 Cirith Ungol
 Forever Black
 Review by Mike Korn

Cirith Ungol, named after the evil valley from “Lord of the Rings," is one of the ultimate cult metal bands from the United States, with a history stretching back to the mid-70s. A favorite in the California early metal scene, they played a gloomy kind of hard driving epic metal with influences from Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Throughout the 80s, they released a series of albums with striking fantasy cover art by Michael Whelan, but they could never really crack the big time. As usual, this led to a break up of the band.
But fans of Cirith Ungol were a hardy breed, and the band continued to gain a strong reputation even when they were no more. At last, they’ve relented to the pressure and are back with a brand new album, Forever Black. It’s really like they never went away. This album seamlessly picks up where they left off, with another Elric -inspired cover image and more thunderous sword-and-sorcery metal. Singer Tim Baker’s unique screaming vocals in particular have not changed a bit since the band’s glory years.
Right now is a great time for Cirith Ungol’s return, with a renewed interest in classic heavy metal. Maybe they can now get the recognition that eluded them before…
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2020 Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2020.
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