Crippled Black Phoenix are an English rock band, brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Justin Greaves who founded it in 2004. Several musicians have contributed to Crippled Black Phoenix's albums and played with them during their live shows.
History
In 2004, Justin Greaves, previously drummer of several doom and sludge bands like Iron Monkey, Electric Wizard and Teeth Of Lions Rule The Divine, began recording on acoustic guitars some primitive sounds he had in mind for years. He was encouraged by Dominic Aitchison of Mogwai, and their ideas would lay the backbone for Crippled Black Phoenix. The name of the band was taken from the lyrics of "Big Loader," a song on the debut album Iron Monkey. Greaves even used "Crippled Black Phoenix" as a pseudonym. The musicians centered around the main songwriter Greaves used to play in other bands, including Iron Monkey, Gonga, Mogwai, Electric Wizard, Hearts of Black Science and many others. Although originally having an unorthodox start, since all the band members were busy with other projects, Crippled Black Phoenix remained committed to staying together and forged their sound. Greaves and the band write what they call "endtime ballads" signifying both the melodic but slightly macabre nature of their songs and their unusual blend of styles, as the final evolution in music. This blend has led to them being called everything from progressive rock to dark folk, to psychedelic, to post rock/metal. Initially the band was produced by Geoff Barrow of Portishead fame, under his label Invada Records. Barrow occasionally played live in the first appareances of the band in 2007. Crippled Black Phoenix have made live shows a focus and have performed in unusual venues, using also folk and Victorian-era instruments in tandem with their rock elements. The innate, ever ongoing evolution of Crippled Black Phoenix has reflected on multiple turnovers in his line-ups, both studio and live. Of the first versions of the band, the most relevant changes were the departures of original singer/guitarist Joe Volk, who embarks in a solo career and guitarist Karl Demata, who later founds the band Vly together with also departing bassist Christian Heilmann. Justin Greaves and Demata have been engaged in a legal dispute over the registered trademark of the band's name. In the second half of 2015 the issue with former guitarist was resolved and mastermind Greaves could continue his run under the monicker Crippled Black Phoenix, following his vision and continuing to be very prolific with different incarnations of the band and his cast of rotating musicians. A new phase of CBP started already in 2013 with the arrival of Swedish guitarist/vocalist Daniel Anghede: a voice that Greaves confesses to have always wanted to work with, at the point he was supposed to be on the debut album of the band. As a parallel project, female singer Belinda Kordic and Greaves formed the duo Se Delan. A second project involving Greaves and Kordic is called World War. Another major change on CBP path happens in 2019, when Daniel Anghede leaves the band after six years. He later announces a project in a sort of CBP spin-off with other former bandmates. Greaves announces in the summer of 2020 the start of a new era of the band .
