History Music / TheCruxshadows

The Cruxshadows are a DarkWave band from Jacksonville, Florida. While a {{Goth}} band, their lyrics sound more like very peppy motivational speeches, than the StrawNihilist attitude that the goth scene's detractors tend to associate with the movement. In keeping with these themes, The Cruxshadows also keep up an aesthetic that is a combination of UsefulNotes/CyberGoth and PerkyGoth. Their music revolves around fantastical themes, and their music videos often use elements of ScienceFiction. While not explicitly religious, The Cruxshadows' music explores the concepts of divinity and spirituality. Battle metaphors (often drawn from the Greek and Roman classics) are used frequently as well.

* AllMythsAreTrue: One thing consistently stated by Rogue in interviews is that mythical figures and spiritual themes from various cultural sources around the world are used in The Cruxshadows' lyrics to emphasize the universal significance of the themes they allude to. As such, EgyptianMythology, GreekMythology, NorseMythology, allusions to the eastern concept of {{karma}}, and some very obvious AmbiguouslyChristian motifs all feature comfortably alongside one another in The Cruxshadows' albums.

* WarIsGlorious: A natural result of some of the albums being earnest retellings of ''TheIlliad'' and ''TheAeneid'', stories about epic battles in which gods take human sides. However, the tragedy of loss in battle is still explored.

* HeroicSacrifice: "Winterborn" and "Valkyrie."

* AllMythsAreTrue: One thing consistently stated by Rogue in interviews is that mythical figures and spiritual themes from various cultural sources around the world are used in The Cruxshadows' lyrics to emphasize the universal significance of the themes they allude to. As such, EgyptianMythology, GreekMythology, NorseMythology, allusions to the eastern concept of {{karma}}, and some very obvious AmbiguouslyChristian motifs all feature side by side in The Cruxshadows' albums.

* AllMythsAreTrue: One thing consistently stated by Rogue in interviews is that mythical figures and spiritual themes from various cultural sources around the world are used in The Cruxshadows' lyrics to emphasize the universal significance of the themes they allude to. As such, EgyptianMythology, GreekMythology, NorseMythology, allusions to the eastern concept of karma, and some very obvious AmbiguouslyChristian motifs all feature side by side in The Cruxshadows' albums.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: The parts of Virgil's ''Aeneid'' that retell Homer's account of the fall of Troy from the point of view of the Trojans form a major emphasis in ''DreamCypher'', ''Fortress in Flames'', and ''DreamCypher''.

* BigBadassBattleSequence: "The Seraphs" involves its Miltonian FallenAngel narrator leading a raging horde of angels into battle.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: very far along the idealistic end, even in some of their more tragic ballads.

* LighterAndSofter: The Cruxshadows are pretty much this in contrast to the {{Goth}} / {{Industrial}} scene in general. Their DarkerAndEdgier first album, ''...Night Crawls In,'' is more stereotypically gloomy, spooky, and generally "gothic" in content. Their next couple of albums followed suit. Over time, their lyrics have been more and more prone to sound like the contents of an uplifting RousingSpeech in the form of a song.

* GodIsGood: The lyrics to "Halo" include: "God be with me on this day," implying God as a particularly benevolent entity (if unknowable, as the song "Immortal" insists).

* {{Goth}}: The Cruxshadows specialize in gothic electronica.

* HistoricalDowngrade: "Eye of the Storm" argues against the idea:

* HistoricalDowngrade: The "Eye of the Storm" argues against the idea:
** ''The pages of our history
Are written by the hand
With eyes and ears and prejudice
Too far removed to understand
And so the heroes of the ages past
Are stripped of honesty and love
To make them seem less noble
And hide what we can become''

* SequelSong / SpiritualSequel: "Valkyrie" is one of these to their signature song "Winterborn," both songs being about HeroicSacrifice.

* PerkyGoth: In addition to keeping up this appearance as a huge part of their aesthetic presentation, The Cruxshadows have also produced their fair share of inspiring, uplifting PerkyGoth ballads.

* NotChristianRock: In an interview, lead singer Rogue (who comes from a [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Catholic]] background) stated that the name of the band and the band's logo (which is inspired by the Eastern Orthodox Cross -- also infamously appropriated by Industrial musicians and infamous trolls Music/PsychicTV) are inspired by a story about the followers of Christ who stood in the shadow of the cross. However, in spite of several songs that talk about or explicitly mention God, The Cruxshadows' themes are intended to represent universal concepts. (For example, the "shadow of the cross" anecdote is meant as a metaphor for social outsiders in general.)

* LighterAndSofter: Music/TheCruxshadows are pretty much this in contrast to the {{Goth}} / {{Industrial}} scene in general. Their DarkerAndEdgier first album, ''...Night Crawls In,'' is more stereotypically gloomy, spooky, and generally "gothic" in content. Their next couple of albums followed suit. Over time, their lyrics have been more and more prone to sound like the contents of an uplifting RousingSpeech in the form of a song.

** TheSixthRanger: David.