On the Record with Crippled Black Phoenix

By Aiden Landman
Published: April 10th, 2009 | 9:00am

England's Crippled Black Phoenix is a band that doesn't fuck around. They have a pedigree that runs deep — with members of Iron Monkey, Gonga, Electric Wizard, and Mogwai in the mix — and draw their strength evenly from these other projects. Their sound is the dense feel of sludge combined with a Black Sabbath–informed weight and a sonic exploration of post-rock thrown in for good measure.

Crippled Black Phoenix's recording career began in earnest in 2006. During one of Bristol's hottest summers on record, the band holed up to record songs that were little more than soundscapes and thoughts inside the head of multi-instrumentalist Justin Greaves at the time.

Joining him in this musical exorcism were Joe Volk, Dominic Aitchison, Kostas Panagiotou, Charlotte Nichols, Andy Semmens, and Nial McGaughey. The result of those recordings was the band's 2007 debut, A Love of Shared Disasters (Invada Records).

Two years later, Crippled Black Phoenix are gearing up to release their follow-up 200 Tons of Bad Luck (Invada), an album of dark love songs and apocalyptic balladry. Readying for the record's release on April 14, and a tour, Greaves recently shared with Venus Zine five of his favorite records.

Adam and the Ants
Kings of the Wild Frontier (Epic)

I was in the Antfan [fan] club when i was 11 years old. My first experience of playing drums in front of an audience was at school, drumming along with the title track. My dad had an old Wooding drum kit, and I basically hijacked it and started my life in music from there. I owe everything I’ve done to Adam and the Ants.

Pink Floyd
Obscured By Clouds (Capitol)
Meddle (Capitol)

I can’t decide on which of these Pink Floyd albums to mention, so I'll mention them both. For me, it’s the classic line up and in my mind the best. These albums were recorded at the end of their experimental phase. It was the start of more focused song writing, and it’s the perfect mix of everything I love about the band. The film recording of Live at Pompeii during this period of time [1971-1972] is simply the best audio-visual experience ever made.

Sheer Terror
Just Can’t Hate Enough (Blackout!)

My respect for Sheer Terror runs very deep. I grew up through my teens listening to Celtic Frost and Cro-Mags, so when i came across a band that is a mix of both those styles of music, I was hooked. On top of that, their ability to be brutally honest about feelings in the lyrics — even love songs — for a hardcore band that was a step above other more contrived bands of the time.

16 Horsepower
Secret South (Glitterhouse)

I’m a big fan of 16HP. Sadly, the band are no more, but this particular album was and has continued to be a big influence on me. I think sometimes when you hear an album at a time where it strikes a chord with you and your life at that point, it remains with you forever. This is one of mine.

Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck
Northern Blues (V2)

This album taught me that you can be brutal with words and encase it in a beautiful song. It’s an example of keeping a subversive attitude and acknowledging the art of making good, honest music that reaches people on many different levels. A great crafted album, and you just got to love the song “How Can You Live with Yourself.”

—

Cripple Black Phoenix MySpace.