Review: Crippled Black Phoenix (By Matt Bladen)

Crippled Black Phoenix - The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature/ Horrific Honorifics Number Two 2 (Season Of Mist)

Somehow it seems apt that when I sat down to write this review the results of the American Election were all but confirmed, it seems the old adage and the title of the first of these two special albums from Crippled Black Phoenix still rings true after all these years. With what could be a very scary time for anyone different from the 'norm' globally, bands like CBP are needed, they are vital.

For Twenty years Justin Greaves has sought to give a voice to the voiceless, try to incite change, for the benefit of the world, for the benefit of those on the fringes, for anyone who is against the mistreatment of animals for anyone who will be even more marginalised, maybe even criminalised by people like D*nald FUCKING Tr*mp.

20 years is a milestone that deserves recognition and so often CBP, avoid these things due to their constant need to keep their fandom guessing, but it seems nostalgia has hit hard and they are commemorating two decades with a double album release. It feels like a celebration, well if not a celebration then at least an acknowledgement that they are still alive and still fighting.

It's the early part of their career that CBP focus on with The Wolf... Greaves compiling 8 songs from across earlier days of the band those Pink Floyd influences that were so clear back then still here on tracks such as We Forgotten Who We Are, one of the finest songs in their repertoire and very clearly on Songs For The Unloved where it all goes very Run Like Hell.

There's also that anti-establishment streak on 444 a song that features another continual element of the early days, counterculture masterpiece Kelly's Heroes. For anyone that perhaps found the band on Bronze and the albums after that, these are the songs that built CBP, reimagined and reanimated here as a visceral, volumous delight.

Alongside Greaves is long time singer Belinda Kordic, piano/synth/trumpet player Helen Stanley, guitarist Andy Taylor and bassist Matt Crawford, continuing their membership from the last record but such is the collaborative nature of CBP there's a host of old friends and new that join. Most notably Kostas Panagiotou of Pantheïst contributes piano/Hammond/accordion, having featured on multiple CBP albums and vocally Belinda has company from Ryan Patterson (Fotocrime/Coliseum and Justin Storms (Wailin Storms).

The second half of this anniversary release is the follow up to their covers record Horrific Honorifics, a band who have notably been very picky with their covers, taking a crack at artists that have inspired them rather than ones that suit their musical style. The linking factor between Volume 1 and Volume 2 is The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, on HH1 it was Faith Healer, while here it's Hammer Song, a song transformed into a snarling heavy rocker.

Outside of that it's another selection of bands that share an ethos with CBP. Opening with New Model Army's raging Vengeance, we're swept along with the call to arms before Laura Branigan's Self Control adds mysticism with what will be the touring line up of CBP showing their cohesion as punk pioneers Fugazi's Blueprint keeps the pace alive, similarly the choice of My Pal by Aussie punks God is inspired. Deep Purple's When A Blind Man Cries is shortened and made more ethereal and breathy by Belinda's vocals while Kostas gets to be Jon Lord for a bit.

Horrific Honorifics Volume Two, is another selection of post punk, punk rock, alternative and left field music that inspired Greaves and co. Although it also features a huge piece of Dinosaur rock. Paired with the re-recorded retrospectives of The Wolf... you couldn't really have asked for a better way to truly celebrate the uniqueness, talent and tenacity of this band. 9/10