Line #119 Music/TheCruxshadows


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5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/48b8edb5_5b4f_4920_8a40_1d2bc3a21415.jpeg]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350: Live. Love. Be. Believe.]]
7	->''And in the fury of this darkest hour,\
8	We will be your light,\
9	You've asked me for my sacrifice,\
10	And I am winterborn,\
11	Without denying, a faith is come,\
12	That I have never known,\
13	I hear the angels call my name,\
14	And I am winterborn.''
15	-->"Winterborn"
16
17	The Cruxshadows (stylized as The Crüxshadows) are a DarkWave band from Jacksonville, Florida. While a {{Goth}} band, their lyrics sound more like [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism 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 and mythological 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.
18
19	The lead singer Rogue is a trained artist and a huge fan of classical [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek]] and Myth/EgyptianMythology, which are mentioned frequently in The Cruxshadows' work. He is the only constant member of the band, as the other members tend to be PutOnABus, or suffer from ChuckCunninghamSyndrome. Rogue is mostly known for his spider-like gothic hairstyle and singing in what sounds suspiciously like a UsefulNotes/{{Brit\|ain}}ish accent.
20
21	Creator/JohnRingo, ''Sherrilyn Kenyon,'' and ''Caitlin R. Kiernan'' are huge fans of the band.
22	----
23
24	!! Current Lineup:
25
26	* Rogue – lead vocals
27	* Jen "Pyromantic" Jawidzik – keyboards, backing vocals
28	* Johanna Moresco – violin, backing vocals
29	* David Russell Wood – violin, backing vocals
30	* Jessica Lackey – e-drums, backing vocals
31	* Rachel "Victoria" Whitford - guitars
32	----
33
34	!! Discography:
35
36	* ''...Night Crawls In'' (1993, reissue in 2005)
37	* ''Telemetry of a Fallen Angel'' (original release 1995, anniversary edition 2004)
38	* ''The Mystery of the Whisper'' (1999, reissue in 2006)
39	* ''Echoes and Artifacts / Intercontinental Drift'' (2001)
40	* ''Wishfire'' (2002)
41	* ''Ethernaut'' (2003)
42	* ''[=DreamCypher=]'' (2007)
43	* ''As the Dark Against My Halo'' (2012)
44	* ''Astromythology'' (2017)
45	----
46
47	!! The band and their music provide examples of the following:
48
49	* AllMythsAreTrue: One thing consistently stated by Rogue in interviews is that mythical figures and spiritual concepts from various cultural sources around the world and across history are used in The Cruxshadows' lyrics to emphasize the universal significance of the themes they allude to. As such, Myth/EgyptianMythology, Myth/GreekMythology, Myth/NorseMythology, allusions to the eastern concept of {{karma}}, and some very obvious AmbiguouslyChristian motifs all feature comfortably alongside one another in The Cruxshadows' albums - not to mention the consciously designed YinYangBomb-themed logo.
50	* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: As explained by Rogue in an interview from around the release of ''Wishfire'', the band's name alludes to the idea that social outsiders (who stand in "shadows") may be quietly and unknowingly closer to the crux of spiritual truths (represented by the tri-bar cross of the band's logo) than mainstream society.
51	* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: "Elissa".
52	* AuthorAppeal: Two things that get mentioned ''a lot'' by the Cruxshadows? Angels and Myth/ClassicalMythology.
53	* BadassCreed: "Sophia."
54	-->Do not injustice to another
55	-->Defend the weak and innocent
56	-->Let truth and honor always guide you
57	-->Let courage find a life within
58	-->Stand up when no-one else is willing
59	-->Act not in hatred or in spite
60	-->Be to this world as a perfect knight
61	-->Even if it means your life.
62	* BigBadassBattleSequence: "Citadel" recreates the battle of Troy in Homer's Illiad play by play, while "The Seraphs" involves its Miltonian FallenAngel narrator leading a raging horde of angels into battle.
63	* BilingualBonus: ''Echoes and Artifacts'' includes a UsefulNotes/{{German\|y}} version of the song "Deception."
64	* BlueBlood: Rogue was revealed to be from this kind of background after his real name, Virgil Roger du Pont III, was revealed on Website/{{Wikipedia}} and in the media. It is usually not considered good form to mention this around the band or their fans.
65	* BreakupSong: "Marilyn, My Bitterness."
66	* ChessMotifs: "The 8th Square."
67	* Myth/ClassicalMythology: This and angels are two of the Cruxshadows' defining motifs.
68	* CodeOfHonour: The lyrics of "Sophia".
69	* ConceptAlbum: ''Ethernaut'' tells the story of the fall of Troy from the Trojan point of view. Fittingly, the following album, ''[=DreamCypher=],'' references Creator/{{Virgil}}'s Literature/TheAeneid, about the journey of refugees from Troy to what would later become [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Rome]].
70	* CosmicMotifs: Both ''Telemetry of a Fallen Angel'' and ''Astromythology'' (especially "Singularities" and "Stargazer") feature outer space as a narrative backdrop, representing a sense of loneliness, fear, and emptiness that their protagonists must confront in order to better themselves and save others.
71	* CoverVersion: ''Echoes and Artifacts'' includes covers of popular songs by [[Music/MarcBolan T. Rex]] and Music/{{Eurythmics}}.
72	* DarkIsNotEvil: "Leave Me Alone" is an earlier Cruxshadows song about how the Gothic subculture largely represents this trope. (Emphasized in contrast to the DarkIsEvil quotes about the "violent and black" Gothic movement sampled in the Shaft 20/20 remix of the song.) The Cruxshadows themselves certainly count as an example of dark is not evil, as many of Rogue's lyrics are about persevering through hardships and the importance of being a good person.
73	* DarkReprise: "Winterborn" gets one of these with "A Stranger Moment" from ''Ethernaut,'' which uses the same progression as the former's main riff and verse. The formers' lyrics speak of a hero's LastStand in a DarkestHour, while the latter appears to be about the character's ApocalypticLog or a MessageInABottle to his loved ones.
74	* DarkWave: Their primary form of music.
75	* DoNotCallMePaul: Rogue tends not to be too open about his real name, and bringing up the topic is something of a BerserkButton among fans.
76	* DramaticSpaceDrifting: A large portion of the story concept of ''Telemetry of a Fallen Angel'' is about a lost satellite adrift in space. The idea is revisited in ''Astromythology'', which features a narrator (in "Singularities" and "Astromythology") adrift in space, describing their feelings of hope and fear.
77	* Myth/EgyptianMythology: The songs "Jackal-Head" and "Aten-Ra": also features in some of The Cruxshadows' earlier-career visual presentation.
78	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
79	** The debut album ''Night Crawls In'' is a very stereotypical "gothic" musical jaunt full of gloomy, dissonant violin riffs and despondent lyrics, and noticeably lacks many of the later albums' more hopeful energy or inspirational themes. The various cultural and literary references characteristic of later albums are also entirely absent.
80	** While Egyptian mythology and the Egyptian pantheon of deities play a fairly big role in the lyrics, song titles, and album art on ''Telemetry of a Fallen Angel'' and ''Mystery of the Whisper'', Egyptian motifs are entirely dropped from ''Wishfire'' onwards.
81	* FaceDeathWithDignity: A recurring theme, featured in such songs as "Winter Born" and "Titan".
82	* FallenAngel: "The Seraphs". Also, the titular angel in the ''Telemetry of a Fallen Angel'' album.
83	* FeatherMotif: It is on some of the band's merchandise, which makes sense since angels feature in a few of their songs, and variants of WingedHumanoid are a common sight on their album covers and promotional materials.
84	* FeelingTheirAge: The narrator of "My Telescope"
85	* GentlemanAndAScholar: Rogue, who is quite well read in classical literature, as evidenced by The Cruxshadows' lyrics.
86	* 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).
87	* {{Goth}}: The Cruxshadows specialize in gothic electronica.
88	* GuardianAngel: A recurring theme in some of The Cruxshadows' lyrics.
89	* HeavyMetalUmlaut: Present and correct in the full correctly rendering of the bands name "The Crüxshadows".
90	* 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 ''Ethernaut'', ''Fortress in Flames'', and ''Dreamcypher''.
91	* HeroicSacrifice: "Titan", "Winterborn" and "Valkyrie."
92	* HiddenTrack: ''Ethernaut'' has three hidden songs; the first, "Esoterica (Through the Ether)" plays immediately after the last listed track, the second, "Helen," is hidden behind three tracks of silence, and the third, "Live, Love, Be, Believe (Recalling the Dream)" plays after yet another silent track.
93	* HistoricalDowngrade: "Eye of the Storm" makes an idealistic plea against the idea:
94	** ''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''
95	* HolyHalo: The song "Halo," quite fittingly.
96	* TheHomewardJourney: "Return (Coming Home)", inspired by ''Literature/TheOdyssey''.
97	* HopelessWar: "Citadel".
98	* HotWings: Alluded to by the song "Flame."
99	* IdealHero: Earnestly described in the lyrics of "Sophia".
100	* InspirationalMartyr: The narrator of "Winter Born".
101	* {{Karma}}: The theme of the song "Carnival".
102	* KnightInShiningArmor: The single "Sophia" references this trope, encouraging listeners to emulate it.
103	* 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 about hope, courage, and morality in the form of a song.
104	* MessageInABottle: One interpretation of "A Stranger Moment" is of a doomed sailor on a sinking ship sending out one of these for his loved ones.
105	* MythArc: The Angel Cycle.
106	* Myth/NorseMythology: "Valkyrie".
107	* OurAngelsAreDifferent: "The Seraphs" and "Flame" ''strongly'' invoke this trope.
108	** ''Telemetry of a Fallen Angel'' is a concept album about a fallen angel whose journey parallels that of a falling satellite in space.
109	* OurDarkMatterIsMysterious: "Dark Matter", naturally.
110	* TheParagon: Much of The Cruxshadows' music is based on the idea of an aspirational heroic and moral ideal of a human being (represented by the image of a KnightInShiningArmor) that fans and listeners can aspire to be like.
111	* 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 perky goth ballads.
112	* PlatonicCave: "My Telescope" implies the narrator has come to view the world we know as a theatrical production with acts and a curtain call, and has come to peace with their knowledge.
113	* PowerBallad: "Walk Away" on ''Telemetry of a Fallen Angel'', "Spectators" and "Go Away" on ''Wishfire'', "A Stranger Moment" on ''Ethernaut'', "Matchstick Girl" on ''As the Dark Against My Halo'', and the acoustic version of "Winterborn."
114	* RescuedFromTheUnderworld: "Eurydice" retells the story of Orpheus, also referenced in "Orphean Wing".
115	* RevolvingDoorBand: Except for lead singer Rogue, no one has been around since the beginning.
116	** Rogue has gone on record stating that this is his least favorite criticism of the band, pointing out that the current violinist and keyboardist have been with The Cruxshadows since the mid-2000s.
117	* RockMeAmadeus: "Strange Skies" quotes Music/RichardWagner's ''Ride of the Valkyries.'' Ironically, their track "Valkyrie" from the same album is not an example of this trope.
118	* RousingSpeech: Many of the band's more recent songs are basically this.
119	* SaveSat: The plot of the story concept in ''Telemetry of a Fallen Angel'', in which it's implied the "save" is in a spiritual/metaphorical as well as literal sense.
120	* SequelSong / SpiritualSuccessor: "Valkyrie" is one of these to their signature song "Winterborn," both songs being about HeroicSacrifice.
121	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The Cruxshadows' albums all take place in a world that emphasizes the virtues of KnightInShiningArmor style chivalry and heroism (and HeroicSacrifice to protect and defend others), guided by GuardianAngel figures and just and benevolent incarnations of divinity - thus, they are very far along the idealistic end, even in some of their more tragic ballads.
122	* SofterAndSlowerCover: The acoustic version of "Winterborn."
123	* ThenLetMeBeEvil: The narrator of "The Seraphs".
124	* TheUnderworld: The song "Eurydice," like the original Greek myth, is about a journey there.
125	* 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, as well as "Titan", which is more generally about the HeroicSacrifice of a warrior or soldier. However, the tragedy of loss in battle is still explored in The Cruxshadows' songs that allude to this trope.
126	* YinYangBomb: Evoked by The Cruxshadows' logo, which resembles the color scheme of yin/yang centered around an Orthodox Cross.
127	* YinYangClash: "Wake the White Queen" off of the ''[[Creator/NeilGaiman Where's Neil When You Need Him?]]'' album is a direct adaptation of ''Film/{{Mirrormask}}'', a Neil Gaiman story based around this theme.

Context Music / TheCruxshadows