With the release of the seminal Telemetry of a Fallen Angel (existing in a few incarnations prior to Dancing Ferret Discs' version in 1997), The Crüxshadows enjoyed their first defining moment courtesy of the infinitely catchy dance floor anthem "Marilyn My Bitterness." With additional strong releases including The Mystery of the Whisper (1999), Until the Voices Fade (1999) and Paradox Addendum (2000) backed by lengthy tours, The Crüxshadows were able to build a legion of diversified fans consisting of everything from jarheads to gamers to anime & role playing enthusiasts.
While the lineup has indeed changed over the years, one constant has remained the same; Rogue, the vocalist, leader and mastermind of The Crüxshadows has directed his troupe towards an unconventional and lofty goal. "I want to change the world with music, I want people to find hope within themselves. I want them to know that anything is possible if you believe and follow through. I think that music has the power to inspire and move people to do amazing things" he muses. He is not alone in his belief. Their fans seem to believe it too. The bands motto "live love be believe" is everywhere, and many of their supporters will tell you that the lyrics have changed their lives in some way. This isn't exactly typical for a band most often identified as gothic or dark-wave. The Crüxshadows are not concerned. "Goth isn't about being a stereotype" the front-man complains, "its about being who you want to be... about not running from yourself or your emotions." The charismatic singer/songwriter/producer understands an audience and tends to deliver his dramatic croon right in their laps. Nothing they do is exactly new, but how they do it is completely unique. The lyrics are deep and meaningful, the stage show is dynamic and entertaining, and the music is hooky and inspired by pop. But pop it is not. It is a hybrid music that exists in a place just left of everyday, and just right of never-ever.
The band has maintained a surprising consistency despite the personnel turnovers that have plagued it in recent years. Jessica Lackey, a singer/dancer who married Rogue in 2007, and keyboardist Jen Jawidzik, who was once Rogue and Jessica's roommate, have stuck with it for the better part of the last decade. "When we have to find someone new, I feel like sometimes they don't understand all the hard work that was necessary for us to get to that point" Jessica states flatly, "It is not difficult to under-appreciate everything the band has accomplished, so people move on because they have not invested the same energy into the project." While the shows and the music continues to get better, that magically 'permanent' combination of personalities has continued to elude them. The band has had a difficult time keeping guitar players and dancers in particular, but has seen turnover in almost every position. These days Crüxshadows has Rogue backed by a mostly female band of new wave latex clad gypsies, and boasts an original mix of violins, dancers, guitars, and electronics. Tight and well-practiced, the seven performers interact on stage with clockwork like precision. The audience is captivated. Some of them scream. Some of them sing along. A few others stare at the stage dumbfounded.
Although The Crüxshadows maintain a strong fan base in their native United States, their most perceptible success seems to be focused in Europe. It is not uncommon for the band to share stages with the likes of Ladytron, Prodigy, The Cure, or even Bjork. The 2002 Tears EP topped the Deutsche Alternative Charts for months, a practice that has continued with all subsequent releases soaring to the DAC's Top 10. "I don't think we're actually more popular there (In Europe)" says Rogue, "It just seems like there is more access to our fans. What we do has more acceptance by the powers that be. In America it feels like all of our victories are covered up or are unacknowledged by the media." 2002 also saw the release of their fifth full-length album Wishfire; a fan favorite that featured the Euro hit "Tears" and a number of other dark dance mainstays. Similarly the follow-up album Ethernaut (released in 2003) brought the band what has become one of its most notable tracks, the European club anthem entitled "Winterborn (This Sacrifice)."
Remixes and special versions of songs have kept there fans satiated when no new traditional album lay on the horizon. In 2004 Fortress In Flames was released featuring a cover by the popular American artist Chad Michael Ward. There The Crüxshadows' material was remixed by peers like the Dutch legends Clan of Xymox and German industrial giants In Strict Confidence. Each year has seen some new disc from the band, and they come in a variety of formats. The year 2005 witnessed the release of their first DVD Shadowbox. The DVD is highlighted by a 2004 performance before a rabid crowd of 15,000 at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig Germany, where the ‘call and response' raw energy the band delves out is served right back by an adoring audience.
In 2006 the band would seem to breakaway from their underground moniker. The addictive single "Sophia" impressively debuted on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales Charts in September at position #1, replacing Beyoncé in the top spot while landing #7 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales Chart. "We couldn't believe it, doors began to open. It was as if we couldn't be ignored anymore, after a decade and a half we seemed to be getting some respect. The local news in Florida even put us on the nightly news to get our take on the whole thing", the frontman recalls. The following year was pivotal for The Crüxshadows; in May the band successfully toured China performing at the Midi Open-Air Festival in Beijing, in the presence of many thousands of new fans. Later that year the band released the highly anticipated Dreamcypher album that contained yet another Billboard #1 Dance Single with the song "Birthday." This time the band climbed into the #2 spot on the Hot 100 Singles Sales Chart. With Dreamcypher, The Crüxshadows melded their fondness for 1980s Synth Pop/New Romantic sounds with modern Euro dance nuances into perfection. Dreamcypher joins the aforementioned shimmering "Sophia" and "Birthday" with the guitar fronted "Defender" and the majestic sounding "Eye of the Storm." The infectious disc would become The Crüxshadows' best selling album to date both in the United States and abroad.
The following year witnessed another single marching up the Billboard charts. "Immortal" continued the bands musical string of hits, despite the loss of violinist Rachel McDonnell. David Wood and JoHanna Moresco stepped in as an electric violining duo who not only safe-guarded the signature instrument of the band, but expanded it by way of rich layering and counterpoint melodies impossible in previous years. 2008 also saw the band's label Dancing Ferret Discs, withdraw from actively releasing new material. This left the band to deal with a large number of new and unforeseen issues, and delayed their plans to release a new full length album.
While The Crüxshadows spent most of 2009 touring in Europe, the band still managed to release yet another successful Billboard charting single in America. "Quicksilver" debuted just in time for their annual appearance at Atlanta's famed Dragon*Con Convention before an impressive capacity crowd of several thousand of their most loyal fans. "I think the new single, and really the most recent releases in general, are our most polished and well written work" says Rogue, "but there are still those in the scene, and in the business in general, that just think the whole thing is just dumb luck." The single was the first release from Wishfire Records, a new label founded by the band, and eventually reached #1 on The Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales Charts and #2 on The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales Charts. Seemingly too pop for many critics and too underground for the industry, the band has apparently found the perfect balance for the people who matter the most to them; their fans.
The Crüxshadows have played by their own rules, and who is to say in a world of declining sales and illegal internet downloads that they haven't gotten the balance right. Time will tell. For now, The Crüxshadows continue to defy as well as define the odds, and their dark yet positive machine continues to roll.
Avalanche
The Crüxshadows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I am silent as I face my fears alone
Responsibility weighing down upon my shoulders
When all that I needed in a heartbeat is taken from me
The truth is unclear if you close your eyes too tightly
What dream is life spun like silver to the night
And if the world falls from the sky
Shall we like the atlas rise
If time collapses to this end
Beneath the avalanche
With love like pages stripped away
My heart must find another way
Courage comes from circumstance
Beneath the avalanche
And I fear the sky is falling
It's the price we pay if we act with our convictions
But the faces I see still believe me too naive
We are not lost or forgotten to our conscience
When all that we need for survival we carry inside
I will not fall before you
I will not grovel at your feet
I will not let you crush me
My will is stronger than you think
The verse opens with the singer expressing their anxiety as they face a daunting tomorrow. They admit to feeling isolated in their fear and carrying the burden of responsibility. The line "when all that I needed in a heartbeat is taken from me" highlights the suddenness and force of whatever change or loss they've experienced. The second stanza speaks to the blurred lines between reality and perception. The singer implies that being too close-minded or pessimistic can cloud our ability to see clearly. They then ask not to be woken up or let go, indicating a desire to avoid whatever pain or challenge is coming.
The chorus shifts to a more universal perspective. It offers a metaphor of the world falling from the sky and asks if, like Atlas holding up the heavens, we will stand strong in the face of such destruction. The lyrics also reference time collapsing, which adds to the sense of impending doom. However, it's not all hopeless. The chorus implies that we can find the strength to weather the storm "beneath the avalanche."
The final stanza returns to the singer's personal struggle. They express that love has failed them and their heart needs to find a new path. However, they firmly assert their resolve not to be crushed by the challenges they face. The line "courage comes from circumstance" suggests that adversity can shape us and make us stronger. The song ends with the singer refusing to give up or give in.
Line by Line Meaning
The lines are clear with tomorrow standing against me
I am aware of what the future holds and it doesn't look good.
And I am silent as I face my fears alone
I am too afraid to speak out about what's troubling me.
Responsibility weighing down upon my shoulders
There is a heavy burden on me that I must carry alone.
When all that I needed in a heartbeat is taken from me
The things that mattered to me most have been suddenly ripped away.
The truth is unclear if you close your eyes too tightly
You won't know what's really happening if you refuse to see it.
What dream is life spun like silver to the night
What kind of life is just a beautiful illusion?
Don't wake me up and do not let me go
I don't want to face the harsh reality of life; let me stay in my dream world.
And if the world falls from the sky
If everything around us is in chaos and falling apart,
Shall we like the atlas rise
Should we stand strong like the mythical Atlas who held up the world on his shoulders?
If time collapses to this end, Beneath the avalanche
If everything around us is destroyed and we're buried under the rubble,
With love like pages stripped away, My heart must find another way
Even though love has let me down, I must search for a new path to happiness.
Courage comes from circumstance, Beneath the avalanche
Bravery is something that comes from being forced into tough situations.
And I fear the sky is falling
I'm scared that everything is falling apart around me.
It's the price we pay if we act with our convictions
We must accept the consequences of our actions when we stand up for what we believe in.
But the faces I see still believe me too naive
Others think I'm foolish for holding onto my convictions.
We are not lost or forgotten to our conscience
We can always rely on our inner moral compass to guide us.
When all that we need for survival we carry inside
We have the strength and resources within us to persevere through tough times.
I will not fall before you
I won't let anyone or anything defeat me.
I will not grovel at your feet
I won't let anyone have power over me and force me into submission.
I will not let you crush me
I won't let anyone break my spirit.
My will is stronger than you think
I have the determination and strength to fight against any obstacle.
Contributed by Luke C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.