The Cruxshadows

by MacKenzie Wilson Pushing goth-rock further away from its cliched Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson motifs, The Cruxshadows (pronounced Croo-shadows) were formed by Rogue, Sean Flanagan, and Tim Curry while attending Florida State University in 1992. Being fans of Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Peter Murphy, and other synth-powered new wave artists, the band wanted to capture twinging electric guitar and electric violin to compose a shimmering dance-like sound. Their lyrical imagery is passionate and enigmatic, similarly resonant to fellow darkwavers such as Faith and the Muse, Covenant, and Black Tape for a Blue Girl. The Cruxshadows released their cassette debut Night Crawls In in 1993, and their first CD, Telemetry of a Fallen Angel arrived three years later. Curry and Flanagan left the band in 1997 to be replaced by Trevor Brown, Chris Brantley, and Kevin Page. The Cruxshadows' lush blend of thick industrial sounds and elegant darkwave aesthetics were strengthened at this point, but Brown withdrew from the band due to personal reasons. Rachel McDonnell stepped in, with Brown only being minimally involved. The band was signed to Nesak International/Kado Records but were shipped over to Dancing Ferret Records and Mere Mortal Records after Nesak was bought out; Mere Mortal Records folded in mid-1999. The limited edition Until the Voices Fade and the group's third full-length album, The Mystery of the Whisper, were both released in 1999, and the band toured nationally, extensively playing dates around the Midwest and East Coast. In mid-2000, the group released the Paradox Addendum EP.