The veil is thin and progressive rock collective CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX have a treat for you today! The band is now sharing the haunting new music video for the song “Bonefire,” which is taken from the band’s brand new album, ‘Banefyre,’ out now! The video, which was directed by Guilherme Henriques, can be found at THIS LOCATION.
The band comments, “We gift to you a musical curse on the miserable ruling class politicians! Again, working with Guilherme was a total pleasure and a complete win. He got the vibe and the intensity spot on. Plus, he raised the bar a whole lot with production value, so what we have is basically a little cult horror film, telling the story of Bonefire. The ruling class getting some just karma in the flames.“
‘Banefyre’ is out NOW and can be streamed, ordered, and downloaded HERE.
Track-list 1. Intro/Incantation For The Different (2:49) 2. Wyches And Basterdz (4:57) 3. Ghostland (5:43) 4. The Reckoning (6:49) 5. Bonefire (4:36) [WATCH] 6. Rose Of Jericho (13:47) 7. Blackout77 (7:37) [WATCH] 8. Down The Rabbit Hole (10:32) 9. Everything Is Beautiful But Us (4:36) [WATCH] 10. The Pilgrim (6:19) 11. I’m OK, Just Not Alright (10:05) 12. The Scene Is A False Prophet (15:13) 13. No Regrets (4:30)
Original paintings created for this album by Lucy Marshall
Line-up Justin Greaves : Guitars, Drums, Bass, Samples, Saw Belinda Kordic : Vocals, Percussions Helen Stanley : Grand Piano, Synthesisers, Monochord, Trumpet Andy Taylor : Guitar, Baritone Guitar, 12 String Guitar Joel Segerstedt: Vocals, Guitar
Recording: Recorded at Chapel Studio, Lincolnshire, November 2020 & April 2021. Engineered by Pieter Rietkerk Additional vocal sessions recorded at: Kapsylen Studio, Stockholm – Engineered by Jörgen Jugglo Wall. Monolith Studio – Engineered by Tomas Asklund Churchstreet Studio, Bergen – Engineered by Rene Misje Mixed live by Kurt Ballou at God City Studio Mastered by Magnus Lindberg Produced by Justin Greaves
Artwork: Original paintings created for this album by Lucy Marshall Layout master: Benedikt Demmer
Progressive rock collective CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX will be releasing a brand new album, ‘Banefyre,’ THIS Friday, September 9 via Season of Mist! The band is now streaming the effort in its entirety ahead of its release! Listen at THIS LOCATION.
The band comments on the stream: “Finally after two years of weirdness, we get to unleash our own kind of weirdness on the world. There’s some very dark Magik going on here with ‘Banefyre.’ Things are going to start changing, in ways that people will never know. Strap in and treat this like a film. Start at the beginning and get lost in it until the end. Maximum volume yields maximum results.”
Pre-orders for ‘Banefyre’ are now live HERE while the album can be pre-saved across digital streaming services HERE.
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX previously announced new European tour dates in support of the new album, together with label mates IMPURE WILHELMINA and MØL. The remaining dates are as follows:
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX – BANEFYRE EUROPE MMXXII Special Guests: MØL, IMPURE WILHELMINA
08.09.22 UK Bristol @ The Fleece 09.09.22 UK Manchester @ Rebellion 10.09.22 UK Glasgow @ Classic Grand
Track-list 1. Intro/Incantation For The Different (2:49) 2. Wyches And Basterdz (4:57) 3. Ghostland (5:43) 4. The Reckoning (6:49) 5. Bonefire (4:36) [LISTEN] 6. Rose Of Jericho (13:47) 7. Blackout77 (7:37) [WATCH] 8. Down The Rabbit Hole (10:32) 9. Everything Is Beautiful But Us (4:36) [WATCH] 10. The Pilgrim (6:19) 11. I’m OK, Just Not Alright (10:05) 12. The Scene Is A False Prophet (15:13) 13. No Regrets (4:30)
Original paintings created for this album by Lucy Marshall
Progressive rock collective CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX will be releasing a brand new album, ‘Banefyre,’ on September 9 via Season of Mist! The band is now sharing the third new single from the offering, “Bonefire,” which can be heard at THIS LOCATION.
Singer/percussionist Belinda Kordic explains,“‘Bonefire’ is targeted at the politicians, who’re some of the wealthiest people around, and also the most un-empathetic sons of bitches towards the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. These people in government have the power to change things around, make a difference, but they choose not to. It’s an ideological choice they make. The bottom line is.. these people just don’t give a hoot about anything but themselves. They are not all bad. But there sure are some rotten eggs. Chuck em on a fire of bones and let them contemplate on their actions for a while.
“Ps! No politicians were hurt during the making of this song.”
Mastermind Justin Greaves adds, “This song makes so much sense to me. When Belinda told me what it’s about and sent me the lyrics, i saw how pissed off she is at the way things are with the ruling class. And so am I. And so are a lot of people. I mean, the song was written two years ago, and it was bad then, but now, especially here in the UK it has reached a new low when it comes to the massive class divide and the utter contempt the dumb government scumbags show to people. The people who are supposed to be taken care of. I personally think we should burn the whole damn political system down. Throw the politicians on the fire and cleanse the energy of the world.”
Pre-orders for ‘Banefyre’ are now live HERE while the album can be pre-saved across digital streaming services HERE.
Track-list 1. Intro/Incantation For The Different (2:49) 2. Wyches And Basterdz (4:57) 3. Ghostland (5:43) 4. The Reckoning (6:49) 5. Bonefire (4:36) [LISTEN] 6. Rose Of Jericho (13:47) 7. Blackout77 (7:37) [WATCH] 8. Down The Rabbit Hole (10:32) 9. Everything Is Beautiful But Us (4:36) [WATCH] 10. The Pilgrim (6:19) 11. I’m OK, Just Not Alright (10:05) 12. The Scene Is A False Prophet (15:13) 13. No Regrets (4:30)
Original paintings created for this album by Lucy Marshall
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX previously announced new European tour dates in support of the new album, together with label mates IMPURE WILHELMINA and MØL. A full list of confirmed shows can be found below.
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX – BANEFYRE EUROPE MMXXII Special Guests: MØL, IMPURE WILHELMINA
25.08.22 Germany Hannover @ Faust 26.08.22 Germany Hamburg @ Bahnhof Pauli 27.08.22 Denmark Copenhagen @ Hotel Cecil 28.08.22 Germany Berlin @ SO36 29.08.22 Germany Leipzig @ Täubchenthal 30.08.22 Germany Munich @ Backstage 31.08.22 Hungary Budapest @ A38 01.09.22 Austria Vienna @ Chelsea 02.09.22 Italy Bologna @ Link 03.09.22 Switzerland Winterthur @ Gaswerk 04.09.22 France Paris @ Backstage 05.09.22 Germany Cologne @ Essigfabrik 06.09.22 Netherlands Zoetermeer @ Boerderij 07.09.22 UK London @ The Dome 08.09.22 UK Bristol @ The Fleece 09.09.22 UK Manchester @ Rebellion 10.09.22 UK Glasgow @ Classic Grand
Progressive rock collective CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX will be releasing a brand new album, ‘Banefyre,’ on September 9 via Season of Mist! The band is now sharing the second new single from the offering, “Everything is Beautiful But Us,” at THIS LOCATION.
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX mastermind Justin Greaves explains, “Although this is not a ‘lock down’ song, Belinda’s lyrics were certainly inspired by the lack of human activity we found when the first lock down began. We were going for walks where I live in the countryside and the silence was amazing, the air seemed more fresh and there was a definite increase of wildlife activity. So it made us both realise more than ever how ugly we are as a race, humans basically ruin everything.
“Musically this is one of my personal faves on the new album, ‘BANEFYRE, The Musical!’ It plays an integral part in the sound journey, it’s simple but powerful. Very CBP.”
Singer/percussionist Belinda Kordic adds, “Justin sent me the demo with the title, I thought the song was beautiful, so I couldn’t just plonk down (write) just anything. It had to be right. The inspiration for the song hit me during the first wave of Covid. When I was over visiting Justin in the UK, and I couldn’t get back home for quite some time due to travel restrictions. So, we were spending a lot of time outside in the countryside and i was amazed at the quick turn nature took for the better, as soon as humans were removed out of the equation.
“The increased symphony of birdsong, bumble bees the size of my fist turning up in the garden, animals coming out of hiding and popping up here, there and everywhere. Nature and its inhabitants were thriving to the very fullest. As they should.
“It was beautiful, but also sad at the same time. knowing that when we get back to ‘normal,’the destruction continues.”
Pre-orders for ‘Banefyre’ are now live HERE while the album can be pre-saved across digital streaming services HERE.
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX previously announced new European tour dates in support of the new album, together with label mates IMPURE WILHELMINA and MØL. A full list of confirmed shows can be found below.
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX – BANEFYRE EUROPE MMXXII Special Guests: MØL, IMPURE WILHELMINA
25.08.22 Germany Hannover @ Faust 26.08.22 Germany Hamburg @ Bahnhof Pauli 27.08.22 Denmark Copenhagen @ Hotel Cecil 28.08.22 Germany Berlin @ SO36 29.08.22 Germany Leipzig @ Täubchenthal 30.08.22 Germany Munich @ Backstage 31.08.22 Hungary Budapest @ A38 01.09.22 Austria Vienna @ Chelsea 02.09.22 Italy Bologna @ Link 03.09.22 Switzerland Winterthur @ Gaswerk 04.09.22 France Paris @ Backstage 05.09.22 Germany Cologne @ Essigfabrik 06.09.22 Netherlands Zoetermeer @ Boerderij 07.09.22 UK London @ The Dome 08.09.22 UK Bristol @ The Fleece 09.09.22 UK Manchester @ Rebellion 10.09.22 UK Glasgow @ Classic Grand
Track-list 1. Intro/Incantation For The Different (2:49) 2. Wyches And Basterdz (4:57) 3. Ghostland (5:43) 4. The Reckoning (6:49) 5. Bonefire (4:36) 6. Rose Of Jericho (13:47) 7. Blackout77 (7:37) [WATCH] 8. Down The Rabbit Hole (10:32) 9. Everything Is Beautiful But Us (4:36) [WATCH] 10. The Pilgrim (6:19) 11. I’m OK, Just Not Alright (10:05) 12. The Scene Is A False Prophet (15:13) 13. No Regrets (4:30)
Progressive rock collective CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX will be releasing a brand new album, ‘Banefyre,’ on September 9 via Season of Mist! The album artwork, tracklist, and additional details can be found below. In conjunction with the announcement, the band is now sharing the first single, “Blackout77,” which is about the infamous New York City blackout during the chaotic summer of 1977. The video, which was created by Guilherme Henriques, can be found along with a music video at THIS LOCATION.
Mastermind Justin Greaves comments on the track:
“A story of when, just for a night, the underclass, the downtrodden, the subjugated and outcast, all exploded in a rage when the power in New York City went down. The tension of years of oppression and abuse was released. For one night the freaks made themselves known and fired arrows to the sky. ‘Blackout 77’ is one part of our ‘Banefyre,’ The Musical Journey. Fitting with the other tales and laments giving light to life’s outcasts, the freaks, the different.
“Who’s laughing now?“
Pre-orders for ‘Banefyre’ are now live HERE while the album can be pre-saved across digital streaming services HERE.
Track-list 1. Intro/Incantation For The Different (2:49) 2. Wyches And Basterdz (4:57) 3. Ghostland (5:43) 4. The Reckoning (6:49) 5. Bonefire (4:36) 6. Rose Of Jericho (13:47) 7. Blackout77 (7:37) [WATCH] 8. Down The Rabbit Hole (10:32) 9. Everything Is Beautiful But Us (4:36) 10. The Pilgrim (6:19) 11. I’m OK, Just Not Alright (10:05) 12. The Scene Is A False Prophet (15:13) 13. No Regrets (4:30)
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX previously announced new European tour dates in support of the new album, together with label mates IMPURE WILHELMINA and MØL. A full list of confirmed shows can be found below.
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX – BANEFYRE EUROPE MMXXII Special Guests: MØL, IMPURE WILHELMINA
25.08.22 Germany Hannover @ Faust 26.08.22 Germany Hamburg @ Bahnhof Pauli 27.08.22 Denmark Copenhagen @ Hotel Cecil 28.08.22 Germany Berlin @ SO36 29.08.22 Germany Leipzig @ Täubchenthal 30.08.22 Germany Munich @ Backstage 31.08.22 Hungary Budapest @ A38 01.09.22 Austria Vienna @ Chelsea 02.09.22 Italy Bologna @ Link 03.09.22 Switzerland Winterthur @ Gaswerk 04.09.22 France Paris @ Backstage 05.09.22 Germany Cologne @ Essigfabrik 06.09.22 Netherlands Zoetermeer @ Boerderij 07.09.22 UK London @ The Dome 08.09.22 UK Bristol @ The Fleece 09.09.22 UK Manchester @ Rebellion 10.09.22 UK Glasgow @ Classic Grand
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX are proud to unveil the new album details of their upcoming release ‘Banefyre’! The new full-length is set for worldwide release on September 09, 2022 via Season of Mist and new music will be released soon!
In further news, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX have simultaneously announced new European tour dates in support of the new album, together with label mates IMPURE WILHELMINA and MØL. A full list of confirmed shows can be found below.
The band comments: “So yeah, this announcement is a pretty special one. The album and the tour! They’re finally happening!
Banefyre, The Musical! CBP is still alive. Still predictably unpredictable, doing our own thing. Accept no imitation. If you find it necessary to indulge yourself with a full dose of “the Musical!”, you’ll find a fantastic dance of triumph and defeat amongst a starlit atmosphere of deviant Magik. A congregation of outland dwelling characters in tales of caution and of hope, a reflection of human nature, ‘This, a journey through OUR world which only we understand but strikes a chord of lightning blue recognition amongst the crowd.
As satisfying as the longest and most perfect shit. To coin a phrase..
The Scene. The Prophet. The Clown. The End. “
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX – BANEFYRE EUROPE MMXXII Special Guests: MØL, IMPURE WILHELMINA
25.08.22 Germany Hannover @ Faust 26.08.22 Germany Hamburg @ Bahnhof Pauli 27.08.22 Denmark Copenhagen @ Hotel Cecil 28.08.22 Germany Berlin @ SO36 29.08.22 Germany Leipzig @ Täubchenthal 30.08.22 Germany Munich @ Backstage 31.08.22 Hungary Budapest @ A38 01.09.22 Austria Vienna @ Chelsea 02.09.22 Italy Bologna @ Link 03.09.22 Switzerland Winterthur @ Gaswerk 04.09.22 France Paris @ Backstage 05.09.22 Germany Cologne @ Essigfabrik 06.09.22 Netherlands Zoetermeer @ Boerderij 07.09.22 UK London @ The Dome 08.09.22 UK Bristol @ The Fleece 09.09.22 UK Manchester @ Rebellion 10.09.22 UK Glasgow @ Classic Grand
The cover artwork of ‘Banefyre’ and further album details can be viewed below!
Track-list 1. Intro/Incantation For The Different (2:49) 2. Wyches And Basterdz (4:57) 3. Ghostland (5:43) 4. The Reckoning (6:49) 5. Bonefire (4:36) 6. Rose Of Jericho (13:47) 7. Blackout77 (7:37) 8. Down The Rabbit Hole (10:32) 9. Everything Is Beautiful But Us (4:36) 10. The Pilgrim (6:19) 11. I’m OK, Just Not Alright (10:05) 12. The Scene Is A False Prophet (15:13) 13. No Regrets (4:30)
The thread that binds CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s bold and towering discography — a dozen studio albums, a half-dozen mini-albums, a handful of compilations and swaths of bootlegs — could not be more apropos circa 2022. Since its 2004 creation by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Justin Greaves, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX has served as the voice for the voiceless, whether it be animals, the unequal and the different. Greaves and longstanding vocalist and lyricist Belinda Kordic have often proffered that these beings cannot fend for themselves. Henceforth, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s mission has been to shed light on the human condition and the inequalities that befall humankind and its creatures. Their battle marches on with their latest studio album, Banefyre.
Banefyre follows 2020’s Ellengæst — an effort that found CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX employ a series of notable guest vocalists alongside Kordic, prompting Metal Hammer to describe it as their “most cohesive and emotionally devastating record.” Kordic is now paired with Swedish vocalist Joel Segerstedt, who made his CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX debut last year via the “Painful Reminder/Dead is Dead” single. Piano, synth and trumpet player Helen Stanley and additional guitarist Andy Taylor complete the lineup. Greaves says Stanley and Taylor “fit so well creatively,” which has made CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX feel like a band when making plans and decisions.
Also central to this is Segerstedt. According to Kordic, the vocalist and lyricist lives a mere five minutes from her in Sweden and has quickly integrated himself into the band. “What I like about Joel is that he’s a good person,” she says. “There’s no fakeness with him; he has cajones. He’s not a bitch-talker, either. I can’t handle people who don’t have a backbone, but Joel is real and can speak his mind.”
“I like how Joel has come in and spoke for himself,” adds Greaves. “He’s in the band for the right reasons. I see him the same way as Belinda — she took an interest in the whole artistic thing behind CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, like the vocals, lyrics, artwork and aesthetic. It’s the same with Joel. He has taken an interest in all of those things. In the past, we had people who didn’t contribute artistically and only cared about what they got out of the band. But Joel is really proactive and takes the initiative.”
Greaves assembled 13 songs (including “No Regrets,” a bonus track for his new project with Kordic, Johnny the Boy) imbued with the depth and introspection that will reinforce CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s standing as a band that defies genre. The album was tracked at Chapel Studios in South Thoresby, Lincolnshire, with vocals cut at Monolith Studio and Kapsylen Studio in Stockholm, Sweden. Kurt Ballou handled mixing in GodCity Studios in Salem, Massachusetts — a pivotal move in determining the album’s overall sound.
“I love the album so much because it was a different approach with the production,” says Greaves. “For my part, it was a little bit of a reaction. I didn’t want to do the same warm, safe CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album. I’m aware that when we did [2012’s] I, Vigilante, everyone wanted I, Vigilante again. As it so often happens with this band, people complain about the next one, then grow into it. Ellengæst is like I, Vigilante. It’s a shorter album. It hit the mark and was done really well, but everyone will expect another Ellengæst. I feared that, but I care enough not to make another Ellengæst. It’s the right thing to do. That’s why we got Kurt to mix it — we wanted that analog, raw power. Even though the album has mellow moments, those are edgy as well. We just didn’t want to do the same album twice. We’re never going to be a band that people can rely on.”
Greaves’ summation of his band notwithstanding, his distinctive guitar playing and enduring knack for immersive songwriting is the propellent behind the haunting, chant-laden “Ghostland,” pensive “The Reckoning” and forlorn “Everything is Beautiful but Us,” the band’s spot-on analysis of the retreat of humankind indoors during the pandemic that revealed nature’s priceless beauty. The album is also stocked with no less than four ten-minute-plus cuts (“Rose of Jericho,” “Down the Rabbit Hole,” “I’m Okay, Just Not Alright” and “The Scene is a False Prophet”) that are intermixed with drama and melancholy.
It all ties into Banefyre’s central theme of the persecution of people who are deemed “different” by society. The album title is a play on the song “Bonefire” that Kordic named and wrote lyrics for. In classic CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX fashion, Greaves turned it into the Olde English translation to represent the bonfires that engulfed witches and politicians through the 15th and 18th centuries, hence, the name Banefyre.
The album begins with “Incantation for the Different,” which was written and orated by Chicago-based witch, artist, author and occultist Shane Bugbee, who, according to Greaves, “brought us some positive, dark energy.” Banefyre then delves into the Salem Witch Trials (“Wyches and Basterdz”), fox hunting in Great Britain (“The Reckoning”), politicians of an unscrupulous and dishonest kind (“Bonefire”) and the New York City Blackout of 1977 (“Blackout77”).
Greaves says Banefyre’s topics may have a decidedly negative and pessimistic tone, but a glimmer of hope and joy remains. “There’s always the random bits, but overall, Banefyre is about the people who have suffered because they are different. The album covers inequality and oppression, like ‘Incantation for the Different,’ which is about overcoming when you’re put down because you’re not like everyone else.”
In true CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX fashion, the Lucy Marshall-created Banefyre cover leaves plenty to the imagination, depicting four animals seated at a table — interacting and dressed like human beings. “It’s sort of like Planet of the Apes showing what animals could do to humans,” says Greaves. “The cover was specially commissioned and is unique to the album. It’s incorporating all the classic CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX elements with the love for animals and twisting the narrative around.”
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s reputation was built on the back of their studio albums and live shows. The pandemic prevented the band from supporting Ellengæst, but it did provide them additional time to bring in new members to their live configuration.
“We’ve done one show since 2019,” says Greaves. “We are going to do something in Europe this year. Hopefully, we can get back on track. We’re also going to do something in the States — that’s not just talk, we’re actually going to do it. It’s well overdue. The live band is fucking amazing. We have the five of us and now we have Jordi [Farré] on drums, Paco [Fleischfresser] on synth and a really good friend of mine, Matt Crawford on bass.
“We did the Leipzig show and even though the rehearsals were better than the show itself, that lineup, our live band, is so good. Because we haven’t been under pressure to put a live band together since 2019 and spent so long talking to people, we’ve got a better band from those results. Out of disaster, we’ve got quite a good, positive thing.”
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