Progressive rock collective CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX will be releasing a brand-new album, “Banefyre,” on September 9 via Season of Mist. The album artwork, track-list, 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 watched below
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.
“Banefyre” 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.
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.”
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
