Banefyre (Season of Mist) is the twelfth album from Crippled Black Phoenix, the category-defying collective centred around Justin Greaves, a former doom metal drummer (for bands such as Electric Wizard and Iron Monkey) turned multi-instrumentalist songwriter. The current studio lineup of the band has Greaves joined by longstanding vocalist Belinda Kordic, plus more recent recruits Helen Stanley (keys, synths, trumpet), Andy Taylor (guitars), and new second vocalist and third guitarist Joel Segerstedt.

Lyrically and emotionally, the record explores the persecution of people — and animals — labelled by society as “different”. Indeed, the album title Banefyre and the song ‘Bonefire’ make reference to the punishment of burning alive historically meted out to “witches” and others deemed to be dangerous or transgressive. Other songs address fox hunting, socio-economic inequality, and humanity’s troubled relationship with nature. The album cover art by Lucy Marshall depicts, in children’s storybook style, anthropomorphised animals siting around a table in front of various human body parts hung up as meat. The animals stare out ominously and wide-eyed as if to warn us of the power balance reversal that could one day take place with a certain evolutionary trajectory.

Sometimes, art with such a direct and uncompromising political message can seem overly moralistic and self-righteous, and the ineffable sensory experience can come across as being of secondary importance. Happily, none of that applies to Banefyre. Throughout a mammoth ninety-eight minutes (spanning three vinyl records or two CDs), the music burns bright with a rare and intense life force — a soulfulness or duende that evades definition but is deeply felt. 

The influence of folk music is a major presence here. Many of the choruses, refrains and instrumental melodies hark back to an earthy, almost primal essence. The sound also owes a lot to post-rock and shoegaze —  it is intensely heavy at times, but it’s also nuanced, delicate and textural. Banefyre’s particular idiosyncratic, but oddly cohesive sonic blend really only belongs to Crippled Black Phoenix, but Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Wardruna spring to mind as comparisons. 

Kordic and Segerstedt’s voices both drip with human feeling and conviction, and the vocal lines are eminently bold and memorable, recalling Kate Bush and Portishead with occasional violent screams thrown in. Both of their voices are absolutely compelling. Throughout, there are several direct, if subtle, musical quotations from artists including Pink Floyd and Simon & Garfunkel (“hello punk rock my old friend”). One of the record’s major strengths is its constantly shifting dynamics. Every section bursts with anticipation for the next; you can almost feel the music’s breath rise and fall as moves between everything from slow inhalation to manic hyperventilation. The experience is spellbinding and, in spite of the sadness that permeates, regularly stimulates a joyful and audacious smile.

There are a few notable shortcomings, however. It’s arguably a shame that the vocals aren’t sometimes a little bit higher in the mix; many of the lyrics are lost beneath the oceanic waves of all-consuming post-rock, which seems unfortunate for a record that directly discusses so many weighty issues. It’s also difficult not to wonder whether the album couldn’t have been trimmed down a little bit, or at least split into clearly defined segments to be digested separately; there is an overwhelming volume of music to absorb in one sitting. Bonus track ‘No Regrets’ (whilst excellent in its own right) feels superfluous here too — its aggressive and overtly metallic post-hardcore style sits slightly at odds with everything else and adds yet more length to an already protracted opus. 

Nevertheless, Banefyre glows and blazes with resolute and almost unfalteringly pure brilliance. It contributes artfully to an important political discourse, captivatingly ebbs and flows with despair, defiance and hope, and cuts right to the core of the soul like precious few records do.

Buy the album here:  https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/band/crippled-black-phoenix

8 / 10

DUNCAN EVANS