LIVE REVIEW: Crippled Black Phoenix @ The Fleece, Bristol
The atmosphere outside The Fleece is strange, a mix of those who know and those who don’t quite yet. Half an hour before doors open, the news millions have been expecting all day is confirmed; the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Nevertheless, the show must go on, as they say – there won’t be any cancellations, not when this is a tour featuring CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, MØL and IMPURE WILHELMINA, nearing its conclusion, with just a couple of dates left after this one in Bristol.
Swiss rockers IMPURE WILHELMINA are first up tonight, a well-blended cocktail of desert, doom, prog, sludge and stoner to get things going. Although not the sort of band to throw shapes to, by and large this isn’t the sort of audience who would react in such a way at all; the appreciation of the music itself is key; thus, the band have no need for stage patter or interaction as they let their songs do the talking for them. Said songs speak loud – the likes of BARONESS, KYUSS and MASTODON are present and whilst the vocals of Michael Schindl could be a little higher in the mix, the intricacies and textures of tracks like The Enemy and Great Falls Beyond Death are enough to warrant more than one listen to the quartet once things are over; a strong start.
Rating: 7/10
“Hello Bristol, it hasn’t been too long!” jokes MØL frontman Kim Song Sternkopf. It’s a little under three weeks since the Danes have been in this neck of the woods, whereby they obliterated the main tent at ArcTanGent with considerable aplomb. Such is their drawing power, many of the punters tonight are here just to see them, but their wonderful blend of black metal and shoegaze is clipped slightly by the simple fact that it’s not quite loud enough. Of course, this sort of music doesn’t have to always be at ear-splitting levels, but a touch more would have given the songs a greater impact, especially during the more extreme moments. Absolutely full marks to the band though, particularly Sternkopf who is a true focal point, standing on the speakers and then moving his way through the crowd, screaming the lyrics in their faces. By the time they’ve finished five tracks from last year’s Diorama album and moved onto their 2018 debut Jord, they have everyone right where they want them; the title track and Bruma finish off what has evolved into an excellent set. They’ve come a long way since playing back-to-back shows in a 40 capacity basement just up the road, that’s for sure.
Rating: 8/10
By the time CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX appear, they’re less than three hours away from the release of their brand new, twelfth studio album Banefyre and the opening strains of Incantation For The Different – the opening track to said record – gets people immediately focused. Shrouded in dry ice for the entirety of the set, it invokes an air of mystery about the band, a septet of silhouettes who take their ninety minutes of stage time and deliver a captivating performance of post and prog metal in front of an entranced audience, boosting a light show that, for a venue of this stature, is nothing short of mind-blowing. The new songs played stand up brilliantly, particularly Blackout77 which is an absolute joy to behold and shows that, eighteen years down the line, main man Justin Greaves is still capable of producing utter magic; alongside tracks such as Rise Up and Fight and You Take The Devil Out Of Me, it’s as if they’ve been around for years. The crowd noticeably thins as the show goes on for whatever reasons are required, but those who stay to the end are rewarded with Burnt Reynolds as an encore, a nice way to cap off what has been a thoroughly enjoyable night. It’s a step out into the wet and windy afterwards, but the warmth from CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX will remain for a long time to come.
Rating: 8/10
Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Bristol from Cariad Myer Photography here:
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