According to the World English Dictionary, the phoenix is defined as a “legendary Arabian bird said to set fire to itself and rise anew from the ashes every 500 years.”
Phoenixes are known for rising from their own ashes with renewed hope, a symbol of immortality and restoration. “Phoenix” also happens to be the name of rock band The Classic Crime’s fourth studio album, and the name could not be more fitting.
The Classic Crime, a grossly understated rock band, has been around since 2003, and since then has released three studio albums previous to _Phoenix_. The band originally signed with Tooth & Nail Records, but after releasing album No. 3, _Vagabonds_, it was time to delve into deeper waters. In 2011, after the departure of one guitarist, The Classic Crime left Tooth & Nail Records and decided to produce its latest CD independently.
Funded through Kickstarter, an online fundraising website for creative projects, The Classic Crime let its fans help create the album. By pledging certain amounts of money, fans could propel the album progress forward and in turn receive cool incentives from the band like signed albums, Skype conversations from the band and much more.
In order to receive the funding, the band had to raise $30,000 in a little over a month. The band was overwhelmed to find that its fans reached that goal in a mere 24 hours, and by the end of the fundraising period, The Classic Crime had been funded $86,278 by 1,981 supportive fans, according to the band’s Kickstarter page. From there, very happy fans were ready to watch The Classic Crime rise from the challenges it had faced in the past year to produce something beautiful.
_Phoenix_ is a solid album from start to finish. The album starts off with the intro track, “One Man Army,” and for new listeners, lead vocalist Matt MacDonald’s dark and charming voice will draw you in from the start as he sings, “I used to let you fight the battles before me, but now I stand alone, just a one man army.”
Many of the tracks on _Phoenix_ deal with the theme of hope and perseverance through trial. On “What I’d Give Up,” MacDonald sings, “I’ve got new direction; I feel winds of change.” Those ideas flow through the entire album, revealing a deep, raw passion shown by the members. It was clear to The Classic Crime that the journey wouldn’t be easy, but when its fans believed in it from the start, it surely made it all worth it.
“Phoenix” is full of melodic guitar riffs, tightly knit rhythm, strong vocals and thought-provoking lyrics. “You and Me Both” and “Beautiful Darkside” both are strong tracks in every area. They both are infectiously catchy (just try and not drum your fingers along to them) and truly captivate the theme of the album. The album ends with the outro, “I Will Wait,” closing the album perfectly with, “I used to let you fight, but now I stand alone; I will wait, will you fight for me again?”
Inspiration. Talent. Passion. Drive. Support. _Phoenix_ could not have been what it was without any one of these things. And even beyond that, _Phoenix_ would have never came to be if it weren’t for The Classic Crime’s fans. On one of its Kickstarter updates, MacDonald shares how blessed he felt after the band received full funding for its album: “This is more than an album project, this is something that completely validates the journey we’ve been on since we formed in February of 2003. These past nine years have been … tumultuous. Time and time again our hopes lifted and fell and lifted and fell … You told us with your pledge that you DO care. You told us so much more than that, you filled a longing in our hearts.”
On Aug. 14, The Classic Crime independently released _Phoenix_ and was an overwhelming success. _Phoenix_ reached No. 130 on the U.S. Top 200 charts, No. 22 on the U.S. Indie charts and No. 44 on the U.S. Rock charts, according to Billboard. “You restored in us the hope that this music is worth something and is important,” MacDonald tells his fans via Kickstarter. And that is what makes everything about _Phoenix_ so beautiful.
