Reviews: Crippled Black Phoenix, The Waymaker, Arcadian Child, Gallows Circus (Matt & Paul H)

Crippled Black Phoenix: Ellengæst (Season Of Mist) [Matt Bladen]

Justin Greaves' Crippled Black Phoenix project has always been a collaborative effort either by accident or by design, over the years they have had almost as many lineup changes as they have stylistic ones. However despite what is thrown at him and CBP the band carries on resolutely forging its own path in a world full of copycats. It's speaks volumes then why their latest effort is a mini-album called Ellengæst which translates to "strong spirit" in Old English as it sees CBP once again having to deal with not just internal strife but also the multitude of issues that arise in the media, politics, life etc seemingly everyday. As tracking was beginning for this album they lost Daniel Änghede as a vocalist leaving just Justin Greaves (guitar/drums/bass/samples/saw), Belinda Kordic (vocals/percussion), Helen Stanley (grand piano/ synthesisers/trumpet) and Andy Taylor (guitar)

As the key members, though again Ben Wilsker (drums) and Rob Al-Issa (bass) are part of the recording process. Whereas other bands would crumble this is par for the course for CBP so Greaves opened his filofax (maybe) and called in some help from various friends and colleagues, to lend their voices to the record. The opening twosome of House Of Fools and Lost sees Belinda and Anathema's Vincent Cavanagh trading lead and backing vocals with Vincent's aching tones leading House Of Fools as Belinda angelically soars behind, things switch on Lost where Belinda takes the lead as Vincent comes in for the anthemic chorus. These two more enveloping numbers are followed by the doom-laden, moodily aggressive In The Night which features guest vocals from Gaahl who askews his normal black metal roaring for a cleaner boom, while The Invisible Past has Tribulation's Jonathan Hultén drawing you in to the albums most heartbreaking, ethereal moment. 

As we progress through the album once again it's incredibly hard to pinpoint any style for too long as Everything I Say is a raw, noisy slice of Pink Floyd on a bad trip with Belinda's vocals echoing through it like a siren calling you to your doom, while Cry Of Love has Ryan Patteson (Coliseum/Fotocrime/ex-Crippled Black Phoenix touring bassist) singing on top of a song that is 'poppy' an open chord rocker with Suzie Stapleton adding vocals, she reappears cranking out some fuzzy guitars on the closing cover of Goth icons Bauhaus' She's In Parties. Ellengæst sees CBP on yet another shift in their line-up but their music endures, never falling (in my opinion) below genius. 9/10

The Waymaker: Kingdom Of Heaven (Black Lodge) [Paul Hutchings]

Polished, bombastic, melodic metal praising the Lord God above. Yep, it’s music to go to Church to in this debut album by The Waymaker. Formed in Summer 2019, the band comprises vocalist Christian Liljegren, guitarist Jani Stefanovic, and singer Katja Stefanovic. Both Liljegren and Stefanovic had been involved in Divinefire, who had established a large following in Japan and South America between 2005-11 whilst Stefanovic has released several solo albums in Finnish and English. Their sound is the type of Scandinavian melodic metal that we’ve come to expect, with the trio sharing vocal duties whilst Stefanovic’s fiery guitar work bursts out with tricks and licks at regular intervals. The band favours the big, semi-Eurovision style with soulful, powerful female vocals. 

At 40 minutes, Kingdom Of Heaven musically isn’t too bad, but the lyrics are fucking atrocious. I hate Christian metal with a passion and despite the anthemic nature of their songs, their praise filled lyrics make this album unpalatable. Songs include The Name Above All Names, one of several reasonable, fist pumping tracks on the album, and there’s an opportunity for a bit of showboating on the instrumental Prophet’s Sign. The choice of Stryper’s Soldiers Under Command confirms any lingering doubts because let’s face it, who the fuck apart from a god squad outfit would cover them? Musically the band are tight, and the production is refined, but I’m afraid the overall hallelujah bullshit leaves me cold. I’m off to buy the new Necrophobic record instead. 5/10

Arcadian Child: Protopsycho (Rebel Waves Records) [Matt Bladen]

Based in Cyprus Arcadian Child are the epitome of psychedelic rock with slow burning, shamanic tracks that bring fuzzy, mind-expanding riffs that from Snakecharm onwards bring a mixture of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern sounds referencing the bands homeland. Like with many bands in the psych sound these tracks have a dreamy, hallucinogenic feel to them, the plodding Sour Grapes especially brings you into a psychotropic state while The Well is a more blissed out number with a percussive beat and jangly opening chords. These songs stand as a basis to the band's philosophy of jamming when playing live, what you have here are the foundations to aural explorations with nods to 13th Floor Elevators, Ozric Tentacles, Hawkwind and Greek band Naxatras. You can hear why the band have achieved critical acclaim and if you need a soundtrack to your next cosmic journey then you can do worse than using Protopsycho as your musical companion. 7/10       

Gallows Circus: EP II (Self Released) [Paul Hutchings]

Another band who are creating a stir on the British Hard Rock circuit, Kent based quartet Gallows Circus’s second EP release is a pleasing five track release that draws deep on a myriad of influences. The band comprises Steve Kitchener – Drums/Ben Attwood – Guitars/Ian Day – Vocals/Richard Tunbridge – Bass and they possess quite a swagger. Anthemic, three and a half minute songs which have catchy grooves and hooks, Gallows Circus draw from the likes of Thin Lizzy, Rival Sons and even the arrogance of Zeppelin. It all adds up to a decent release which is drenched with melody and which should find a niche in the already bustling classic rock market. The litmus test is always whether I’d stop to watch them at a festival and the answer is a most definite yes. If you like the type of new rock that Planet Rock churn out on a weekly basis, Gallows Circus will probably be one to watch. 6/10