Sceaduhelm by Crippled Black Phoenix
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX was formed in 2004 by Justin Greaves as an ever-evolving musical project driven by emotional inquiry and moral tension. Across two decades, the project has built a singular catalogue rooted in human fragility, endurance, and resistance to complacency.
‘Sceaduhelm’ represents the project’s most inward-looking and austere statements to date. Written and recorded between 2023 and 2025, the new album turns away from grand historical narratives to examine emotional erosion, fatigue, and quiet collapse. Rather than a traditional concept record, it unfolds as a unified psychological space, where repetition, restraint, and unease carry as much weight as melody. The songwriting favours slow builds and unresolved tension, resisting catharsis in favour of endurance. Vocals are shared between Belinda Kordic, Ryan Patterson, and Justin Storms, each offering a distinct but complementary perspective within the same emotional terrain. Themes of burnout, memory, violence against the vulnerable, and love already worn thin surface without spectacle. Produced by Justin Greaves and mixed by Iver Sandøy, the sound remains deliberately raw and exposed, avoiding comfort or excess.
‘Sceaduhelm’ listens closely to what remains after outrage has faded, focusing on consequence rather than reaction.
Tracklist
| 1. | One Man Wall of Death | |
| 2. | Ravenettes | 4:22 |
| 3. | Things Start Falling Apart | |
| 4. | No Epitaph / The Precipice | |
| 5. | The Void | |
| 6. | Hollows End | |
| 7. | Dropout | |
| 8. | Vampire Grave | |
| 9. | Colder and Colder | 4:56 |
| 10. | Under the Eye | |
| 11. | Tired to the Bone | |
| 12. | Beautiful Destroyer | |
Credits
Artwork by Erebus Art (Thanasis Stratidakis).
Recorded at various times during 2023 to 2025 at:
Chapel Studios, Lincolnshire, UK
Engineered by Pieter Rietkerk
Additional sessions at:
Kapsylen Studio, Stockholm, Sweden
Engineered by Jörgen Jugglo Wall.
House Of Foto, Louisville, KY, USA
Engineered by Ryan Patterson
Mixed by Iver Sandøy at Solslottet Studio, Bergen, Norway.
Mastered by Magnus Lindberg, Stockholm, Sweden
Additional mixing by Pieter Rietkerk at Chapel Studios
Produced by Justin Greaves
Track by track credits:
One Man Wall Of Death
Music - Greaves
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums, Samples
Wes Wasley - Bass
Lucy Marshall - Piano
Ravenettes
Music - Greaves / Words - Kordic
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums
Belinda Kordic - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Things Start Falling Apart
Music - Greaves / Words - Storms
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums
Justin Storms - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
No Epitaph
Music - Greaves / Words - Patterson
Justin Greaves - Guitar, Drums, Melotron, Synths, Samples
Ryan Patterson - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Rene Misje - Guitar
Andy Taylor - Guitar
Iver Sandøy - Percussion
The Precipice
Music - Greaves / Words - Patterson
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums, Synths
Ryan Patterson - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Rene Misje - Guitar
The Void
Music - Greaves
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Synths, Samples
Wes Wasley - Bass
Andy Taylor - Guitar
Lucy Marshall - Synth
Hollows End
Music - Greaves / Words - Kordic
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Dums
Belinda Kordic - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Lucy Marshall - Synths
Dropout
Music - Greaves / Words - Kordic
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums, Kaosolator
Belinda Kordic - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Rene Misje - Guitar effects
Lucy Marshall - Synth
Vampire Grave
Music - Greaves / Words - Patterson
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums, Samples
Ryan Patterson - Vocals
Belinda Kordic - Backing Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Robin Tow - Percussion
Lucy Marshall - Synths
Colder And Colder
Music - Greaves / Words - Storms
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums, Sample
Justin Storms - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Belinda Kordic - Persussion
Lucy Marshall - Piano
Under The Eye
Music - Greaves / Words - Kordic
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums, Samples
Belinda Kordic - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Robin Tow - Percussion
Rene Misje, Guitar
Andy Taylor - Guitar
Iver Sandøy - Persussion
Lucy Marshall - Piano, Hammond
Tired To The Bone
Music - Greaves / Words - Kordic
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums, Melotron
Belinda Kordic - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Beautiful Destroyer
Music - Greaves / Words - Patterson
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums, Samples, Synths
Ryan Patterson - Vocals
Belinda Kordic - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Robin Tow - Persussion
EXTRA TRACKS (For liner notes on bonus editions and 10” ONLY):
Manhattan Skyline
Written by Magne Furuholmen / Päl Waaktaar. Originally recorded by A-Ha
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums
Belinda Kordic - Vocals
Justin Storms - Backing vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Rene Misje - Guitar
Andy Taylor - Guitar
Lucy Marshall - Synth
Invisible People
Originally written & recorded by False Prophets
Justin Greaves - Guitar, Drums
Justin Storms - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
Lucy Marshall - Melotron
That’s When I Reach For My Revolver
Written by Clint Conley. Originally recorded by Mission Of Burma
Justin Greaves - Guitars, Drums
Justin Storms - Vocals
Wes Wasley - Bass
License
All rights reserved.
