Escape
2018
3.93 | 71 ratings
Ellengæst
2020
4.06 | 44 ratings
Banefyre
2022

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

0.00 | 0 ratings
We Shall See Victory (Live in Bern 2012 A.D.)
2012
4.25 | 4 ratings
Live Poznan
2013
4.60 | 5 ratings
Destroy Freak Valley
2016
4.00 | 1 ratings
Frankfurtenstein 2010AD
2020

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.31 | 52 ratings
200 Tons of Bad Luck
2009
4.24 | 41 ratings
The Resurrectionists & Night Raider
2009

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 3 ratings
Childhood's End (with Se Delan)
2015
4.35 | 31 ratings
Oh'Ech-oes (with Se Delan)
2015
3.65 | 17 ratings
Horrific Honorifics
2017
4.50 | 4 ratings
Budapest Vigilante Sessions
2017
0.00 | 0 ratings
Born for Nothing / Paranoid Arm of Narcoleptic Empire Live in Switzerland 2009 A.D.
2020
3.50 | 2 ratings
Painful Reminder / Dead Is Dead
2021

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Banefyre by CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album cover Studio Album, 2022
4.06 | 44 ratings

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Banefyre
Crippled Black Phoenix Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by alainPP

5 stars CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX unstable rock project by Justin GREAVES (playing in Electric Wizard and Iron Monkey), wanting to play macabre stoner / doomy progressive rock from 2004. Isis with melancholy-post-rock ballads. Known in 2014 as the Pink Floyd of the new millennium, this 12th double album takes its title from the bonfires that consumed the witches and politicians of yesteryear.

CD1: 'Intro / Incantation for the Different' dark intro to the tribal haka, phrasing of incantation that's good Shane Bugbee, witch, artist is the author. 'Wyches and Basterdz' with Belinda singing on a melancholic doomy base that of the Cranberries and 'Zombie', a title in the dark/cold wave metallic vein, eyeing Soen, Katatonia; heady air chaining with 'Ghostland' continuing on a repetitive mantra in Swedish with a Teutonic air, like end of the world 'Mad Max' or 'The Trial' of Pink Floyd; the sound goes on a Scandinavian folk ersatz where mammoths are hunted! Heavy, dark, cold, austere air. 'The Reckoning' continues, a horn scream, shots and the tune of 'Paint It Black' in the back; it also reminds me of Mission, Killing Joke and The Alarm for that fiddle and the Irish military drums; a male voice for the first time brief, a lively skinned hymn where the hunted risks not being who we believe. 'Bonefire' goes on, an even more languid radio edit title, we are at the limit of post dark rock, it's singular, dynamic, the progressive codes are jostled, it's beautiful! 'Rose of Jericho' concludes the first CD on the post rock title, alchemy of Sigur Ros rock and dark Mono, Explosions In The Sky for the choirs, the stretched notes, the trumpets coming to roar in a musical maelstrom. A prog sound going for the 80s or 70s that goes up, down, it gives chills. 5'30'' and break doom, a bit of The Cult, New Model Army with the Black Noodle Project spirit; it's heavy, aggressive, progressive, on The Cure period 'Disintegration'.

CD 2: 'Blackout77' delves deep into stoner post-rock, heavy doomsday sound, New York power outage and looting. A throwback to the 80s with journalist voice-over, primary doom riff, Killing Joke and Soen in memory and layers of cold-wave synths. 'Down the Rabbit Hole' chained again, we are of course a concept; melancholic guitar arpeggio for a gothic rock where Belinda uses her vibrant Lana Del Rey voice; twilight atmosphere with expressive pads, assured post spleen. 6 minutes and the second phase on Mission, hypnotizing air until the arrival of crows and 'Everything Is Beautiful but Us' continues on the same momentum with a positive musical gap, surprising fresh air at this moment of the album; 'The Pilgrim' follows and changes rhythm, mood; psychedelic, hypnotic, throbbing, swirling guitars, giant. 'I'm OK, Just Not Alright' and boom, fairground organ over tears to stir up trouble; a dreamlike crescendo with an admittedly spleen, slow, modern progressive piece, solemn and apocalyptic; climatic end before 'The Scene Is a False Prophet' for the post-rock, experimental, avant-garde finale reconciling the soft, icy spleen atmosphere with the metallic sound that befits the decade of 2020; orgasmic climb by kamikaze plane, futuristic drones, rare guitar that recalls the cinematic psyche rock label above all; on an adaptation of 'The Sound Of Silence' and a tune à la Pink Floyd 'Echoes' of the 21st century, amen. 'No Regrets*' on the deluxe edition offers a chilling alternative of distilled melancholy sweetness with post core death metal sound, whatever you wish; snub to the music and its drawers that I ardently contest, in short I return to the simple album.

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX has the merit of bringing us to a current sound, seeming to sign the current state of the world. Progressive post-rock with touches of doom, a touch of gothic-melancholy à la Lacrimosa, à Mission; dramatic, dark, macabre musical universes from which clarity tries to extricate itself. A climate tailor-made by Justin to give his voice to the voiceless, animals, left out of this inhuman world. Oxymoron art music, sound of absolute beauty when the ethereal meets the post and merges to hypnotize us, to create new 2020 sound and stand out from yesterday.

 A Love of Shared Disasters by CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album cover Studio Album, 2007
3.26 | 75 ratings

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A Love of Shared Disasters
Crippled Black Phoenix Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

3 stars 3.5 stars. This is the debut album from this band released in 2007. I noticed they've released a dozen studio albums over their careers including a new one this year(2022). I have their first four and I feel that the companion records "The Resurrectionists" and "Night Raider" both from 2009 are the best by far of those four. The debut here is 77 minutes long and it's like they tried to squish all their ideas into this one album. I would still say they are a Post-Rock, Psychedelic, Folk band overall but too many misses for me to go 4 stars.

A six piece but with many guests so each track has pretty much a different lineup from 4 to 9 performers. We get plenty of samples which are cool but man so much sad music on this one with "When Your Gone" maybe being the toughest one of those to get through. We get the funny "The Northern Cobbler" with that thick accent as he talks about marrying his sister then getting into the drink and so on. Reminds me of that WIGWAM song "Pride Of The Biosphere" or Roger Waters "Small Furry Animals..." song. I skip it unlike those two. "Long Cold Summer" is something I've never experienced here in Canada. Always short and hot but this song is a favourite. Post Rock guitars, vocals then it turns trippy.

That opener is tough with that choir with the deep slow vocals and samples to open. Harmonium too in this lament. "Suppose I Told The Truth" is like a relaxed pop song. My overall favourite might be the closer "Sharks & Storms/ Blizzard Of Horned Cats". Some emotion in this one and it's been interesting because I've given this at least 3 pre-spins before I decided to spend time with it this week and each of those pre-spins had me having a different opinion of this long recording. In the end 3.5 stars seems generous and this certainly has it's moments. Such a talented band but I find "A Love Of Shared Disasters" to be hit and miss.

 The Resurrectionists by CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album cover Studio Album, 2009
4.18 | 79 ratings

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The Resurrectionists
Crippled Black Phoenix Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars This is the companion album to "Night Raider" that I recently reviewed. They were released originally as a 2 disc box set but later they were sold individually. You can also get a compilation of selected songs from these two albums called "200 Tons Of Bad Luck" also released in 2009. "The Resurrectionists" is a long one at around 71 minutes but it's surprisingly consistent, no duds here. Again the music is a combination of Psychedelic and Post Rock with MOGWAI's bass player being part of this. Lots of atmosphere here often created by synths, mellotron and organ. We get strings, piano and guitar over top with bass and drums supporting it all. There's more instruments involved here by the way and band leader Justin Greaves who is a multi-instrumentalist adds more himself plus there's guests. Oh and choirs too and a few of them.

Top four include the opener "Burnt Reynolds" one of the best song titles I've seen. Very spacey to start as piano, drums, guitar and more arrive before 3 minutes. Check out the male vocal melodies that eventually dominate around 5 1/2 minutes with drums alone helping out and they soon step aside. It all kicks back in and what a contrast! I also really like "Song For The Loved" at around 13 1/2 minutes. You know Roger Waters once said something to the affect that ideas were more important in music than being amazing musicians. This band here has so many ideas, I'm just so impressed. A FLOYD rhythm at one point around 5 1/2 minutes as Gregorian vocals join in. Some awesome guitar late.

My favourite track on here has to be "444" I mean it sounds so good right from the start and just gets better as we get samples and guitar along with cello when it gets heavy. The lyrics for this one were apparently dreamt up. The vocals arrive before 2 minutes. "Human Nature Dictates The Downfall Of Humans" and isn't that the truth. Thankfully there is a God. Just another killer tune with some really good contrasts and repeated themes. Man so much to like about this one and "Night Raider" that you need them both in my opinion.

 Night Raider by CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album cover Studio Album, 2009
4.05 | 60 ratings

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Night Raider
Crippled Black Phoenix Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars After being really disappointed with their 2010 release "I, Vigilante" I have to say they redeemed themselves in my eyes with "Night Raider" released the year before in 2009. I just like pretty much everything on here and it really reveals why people have them either under Psychedelic or Post Rock because both are here, a nice blend. MOGWAI's bass player is part of this band that is from the UK and as usual there is a rather large cast of musicians and sounds on display.

Check out the song titles like "Born For Nothing", "Onwards Ever Downwards", "A Lack Of Common Sense", "Trust No One" and "I Am free, Today I Perish" so much negativity which makes the opener "Time Of Ye Life" so funny as we get 3 1/2 minutes of teaching from a motivational speaker on how to live a positive life. Reminds me of that recurring skit on Saturday Night Live where buddy talks to himself in the mirror about how great he is and so on. While the guy is speaking here we get sparse and relaxed guitar which continues when he stops as it blends into "Born For Nothing". Percussion is added and eventually it picks up and gets louder. I like this. It settles back around 6 1/2 minutes then builds. Check out the guitar after 9 1/2 minutes. Love the bass after 12 minutes. Somewhere the song changes to "Paranoid Arm Of Narcoleptic Empire" and it continues to be trippy. Synths will join in and then a calm at 14 minutes. The trippy becomes powerful around 16 1/2 minutes then it will wind down.

"Wendigo" is relaxed with sparse guitar but when the guitar steps aside I hear Post Rock. "Bat Stack" is piano and percussion to start then it changes as we get some horns giving a bit of a bluesy feel starting before 2 minutes. A couple of shorter tracks are next starting with rough vocals, accordion, trumpet and more on the first one, followed next by a catchy vocal track that I like. Someone is yelling to open "A Lack Of Common Sense" and there's plenty of noise too before a calm after a minute with picked guitar and reserved vocals. Haunting start to "Trust No One" followed by vocals and a second guitar. The closer is melancholic with piano and atmosphere and it's quite spacey to end it.

Probably rated "I, Vigilante" too low and this too high but for my tastes there's a huge difference in these two albums.

 Ellengæst by CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album cover Studio Album, 2020
3.93 | 71 ratings

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Ellengæst
Crippled Black Phoenix Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Gallifrey

4 stars Listening diary 2nd October, 2021: Crippled Black Phoenix - Ellengæst (progressive post-rock, 2020)

As much as I like Crippled Black Phoenix, I'll admit that I had begun to write them off a bit. Their style of apocalyptic post-tinged prog rock, with frequent touchstones to Pink Floyd, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Ennio Morricone, was unique, and to this day I can't really think of many acts who did the same thing - but it did get a little boring. This, however, is an utterly unexpected breath of fresh air. Although if you squint, you can hear all the same influences that were there before, there's an entirely different focus. This is dark, heavy and almost gothic at times. There are tracks here that are closer to The Sisters of Mercy than Pink Floyd, and some of the guitar tones bring in a subtle metal tinge unheard of on their previous work. For a band that were treading water stylistically, this is a fantastic shot in the arm and already sounds nothing like anyone else in the current scene, which is what CBP were doing at their best.

7.6 (4th listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

 Great Escape by CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.85 | 137 ratings

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Great Escape
Crippled Black Phoenix Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars If there was ever a band who refused to conform to what anyone expects of them, then it must be Crippled Black Phoenix, who continue to be led by multi-instrumentalist Julian Graves (drummer for Iron Monkey and Electric Wizard among others. They have been described as stoner prog through freak folk to psychedelic doom, and then back to post rock via space rock. Despite the wide range of musical leanings within their albums, there are a unifying dark streak and sombre melancholy running through the songs. Their tenth studio album shows them embracing all these styles, and so much more, with the core trio of Daniel 'nghede (vocals, guitar), Justin Greaves (guitars, drums, bass, samples, musical saw, percussion, backing vocals, composer, arranger and co-producer) and Mark Furnevall (synths, Hammond, vocoder, backing vocals) being joined by various guests, of whom special mention should be made of Belinda Kordic whose ethereal vocals certainly add to the emotional and dramatic elements of the band.

Early Floyd is the obvious influence, particularly on the likes of 'Las Diabolicas', but the very first time I played this the name which kept popping into my head was Johnny Cash, and while this sounds absolutely nothing like him in any way, for some reason the analogy really works. Since their debut 'A Love of Shared Disasters' in 2007, Crippled Black Phoenix have continued to morph and change, and this is yet another exercise in changing perceptions about the band, and is deep mahogany in a world of cheap and throwaway plastic as the depth and emotion contained within are compelling.

 I, Vigilante by CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album cover Studio Album, 2010
3.59 | 136 ratings

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I, Vigilante
Crippled Black Phoenix Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

2 stars Really disappointed with this one thinking I might have found a gem based on some reviews I've read. Post-Rock styled guitars at times and I suppose Psychedelic isn't too far off the mark but man this isn't good. For me it comes across as an amateur release for the most part. The male vocals in my opinion are weak at best, especially on "Fantastic Justice" that just sounds bad. The final two tracks suddenly have female vocals and I honestly felt the final song was a "joke" by the band. One of those humerous songs showing they don't take themselves too seriously. It is one of the worst songs I have heard in a long time. Just my opinion.
 Bronze by CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album cover Studio Album, 2016
3.76 | 90 ratings

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Bronze
Crippled Black Phoenix Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by The Jester

3 stars Review #39. Because I'm still in the - first-time-listening - phase, I will not go into details, but I must say that this is a very good album! Crippled Black Phoenix driven by the magic hands (and mind) of Justin Greaves, released one of the best albums of 2016 without a doubt. Bronze is the 9th (if I'm not mistaken) studio album of Crippled Black Phoenix, and one of the best works the band did so far.

Is there a musical term such as Psychedelic Heavy Progressive Rock? If not, we should invent it, in order to define this album. Because Bronze borrows elements from many musical styles and seems influenced by the sound of many bands from different styles. Off the top of my head, I could say that a mix of Pink Floyd with Black Sabbath could describe it somehow. (A fine example is the song Champions of Disturbance).

The thing I always loved about Crippled Black Phoenix is that you never know what to expect with each new release. Same thing happened here. When I listened to the album for the first time, I was really surprised with the long - and unnecessary in my opinion - intro, but right after that, the magic begun!

I will not write more, because there is no reason to do so. Bronze is a very good album, that you definitely give a try! It is a heavy, dark, psychedelic, experimental, progressive and wonderful album!

I cannot give less than 3.0 stars, and I'm not sure if they are enough? (If I could, I would give 3.5 stars) Thank you for reading this piece. :-)

 I, Vigilante by CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album cover Studio Album, 2010
3.59 | 136 ratings

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I, Vigilante
Crippled Black Phoenix Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by MELNIBONÉ

4 stars I usually pay a lot of attention to album packaging, and not only because it's a Prog trademark to link tightly sleeve design and musical/lyrical content? but also because it's a substantial part of the price we pay for CDs. So, in the case of "I, Vigilante", I have to admit that, when I ordered this album, I had no idea whatsoever about its content, nor did I knew anything about Crippled Black Phoenix (since then my wife and I have come to like them a lot). I simply was attracted by its cover art. Since he was a very young kid, our son has always drawn ; quite early, he put aside his crayons and markers to use a pencil and, later on, pen and ink. It's called line drawing (or line art) and, up until his late teens, he seldom used any other technique. Even though nowadays, he draws and paints with other mediums, including computerized ones (he works as a UI artist for a video game company), from time to time, he comes back to what set him initially on his present course. That said, the German shepherd pictured on the sleeve obviously owes a lot more to printing techniques than to line drawing per se. But still, the vivid expression of the attack dog was what prompted me to buy the album in the first place, because it matched some wolf drawings my son had made years ago.

Then, after the record was delivered and I could do more than just admire the cover art, I ran through the booklet and discovered that the album was a reflection on politics, justice (and injustice) and war, with a special focus on World War II. And that plucked a string I wasn't expecting at all : I would never have thought that, in 2010, a band under the Psychedelic/Space Rock label would have been inspired to write about a war that ended before the middle of the previous century. Since I have been a history teacher for some time, it goes without saying that, even before listening to the album, I had an even greater interest to read the lyrics to learn how the band dealt with such a complex subject and what they had to say about after the event 65 years later.

Although the sleeve, the booklet and the CD itself show illustrations related to WW II, there are some pictures that don't seem relevant to the subject, such as a drawing of a fawn and an ibex at rest amid a nest of snakes on the inside back cover of the booklet and, on the back cover of the sleeve, a drawing of an owl with a third eye on its forehead. They might not seem relevant at first, but the first drawing could make sense symbolically (figures of innocence amid vipers), while the second one could be a metaphor of vigilance, forethought and wisdom. If so, then these images have a relevant meaning in view of the album content.

That said, the first song, "Troublemaker" (8:33), is not at all related to WW II, but instead to the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, the failed attempt against King James I of England and the Parliament in London by Catholic conspirators (among which were Robert Catesby and Guy Fawkes). As for the music, well, it owes a lot to Pink Floyd, but that doesn't make it less authentic. To be original, musicians don't have to shed their influences or pretend they don't have any (which is impossible, since we always stand on the shoulders of others). Originality is how you use influences and your own experiences/tastes/leanings to express what you feel is best to convey the music and the lyrical content it carries. And, on that account, CBP deliver their own.

"We Forgotten Who We Are" (10:47) dwells on the fact that men don't seem to learn much from history : "As men make their own history, still they know we are chained / and bound by all the past traditions of dead generations [?] 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it', / to quote George Santayana". The song opens with Daisy Chapman's piano taking the lead. It's a light melody, with a touch of melancholy or sadness that becomes heavier when the rythm section and voice join in. As it happens elsewhere on the album, CBP use the music as a counterpoint or contrast to the lyrics. At mid-point, Danny Ashberry's Hammond and synth move along with the piano to push the melody on a grander or more ominous trajectory, opening on a vista that suggests that things have yet to be resolved. The end sees the piano tiptoeing again, but in a more reflective way than before, and then the guitar wails in, as if asking desperately for a resolution of the matter? but that one is still out of reach.

"Fantastic Justice" (7:54) is a bitter commentary on truth, betrayal and death. There is almost no gap between the previous song and "Fantastic Justice" and, since the opening piano part is quite similar to that of "We Forgotten Who We Are", the first impression is that we have a twofold song rather than two different tracks. Again, there's a Pink Floyd atmosphere, but this time, with the insisting piano ritornello and bluesing/rocking guitar in the back, it gets heavier, but then the piano and martial drumming tamper things down, until the song soars again. When female and male voices mix in, there is a feeling which evokes present day Mostly Autumn. The finale, sustained by the piano ritornello, is both grand, a bit more upbeat and anthemic.

"Bastogne Blues" (12:01) is about the siege of the Belgian city in December 1944 during the Battle of The Bulge. On the 15th, the German army started its multi-pronged push and US troops (outnumbered 5 to 1) had to retreat around Bastogne, only to be relieved on the 27 th, when elements from George Patton's Third Army finally broke the encirclement. The lyrics tell parts of the story, as seen from a soldier on the frontline ; it's both an ode to courage and a denunciation of horrors committed (among which the slaughter of 84 unarmed American prisoners of war by the Waffen-SS at Malmedy on the 17 th). It could've been a sad and doom/gloom piece, but it is instead arguably the most beautiful song on the album. It's a simple, romantic and Country-tinged ballad, acting as a brilliant counterpoint to the lyrics. Its main melody becomes both grand and cinematic in the finale when it soars and seem to encompass the whole battlefield area. As if the sky was clearing at last after days of harrowing bad weather and even worse pummeling by the enemy. As if we were now in the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft (just like the one pictured on the CD itself) and able to see the German army retreat and envision its eventual defeat in the months to come. As a footnote intended for those who are familiar with the folk rock scene in Québec in the '70s, I would point out that the main melody in "Bastogne Blues" is quite reminiscent of the 1974 major hit, "La Complainte Du Phoque En Alaska" by Beau Dommage.

"Of A Lifetime" (6:45) The song is a cover of the hit from Journey's eponym and prog album of 1975. Since I didn't know the song previously, I cannot compare it to the original. It's the most psychedelic track on the album, alternating soft rock female singing with bursts of fiery guitar à la West Coast. Whatever its purpose on the album, its a magnificent track : fully Prog, yet rocking full tilt !

"Burning Bridges" (2:31) was written by Lalo Schifrin and Mike Curb, and released on the album of the same title by The Mike Curb Congregation in 1971 ; prior to that, it was used as the theme for the 1970 WW II comedy movie (at the height of the Vietnam War, such a movie shows how much Hollywood can take things seriously when need be?), "Kelly's Heroes", starring C. Eastwood and D. Sutherland, among others. At first, the song seems to be totally out of place according to some reviewers. In fact, it does fit in perfectly, as it evokes Victory Songs that were sung in pubs and taverns in the UK, Canada and Australia, when people back home heard news about Allied victories and, eventually, the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945. Or some others view it as if a former soldier was reminiscing about the (allegedly) good old days of the war and, thus, ironically looping the loop with the message within "We Forgotten Who We Are".

So, is it Post Rock, or Psychedelic/Space Rock ? I guess it's both, but I wouldn't argue about the matter so much because I don't care much for labels : I listen to music because I like it, not because it allegedly belongs to this or that sub-genre. That said, my feeling is that CBP are not so easily pigeonholed under any too definite label. They wear their Pink Floyd influences on their sleeves, but they also show a taste for folk. They can be quite electric, all the while sharing the stage with cello, viola, violin, mandolin and trombone. But it's not so much a matter of mixing instruments from different eras, but what CBP do with them : it's versatile and grand, melodic and spacey with lyrics that make sense. In my book, that's more than enough to thank them warmly for what they did in "I, Vigilante".

4 red poppies

 White Light Generator by CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album cover Studio Album, 2014
3.78 | 111 ratings

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White Light Generator
Crippled Black Phoenix Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by The Jester

3 stars Review #11 Speaking for myself, every new release from CBP is something pleasant, because I never know what to expect from them. Their previous album 'No Sadness or Farewell' was maybe their weakest one, and I wasn't sure what to expect next. But this new album made me re-gain my faith in the band.

Let's take it from the start: 'White Light Generator' contains 11 songs, and has a total running time of almost 70 minutes. The opening track is a Ricky Nelson's cover version (Sweeter than You), which I still wonder why it was included in the album. It's a sweet and mellow ballad, but has nothing to do with the rest of the album. (That's not the first time CBP are doing that. Also in 'I Vigilante' I was wondering for the same reasons about the album's last song). Next, comes one of the strongest moments of the album, the song 'No!' (Part.1&2), and the things are suddenly serious, bringing to our memory some of the band's older wonderful moments. And right at the moment when your expectations grow, the next 3 songs mildly let you down because they dont have anything interesting to offer (Without being bad songs though). And then we reach 'Northern Comfort'. (Track No.6). From the first notes you realise that here we have something really good! This song is a really great composition from the start till the end. Especially the last part after the 4th minute with the female backing vocals is an apocalypse! It was not by accident the band's choice to make this song the album's first video-clip. 'Northern Comfort' is followed by 'Wake me up when it's time to sleep', and the rhythm is slowing down a lot. But further than that, the song has a very beautiful melody, and for me it's one of the best songs here. But after this song there is again a 2-song- "gap" before we reach 'We Remember You' which is the 3rd very strong composition in this album. It's a rather melancholic tune, with a glorious and unexpected finale. As for the last song 'A Brighter Tomorrow', I don't think I would have a problem if it wasn't included here. And to be honest, I would like more 'We Remember You' as the album's closing song.

So, in a nutshell 'White Light Generator' is a very 'decent' album, which includes some really remarkable moments. I think if it was a bit smaller in lenght it would have been better though. Totally recommended to the fans of Crippled Black Phoenix (but not only those). 3.0 stars

Thanks to damoxt7942 for the artist addition. and to NotAProghead for the last updates

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