The Phoenix Prestige are an experimental three-piece band founded in Hangzhou, China, in 2008. Fronted by John Carroll of Limerick and backed by Jay Iverson of Wisconsin and Brendan Donnelly also of Limerick. They’ve written and recorded as a three-piece since 2009 and have up to now released a number of EP’s, the most recent of which, “The Ivory Skull”, is their most experimental to date thus far.
First up on the EP is its title track, The Ivory Skull. As the opening chords were played, my heart sank, it seemed to me like this was going to be yet another grunge rock band lacking any sort of originality. A dark, heavy sound with dreary monotonous vocals mixed with the obligatory extracts from some underground cult film meant I really wasn’t looking forward to the rest of the EP. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Dare to Be Like Daniel, is a beautiful acoustic song of unrequited love, which instantly reminds you of the floaty sound of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. The contrast between this track and the previous is quite incredible. Gone are the monotonous vocals and in its place Carroll delivers a stunningly soothing song which leaves the listener begging for more.
The third and final song on the EP is a modern-day version of the traditional Celtic song Black is The Colour, made famous by the likes of Christy Moore and the Corrs. Accompanied by pulsating drums and a toe-tapping synth this really is a twist on an old classic. An unnamed female vocalist adds extra depth to the song and even gives a spine chilling “As Gaeilge” chorus at the midway point of the song. This truly is experimental rock music at its best.