Crippled Black Phoenix
Crippled Black Phoenix are an English dark rock band, founded by Justin Greaves in 2004. They have released 13 main studio efforts, various EPs and special albums and toured internationally. Besides Greaves, several musicians have contributed to Crippled Black Phoenix's discography and played with them during their live shows.
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, 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 of "Big Loader," a song on the debut album Iron Monkey. 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.Greaves and the band write what they call "endtime ballads" 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. 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. Crippled Black Phoenix have made live shows a focus and have performed onstage - usually in a formation from 6 to even 9 members - also in peculiar venues, using folk and Victorian-era instruments in tandem with their rock elements.
The innate, ever ongoing evolution of Crippled Black Phoenix has reflected on multiple turnovers in his line-ups, both studio and live. 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 and guitarist Karl Demata, 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. He later announced a project, a sort of CBP spin-off, with other former bandmates.
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. A brand new album, Ellengæst was released October 2020, featuring several guest vocalists. Metal Hammer named it as the 43rd best metal album of 2020. 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. In April 2022, Crippled Black Phoenix announced a new full length album, Banefyre, and their first European Tour after the Covid-19 pandemic. With Segerstedt soon gone, 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, which contained new versions of old material and covers that inspired the collective through the years. Male vocalist/guitarist is found in Justin Storms.
End January, 2026 Crippled Black Phoenix launches "Ravenettes", first single of new album Sceaduhelm, due later in the year.
Band
Current members
- Justin Greaves - electric and acoustic guitars, bass, drums, saw, keyboards, banjo, effects, samples, backing vocals
- Belinda Kordic - vocals, percussions
- Justin Storms - vocals, guitar
- René Misje - guitar
- Lucy Marshall - keyboards, piano, synth, backing vocals, artwork
- Wesley J Wasley - bass
- Jordi Farré - drums
Former members
- Dominic Aitchison - bass, effects
- Kostas Panagiotou - piano, keys, mellotron, harmonium, accordion, backing vocals
- Joe Volk - vocals, acoustic guitar
- Charlotte "Chipper" Nicholls - cello, vocals
- Nial McGaughey - guitars
- Matt "Team Brick" Williams - synth, hammond, effects, accordion, clarenet, backing vocals
- Mark Ophidian - synth, vocoder, mellotron
- Danny Ashberry - synths, keyboards, hammond
- Merijn Royaards - drums
- Karl Demata - guitars, vocals
- Christian Heilmann - bass
- Daisy Chapman - piano, keyboards, vocals, backing vocals
- Miriam Wolf - piano, keyboards, vocals, backing vocals
- Matt Simpkin - vocals
- John E Vistic - vocals, trumpet
- Mark Furnevall - synth, keyboards, organ, mellotron, bass, backing vocals
- Daniel Änghede - vocals, guitars
- Niall Hone - bass
- Jonas Stålhammar - guitars
- Tom Greenway - bass
- Ben Wilsker - drums
- Helen Stanley - piano, keyboards, synth, trumpet, vocals, backing vocals
- Andy Taylor - guitars
- Joel Segerstedt - vocals, guitars
- Georg Paco Nitschke - synth, keyboards, saxophone, backing vocals, vocoder
- Matt Crawford - bass
Collaborators, guests and live musicians
- Geoff Barrow - producer, drums
- Andy Semmens - vocals
- Thomas Elgie - drums
- George Elgie - guitars, backing vocals
- Jack Rampling - violin
- Baz Barrett - bass
- Chrissie Caulfield - violin, harp, fog horn
- Stu Matthews - percussions
- Dave Greaves - guitars
- Charlie Romijn - bass, guitars, backing vocals
- Joe Allen - synth, bass
- Michael L.B. West - keyboards
- David Eugene Edwards - vocals
- Robert Holm - trumpet, brass
- Cypress Grove - vocals
- Bertrand Cantat - vocals
- Mark Lanegan - vocals
- Suzie Stapleton - vocals, guitar
- Mick Cozens - guitars, keyboards
- Max Milton - trumpet, violin, viola
- Guy Metcalfe - drums
- Jon Attwood - guitars
- Paul Harris - trumpet
- Paul Eros - horn
- Sally Wragg - violin, viola
- Paul Booker - double bass
- Martin Collins - drums
- Andy Solomon - keyboards, backing vocals
- Arthur Young - keyboards, bass
- Georgi Malchev - guitar
- David John Norman - polistrumentist, backing vocals
- Suzi Gage - flute
- Liz Purnell - trombone
- Emma Hooper - viola
- Sue Lord - violin
- Robert Potter - mandola
- Martin Horsefall - trumpet, brass
- Eric Mansfield - vocals
- Ewan Davies - metal pipe, drone
- Pete Wassif - guitars
- David Mako - vocals
- Arvid Jonsson - vocals
- Nikita Kamprad - guitars
- Gaspar Binder - drums
- Ryan Patterson - bass, vocals
- Rob Al-Issa - bass
- Vincent Cavanagh - vocals
- Gaahl - vocals
- Jonathan Hultén - vocals
- Jörgen "Juggo" Wall - vibraphone, drums
- Martin Hyde - percussions
- Robin Tow - percussions
- Iver Sandøy - percussions
- Timo Kosi - drums
Discography
Studio albums
A Love of Shared Disasters- The Resurrectionists Night Raider I, Vigilante
- The Crafty Ape
- No Sadness or Farewell
- White Light Generator New Dark Age
- Bronze
- Great Escape
- Ellengæst
- Banefyre
- ''Sceaduhelm''
Singles, Mini and Special albums
Sharks & Storms / Blizzard Of Horned Cats Childhood's End Oh'Ech-oes Horrific Honorifics Budapest Vigilante Sessions Painful Reminder/Dead is Dead Beautiful Destroyer- ''The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature + Horrific Honorifics Number Two ''
Compilations
- 200 Tons of Bad Luck
- Extra Tracks An Original Album Collection Man Confused, Vol. I-II: Various Demo Action 2004-2011, 2011-2018 AD Various Types Of Dread
- ''Champions Of Disturbance - A rough guide to CBP''
Live albums
- Poznan 2011 A.D., re-released as Live Poznan
- Live in Bern 2012 A.D., re-released as We Shall See Victory
- ''Destroy Freak Valley''
Official bootlegs
- Live at Burg Herzberg Festival, 2011 A.D.
- In a Cave Demons in Aschaffenburg 2019 A.D. Astorias Vigilantes - Live At Stone Fest 2018 A.D. Born For Nothing/Paranoid Arm Of Narcoleptic Empire, Live In Switzerland 2009 A.D.Long Live Independence, Live On Rockpalast 2012 A.D. Perfect Concert For Total Pleasure, Live Budapest 2018 A.D. A New Dark Age, Live in Slowakia 2015 A.D. Wytches & Basterdz, Live at Lottfest 2017 A.D. Dancing Gummy Bears, Live in Warsaw 2012 A.D. Half Alive, Live in Germany 2010 A.D. Frankfurtenstein 2010 A.D. Le Grand Mix, Paris 2007 A.D. The Heart Of Belgrade, KC Grad. Live in Serbia 2012 A.D. Bavarian Blues - Nürnberg 2016 A.D. Totally Eclipsed in 2010 A.D. Poznan & Herzberg Live 2011 A.D. Three Wyches And A Dog. Live At Vera, Groningen, 2012 A.D. Roadburn 2017 A.D. Roadburn 2019 A.D. Roadburn - Live Echoes
- ''Nihtgield - Live Document 2022 A.D. ''
Official videoclips and Promo Videos
Laying Traps Northern Comfort Scared And Alone Great Escape Pt.1 Cry Of Love Lost Painful Reminder Blackout77 Everything Is Beautiful But Us Bonefire Goodnight, Europe Self Control 444 Blueprint- ''Ravenettes''
Live videos
- ''Live At Rockpalast, Crossroads Festival''
Alternative album versions
I, Vigilante - Instrumental- ''A Love Of Instrumental Disasters''
Other appearances
We Are Only Riders - The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project Axels and Sockets - The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project- ''Mojo Presents - The Wall Re-Built!''
Soundtracks
Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD- ''The Devil's Business''