Review: Crippled Black Phoenix ‘The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature’ + ‘Horrific Honorifics Number Two(2)’
In the twenty years since former Iron Monkey drummer Justin Greaves founded the dark rock band Crippled Black Phoenix, encouraged by bassist Dominic Aitchison (Mogwai), the multi-instrumentalist has honed their output of ‘endtime ballads’ using a host of members and collaborators to create and blend styles that have constantly evolved his musical vision and led to them straddle multiple genres including progressive rock, dark folk and psychedelia.
Greaves has looked to consolidate his work with CBP for the past decade. Following the departure of Daniel Änghede (vocals/guitar) after four albums in 2019, this signalled the start of a new phase of the ever-fluid nature of the band that gave a more prominent role to Belinda Kordic (vocals/percussion) with 2020’s Ellengæst and in 2022 they released the highly regarded Banefyre album.
To mark the band’s twentieth anniversary, the double album The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature and Horrific Honorifics Number Two(2) have been released.
The former, which features a list of old friends and new allies that would eat a considerable portion of my word count, revisits and reworks some of the band’s more iconic recordings, re-imagining the previous dark anthems to inject them with new life and renewed emotion.
The latter calls back to their 2017 Season Of Mist special release where Greaves paid unashamed tribute to songs that influenced his life and tackles another eight tracks that include artists such as New Model Army, Alex Harvey, Fugazi and Deep Purple.
The Wolf… begins with the ominous sounds of We Forgotten Who We Are (from 2010’s I, Vigilante), wolves howl, a sinister laugh and talk of devil dogs herald the start of the almost medieval chord progressions and light piano. Backdropped against the swirling build, the instrumentation rises in its assuredness to break out into a glorious stabbing, triumphant piece of grandiosity. As the overlapping multi-voiced choir chants over the classical folk meets thunderous drums, the drones and stirring warmth of the eleven-minute epic grows, sinking in with each passing turn.
Greaves showcases his defiant artistry that has made his work with Crippled Black Phoenix so fascinating for two decades…
Abruptly changing to the woozy, delirious accordion and slide whistle intro of You Put The Devil In Me gives way to a stomping rhythm and scything guitar with delicious lead work. Kordic’s vocals are sublime and imbued with sass and the self-assuredness of a country singer as they evoke classic rock and defiance in a prime Nashville-style standard. The vocal duets and rich guitars glide on top of the crunching low end, showing that CBP can soar with the best of them when they let themselves off the leash.
After more carnival sounds and samples, the stomping pace continues following a decidedly metal-flavoured introduction on 444. The multi-layered, clapping percussion sees the band flex their muscles in what sounds like the soundtrack for marching to war. Over the choral swell, the male and female vocals mix, some low and others juxtaposed operatically above the cavernous sounds as the band gets heavier and grittier, reminding people that they can also rock hard.
Goodnight Europe (Pt2) is a moody, down-paced, creeping mixture of childlike vocals over rich bass and piano. The melodies drift over the murder ballad feel of the track and is densely atmospheric which dovetails into the ambient drift of 05 (-). The ethereal, floating sounds come and go like the soundtrack to an underwater documentary covering the undiscovered depths, simultaneously giving the track a sci-fi feel and a strange, ancient menace.
The croaking, slow acoustic strains of Song For The Unloved with its country/folk vocal duet is a tender and emotionally raw piece of striking resonance. As the track washes over you like a sigh, the effects add a mournful feel to the organic beauty, leading to the powerful mantra of ‘we won’t forget’ that signals the end of the first half. After the breakdown in the middle gives way to a slow burn into a harder sound, the tribal pounding drums hypnotic in their tattoo, before they once again bring a lurching rock number with saxophone and jazz-like intonations.
The jangling, atmospheric guitar of Whissendine sets the table for the breathy, low vocals of Kordic, before the light and airy track expands with warmth as the drums and bass join to create a glorious, swaying anthem. Perfectly poised and balanced between the quiet moments and the triumphant high points, Greaves showcases his defiant artistry that has made his work with Crippled Black Phoenix so fascinating for two decades.
Closing the first disc with Blizzard Of Horned Cats, the intricate piano work of Kostas Panagiotou gives way to the smash of the drums and meandering lead work in a stirring, practically instrumental piece that rages with passion and finishes off this unique chance to hear some of these classic tunes re-invigorated and refreshed for a new era.
Horrific Honorifics Number Two(2) wastes little time in paying its dark homage to the variety of musical legends covered. Igniting with grimy guitar slides, the barrel into the classic New Model Army track Vengeance. The pulsing drums and fuzzy feedback of the punky, urgent rush of the verses set up the snarling ‘I believe in justice’ chorus. The smokey, low vocals cut through the tension of the verses before the chorus detonates with the sing-along hooks.
Laura Braningan’s Self Control gets the dense ballad treatment as the band gives the multi-platinum smash a dark gothic slant to the instantly recognisable hit. Kordic is sensuous and stirring as she emotes over the expertly executed instrumentation with the insistent ‘Oh-oh-oh’ backing.
Blueprint, originally by Fugazi, starts with another gorgeous piano introduction before morphing into the powerful, driving ‘I’m not playing with you’ earworm. The chugging, moody creep of the pace pulls back, seeming like that next-level smash won’t happen before delivering it in spades. It is definitely one of the highlights of the compilation.
The downbeat cover of NoMeansNo’s And That’s Sad drips with atmosphere before the lurching, erratic dynamics take over, and the track becomes a collision of punk infusion, angular noise-rock tempo changes that never rest. Possibly the most difficult track to settle into, the musicianship is complex and erratic as they switch effortlessly between styles.
The sultry strumming of Hammer Song from The Sensational Alex Harvey Band feels like a mid-western country anthem. The layered female vocals make this a striking, head-nodding workout that is as stirring as it is memorable. The darkness of the lyrics clashes with the backing sounds as they craft expectations for the towering finish.
CBP have set themselves up for a new phase of evolution whilst acknowledging where they came from. Highly recommended…
Deep Purple’s When A Blind Man Cries is another smokey, slow piece that takes the drifting pace and sultry vocals and fills them with lashings of background subtleties to create an organ-flavoured piece of retro rock. This otherworldly ballad leans on the muscular side for the big moments but always retains that raw feel as the band pours all their collective emotions into the piece which might be my favourite part of disc two.
My Pal, originally by the Australian punk band God, is a driving piece of sublime alternative rock. Hard-hitting and up-tempo, the guitars ring out clearly with their nagging and catchy runs as the drums slam and you lose yourself in the bullish self-belief that it conjures. With vocals trading back and forth between steadfast delivery and rasping screams, the band throw themselves fully into the powerful delivery.
Final number Goin’ Against Your Mind from Idaho Indie rockers Built To Spill is bright with over crisp drums and a winding lead that sails across the overlapping riffs and effervescent melodies that makes the original so memorable and highly acclaimed. Capturing the near nine-minute twists and turns full of spacious chords and rocking breakdowns highlights the cohesiveness of CBP as the collective delivers the intertwining style of the one-of-a-kind track and celebrates the vivaciousness of Greaves and Co in 2024, making it the perfect close for this double album.
This latest release looks to put an exclamation mark on two decades of creating some of the most vibrant and interesting work being done by any act in that time. As the ever-shifting line-ups have evolved, so has the desire to create music that has challenged the norm and never settled into a rut.
Crippled Black Phoenix are an act that gets spoken of in hushed terms, like some inside secret at times, and with this dissection of their own catalogue and the works of those who influenced them, they have laid down a marker of intent. Not content to rest on their laurels, CBP have set themselves up for a new phase of evolution whilst acknowledging where they came from. Highly recommended.
Label: Season Of Mist
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Mark Hunt-Bryden
