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.
Roland
The Crüxshadows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in a starving shade of silence
and every battle fought
has left me looking back
what we obtain through isolation
often leads us deeper into war...
so tell me how can I retreat?
and how do we justify
when actions are conceived in weakness?
is there honor in my heart
if I lack the strength to act?
And though my hand is trembling
and my eyes are wreathed in so much doubt
and every instinct shows me fear
I stand my ground
We have no olifant resounding
nor fortunes here to carry home
no epic tale becoming legend
only choices: right and wrong
but somewhere in the haze of life I find
there is a perfect shining light
that each of us must seek to know the truth
of who we really are...
So sing a song for Roland
and all of those who sacrificed their lives
their colors traded in for...
a world of black and white
so sing a song for Roland
and all of those who fought for what was right
you may never understand
for whom they died
Perhaps they will banish me
from the annals of history
in the end it matters not
we direct our destiny
I've lived beyond myself, for an instant...
and heard echoes in the hearts and faces
i will never know...
but still I cannot forget
The Crüxshadows's song "Roland" is a beautiful homage to the courageous warriors who sacrificed their lives for a cause they believed in. The lyrics are deep and thought-provoking, and speak to the idea that sometimes we have to fight for what we believe in, even if it means great personal sacrifice. The opening lines, "Opportunities are lost in a starving shade of silence, and every battle fought has left me looking back," suggest a sense of regret and loss, perhaps alluding to missed chances or failed attempts to make a difference.
The next stanza, "What we obtain through isolation often leads us deeper into war... so tell me how can I retreat? some things are worth... fighting for...and how do we justify when actions are conceived in weakness? is there honor in my heart if I lack the strength to act?" speaks to the idea that our actions have consequences, and that sometimes it's necessary to stand up for what we believe in, even if it means going against the grain. The final stanza, "Perhaps they will banish me from the annals of history...but still I cannot forget" speaks to the idea that, even if our actions go unrecognized, we can still take pride in the knowledge that we did what we believed to be right.
Line by Line Meaning
Opportunities are lost
Chances for success slip away
in a starving shade of silence
Amidst a bleak, lonely environment
and every battle fought
Each conflict endured
has left me looking back
Causing me to reflect on past events
what we obtain through isolation
The rewards of being alone
often leads us deeper into war...
Can bring us closer to internal struggle
so tell me how can I retreat?
How can I give up and back down?
some things are worth... fighting for...
Certain causes are worth standing up for
and how do we justify
How can we defend ourselves when
when actions are conceived in weakness?
Our actions stem from our shortcomings?
is there honor in my heart
Am I a person of integrity?
if I lack the strength to act?
Even if I don't have the courage to act?
And though my hand is trembling
Despite feeling scared and uncertain
and my eyes are wreathed in so much doubt
Having substantial uncertainty and worry
and every instinct shows me fear
And all my natural reactions cause fear
I stand my ground
I stay firm in my position
We have no olifant resounding
We don't have a symbolic horn
nor fortunes here to carry home
No wealth to bring back with us
no epic tale becoming legend
There won't be a grand story about us
only choices: right and wrong
Just options of what's good and bad
but somewhere in the haze of life I find
But in the confusion of life I realize
there is a perfect shining light
There's an ideal illuminating us
that each of us must seek to know the truth
Which we must all pursue to find clarity
of who we really are...
Of our true identity
So sing a song for Roland
Let's pay homage to Roland with a song
and all of those who sacrificed their lives
And those who gave their lives for their beliefs
their colors traded in for...
Their symbols of identity exchanged for...
a world of black and white
For a world with strict moral lines
so sing a song for Roland
So let's honor Roland with a song
and all of those who fought for what was right
And others who stood up for what's just
you may never understand
You may never know or comprehend
for whom they died
Who they gave their life for
Perhaps they will banish me
Maybe they'll ostracize me
from the annals of history
Erase me from the written record
in the end it matters not
But it's ultimately unimportant
we direct our destiny
We control our fates
I've lived beyond myself, for an instant...
I've transcended my limitations momentarily...
and heard echoes in the hearts and faces
And noticed a response from others
i will never know...
That I'll never fully understand...
but still I cannot forget
But I'll always remember this feeling
Contributed by Keira O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.