King of the Dead

Cirith Ungol

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Ventura, CA’s CIRITH UNGOL, one of the most underrated bands from the early ’80s metal scene, released four albums between 1980 and 1991. The group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and is considered one of the earlier epic doom and power metal bands.

Their first album, Frost and Fire, was closer to a hybrid between 1970s hard rock and metal with songs written by then bassist and guitarist Greg Lindstrom, but from King of the Dead and onwards they played a progressive rock influenced kind of doom metal with song lyrics primarily written by vocalist Tim Baker and drummer , however the compositions were usually composed with the inclusion of all the members.

The name CIRITH UNGOL is pronounced “kirith ungol” and is an Elvish phrase meaning “pass of the spider”, which is something that Lord of the Rings fans will surely recognize. The name is, of course, indicative of the band’s fantasy-oriented lyrics, themes and beautiful album artwork.