Band:	Crippled Black Phoenix
Album:	I, Vigilante
Style:	Post-rock, Progressive rock
Release date:	2010
Guest review by:	Nosurper

01. Troublemaker
02. We Forgotten Who We Are
03. Fantastic Justice
04. Bastogne Blues
05. Of A Lifetime [Journey cover]
06. Burning Bridges [hidden track] [Mike Curb Congregation cover]

"The wolf changes its fur, but not its nature, sir."


Fan of Mogwai? Or maybe of Electric Wizard? Here, you get to enjoy the best of both worlds; meaning members from both bands are contributors to the project Crippled Black Phoenix.

I, Vigilante kicks off with "Troublemaker" at a cool pace. It's a song ripe for any prog-head including synthesizers, some strings, some dreamy vocals...and a shifty, up-tempo, ass-kicking slide guitar solo. Yep. But wait, prog? How can this be? THERE'S NO SLIDE GUITAR IN PROG.

The sound establishes itself quickly. The rhythm section certainly keeps things interesting, and the riffs are there as well. Not Electric Wizard-esque riffs, but riffs that seem to stagger forward like a determined little-leaguer stepping up to the plate. It certainly doesn't riff with the belligerency that you would expect from the riff-dervish of the stoner world.

And there is a melancholic beauty about this release. There are moving piano sequences, field recordings, and stirring vocals presented by Joe Volk. Volk also penned the haunting lyrical material for I, Vigilante. These exquisite lyrics tell mesmerizing stories. They dive into the psyche, recognizing the realities of inner turmoil; portraying what can be a world of grey skies and closed doors.

The final two songs on the album are covers. One is of Journey's "Of A Lifetime", and the other is from a band, The Mike Curb Congregation. One is "rocky", while the other is "folky". Both songs stand to receive similar praise in conjunction with the rest of the album. This is due to the sonic solidarity of the super-group.

It's not what you may expect from a combination of the aforementioned bands, but it's exactly the kind of surprise that will keep you listening all night and into the dawn, driving to work on no sleep, and wishing you had a canine companion in the car beside you.

Highly recommended to fans of music in general.