Cirith Ungol Live At The Roxy CD Review
If you know who Cirith Ungol is, then the odds are high that we’re pals. If you don’t know who the band is, then there’s a good chance that I can’t hang out with you. Cirith Ungol is one of the best bands to come out of the fantasy and Doom Metal sectors of the late 70’s/early 80’s. Now, mind you, these guys have nothing to do with the Sabbath style of Doom that most everyone is accustomed to, this is a totally different vibe. This is legit Heavy Metal with cool lyrics that dig a bit deeper than the average, so we’re not talking boozin’ with Susan or one-night stands, we’re talking swords, wars, death and all that fun stuff.
In 2023 Cirith released their album “Dark Parade” to rave reviews, which is typical – it’s Cirith Ungol, there can be no hate, only admiration or it’s off with your head! Last year the band did their release show for the “Dark Parade” at the legendary Roxy Theater on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California. The band decided to make a spectacle of it and recorded it for a live release on CD/Vinyl/DVD. Making it even more interesting the band performed the entire album in chronological order. Later this month this effort will be released in the formats mentioned previously.
A few years back, the band released a live album “I’m Alive” in the same vibe – both audio/DVD. I’m fully aware of just how bad ass the band is in this setting, but now we’re talking new members and new tunes to kick around. Plus, the band is on their native soil. I can’t speak on the visual aspect of the entire show as I’ve only seen a few clips, but audio wise, the band is at their absolute height, live. There aren’t any mistakes, no overdubs and no flubs, the band CRUSHES on every tune and there’s 20 tracks to take in. I can only imagine how tired the audience was, but you can’t hear it in the band’s performance, they’re jacked sky high and amped up till the last song. The newer songs really come on strong live “Relentless” is masterful and the guitar work in “Dark Parade” is phenomenal as is the drum work. “Sailor On the Seas of Fate” kicks hard as hell too. Tim Baker’s vocals are sick, I can’t describe his voice, he just whips, screams and shouts his way into everything, and you can’t help but love it. The showstopper is “Down Below” of course, the last song off the album, it’s slow, grinding and EPIC as all hell. It feels like the ship is going down with the band guiding us into the deepest depths of the abyss… The old heads will be happy as hell hearing several Cirith staples after the band’s foray into the “Dark Parade” – “Atom Smasher”, “I’m Alive”, “Black Machine” and “Frost and Fire”. It could just be the fan in me, but my favorites have always been “Master of the Pit”, “King of the Dead” and “Join the Legion” all of which happen to be the last three tracks. Personally, I can’t think of a better send off live than these songs.
Sadly, last year the band announced that they’d be retiring from performing live at the end of 2024, so if you haven’t had the chance to see them, this release is the only way to do so now. Personally, I’ll be grabbing the DVD and the vinyl set, this isn’t something that I can afford to miss. As a fan of the band and Metal I feel I owe a great debt of gratitude to Cirith Ungol for the years of joy and amazement they’ve given me.