Crippled Black Phoenix "Night Raider" (2009) / "The Resurrectionists" (2009)

When there's ex-members of Mogwaii & Electric Wizard involved, you pay attention. When you hear their music is described as 'ENDTIME BALLADS' you really have no fucking clue what the fuck theyre going on about, but whatever. YOU'VE GOT MY ATTENTION. And when you hear Crippled Black Phoenix, you'll just know it. You'll feel, or at least I felt, almost privileged to listen to such an impressive piece of music. And I completely understood the description.
After releasing an under-the-radar LP and single , the european 'post-rock/doom-folk' collective hit back with a mammoth double album, 'Night Raider'& 'The Resurrectionists'. Every song is filled to the brim with sounds of the future and the past that create it's own world soundtrack of epic music that ranges from the spaced out very 'dark side' sounding opening track of 'Time Of Ye Life/Born For Nothing/Paranoid Arm Of Narcoliptic Empire' to the haunting ballads like 'Burnt Reynolds' and crushing post-rock jams that flirt with shoegaze like '200 Tons of Bad Luck' this is definitely a must hear release. These records are so good that my girlfriend makes me turn them off because they make her that sad. I mean fuck.

No word on a release date, but check their myspace for sample music, then step into the world of Crippled Black Phoenix. It's a sad but beautiful creation that is ambitious and monumental and all of that. But what's important is that it delivers. My only reason from putting this below The Pains of Being Pure At Heart as the best release of 2009 in the week and four days we've been into this musically glorious year is that it's just not as enjoyable. It's really sad. It's way more impressive, and very beautiful in parts, but it's certainly a record you need to listen to in full to enjoy, and it's a lot to take in. But I love it. It's a monster. Nothing official on a release date, but word is mid-march.

Album link in comments.