For all the big talk by musical theoreticians about the alleged
indulgences of ’70s prog, the most egregious lie is that it was
musician’s-musician music made by eggheads with gigantic egos. The
truth is that, for all its faults, prog as a genre is about the
submission of the musician’s ego to the supreme will of the music, as
the personalities of those who create the sounds melt into the
intricate tapestry like the fractal edge of a smoldering plume of dry
ice.
If the best prog is always shrouded in mystery, then the two new
full-lengths by Crippled Black Phoenix most definitely tip the
prog-o-meter. Ostensibly centering on former Electric Wizard drummer
Justin Greaves, Crippled Black Phoenix is a loose congregation of
various musicians who can shade the often lengthy compositions with
waltzy Tom Waitsy sea shanties one minute and delve into “One of These
Days”-y Pink Floydian bass throb the next, with occasional treks into
Alan Parsons-esque retro-synth fugues of inspired madness.
The nearly twenty-minute Night Raider opener, “Time of Ye
Life/Born for Nothing,” will weed out the weak of will and closed of
mind, and so will the gauzy veil of The Resurrectionists‘ “Song
for the Loved,” but those open to exploring this cave of musky
prog-rock tropes will be rewarded with one of the most accomplished
song cycles to appear in many moons. (Invada Records)
