ALBUM REVIEW: Banefyre – Crippled Black Phoenix
Serving as the voice for the voiceless, bringing light to the hopeless, the unequal and the different, whether they be animals, humans or things beyond description, there is an eerie emotional comfort that comes with any CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX release. The intricate vocals that sing lavishly melancholic melodies shed light on the complexities of the human condition and the harrowing fate that is to befall humankind, alongside the creatures that share our realm of existence. Following on from the emotionally devastating 2020 album Ellengæst, and with significant contributions from their newest member Joel Segerstedt, Banefyre continues the band’s format of articulating an elaborate series of emotions through eerie and evocative songs.
The most striking aspect of Banefyre is how incredibly imposing and extravagant it is. Vast vocal arrangements and a plethora of strange sounds wrapped around more traditional anthemic riffs seep into every corner of your consciousness. The unusual blend of musical styles works well alongside the macabre tendencies that often amplify with every new evolution of the band. It is hard not to gape open mouthed at the sheer scale and creativity that CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX present to you, whether it be across their illustrious back catalogue or the modern iteration on Banefyre. Plaudits aside, Banefyre is an astute observation of humanity’s flaws; if the surreal album cover isn’t enough to unnerve you the contents of the album will. Whilst on the surface it is an elaborate composition of beautifully crafted shoegaze songs, once you begin to examine the tracks a little more closely you begin to feel the darkness and despair of these end time ballads. In what can only be described as atmospheric despair, the emotional weight of this album resonates with you on a primal, spiritual level, defying any explanation.
In this murky, fever-induced dreamworld that Banefyre summons in your mind, everything is beautifully unclear yet strangely interlinked. Utilising the methods of emotional connectivity that the band established on Ellengæst, whilst increasing the uncomfortable eeriness, there is a series of intertwined narratives being told here that is irresistibly ambiguous and delightfully enigmatic which only adds to the mystical allure of the album. Justin Greaves’ knack for immersive songwriting, deft arrangements and unique guitar playing once again paints outsider art in the mind. Abstract and surreal, there are cacophonous moments of intense theatrics contrasted by sombre melancholic moments that cause you to be swept up in swathes of ardour. The band have not played it safe on Banefyre, whilst it is unmistakably a CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album, it is also cinematic in its approach, as if it has been composed to evocative scenes recorded on 35mm film. Throughout many of the songs is an underlying presence that keeps you on edge for the album’s duration, which becomes known when the band utilise ominous drones to connect parts of the songs. This uneasiness causes an adrenaline-induced need to know what is next and this is in full force during the 15-minute magnum opus The Scene Is A False Prophet.
With a vast array of layers, textures, sounds and melodies, Banefyre’s size, in many ways, is hard to fully comprehend in one review. Walking through some of the more notable tracks of the album, introduced via the ominous and spine tingling Incantation For The Different, Wyches And Basterdz is a portentous track that starts your journey through the record with a very catchy choral melody. Ghostland, sung in Swedish, is a dark, brooding track packed full of apocalyptic chanting that sounds like the beginning of the end as the gates of hell open up through glowing cracks in the earth. Rose Of Jericho is a sombre track of soaring choral melodies, swirling riffs and jangling tremolo melodies – a triumphant moment of eccentricity at the heart of the album. Blackout77 is a venture into the sights and sound of post-apocalyptic sci-fi, an intense narrative with vivid descriptions of doom and decay soundtracked by unnerving sounds and mighty doom riffs. The Pilgrim is a contrastingly dreamy track, almost psychedelic in nature as guitar leads swirl around each ear with Greaves dispatching messages of loneliness. I’m OK, Just Not Alright is easily the most unnerving track on the album as you hear someone’s cries to the back drop of equally distressing music. It leads into The Scene Is A False Prophet, which is filled with heavy drones of a daunting nature.
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX have created an album that pushes the limits of your senses as you plunge yourself deep into a dark and murky apocalypse. Banefyre is a true masterpiece of artistic composition, deeply evocative and emotive, which to quote the Cheshire Cat, leaves you asking “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”.
Rating: 9/10
Banefyre is set for release on September 9th via Season Of Mist.
Like CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX on Facebook.