This is the thirteenth album from progressive/post-rock band Crippled Black Phoenix.
Crippled Black Phoenix’s latest record is the 66-minute Sceaduhelm. Ranging from accessible chorus-driven delights to delicate atmospheric grace, and much around these, Sceaduhelm is as absorbing as it is high quality.
Scaeduhelm is a vast, multifaceted record, full of different sights, sounds, and ideas. It takes in a wide variety of genres and influences; although you can call it progressive or post-rock, these don’t 100% do justice to the Crippled Black Phoenix sound. Suffice to say, there’s a lot going on, and the vast majority of it is very engaging indeed.
As well as the standard instruments you’d expect, you’ll find mellotron, organ, piano, synths, and more. The vocals are shared across three people, each with their own strengths. Everything is well-performed, and the songwriting is laced with feeling. As an extremely rough and inadequate starting point, if you think of a mix of acts such as AA Williams, Beseech, Dawnwalker, Soul Savers, and We Lost the Sea, you’ll at least have a loose starting point for Sceaduhelm.
The record is well-crafted, and focuses on creating music that balances atmosphere and hooks. Different songs emphasise different parts of this ratio, manifesting as everything from mood-focused post-rock to hard rocking chorus-based singalongs. It leans towards the former maybe slightly more than the latter, but some songs strike a good middle ground – Things Start Falling Apart exemplifies this.
Melancholic and dark, Sceaduhelm offers a compelling journey into Crippled Black Phoenix’s inner world. It’s rich in emotion and musically detailed. The music is akin to a finely wrought tapestry, full of texture and nuance. There is a Gothic flavour to much of the record, which works better than you might suppose.
Crippled Black Phoenix are an atypical band in many different ways. Although Sceaduhelm is not quite as unconventional as some of the band’s output, it’s still a record that benefits from taking the time to immerse yourself in. Many songs provide ample instant appeal, yet overall this is music designed to be savoured at length.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 