┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Cirith Ungol - Forever Black + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Rls Date..2020-06-05 Encoder......LAME 3.100 ║ │ │║ Genre.....Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year......2020 Khz/Bitrate..44.1 / VBR kbps ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper....Anthem Songs........9 ║ │ │║ Source....CD Covers.......Yes ║ │ │║ Url.. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Cirith Ungol ║ │ │║ Album : Forever Black ║ │ │║ Label : Metal Blade Records ║ │ │║ Cat.No : 3984-15708-0 ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ In this present age of miraculous comeback stories, a ║ │ │║ consequential band from a bygone era getting back into the ║ │ │║ swing of things as though theyÆd never left is still a rare ║ │ │║ occurrence, particularly when the consensus dictates that ║ │ │║ said bandÆs heyday was more than 30 years ago. Such is the ║ │ │║ story of CaliforniaÆs black sheep of the heavy metal family ║ │ │║ Cirith Ungol, a band that paid their dues and developed ║ │ │║ their sound in the 70s during metalÆs more hard rocking ║ │ │║ days, only to not truly hit their footing until well into ║ │ │║ the 80s where their sound would clash noticeably with the ║ │ │║ glam crowd of the Sunset Strip and the thrashers of the Bay ║ │ │║ Area. It would be an understatement to say that the ║ │ │║ majority of metalÆs fan base of the day that saw epic, ║ │ │║ doom-laden opuses in King Of The Dead and One Foot In Hell ║ │ │║ unleashed didnÆt fully appreciate or even really comprehend ║ │ │║ what they were hearing, to speak nothing for the label and ║ │ │║ production personnel that unwittingly caused the bandÆs ║ │ │║ initial demise, but 2020 is a new year with an audience ║ │ │║ that is all the wiser. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ To the uninitiated, the brand of old school flair that this ║ │ │║ band deals in has an unapologetically retro character to ║ │ │║ it, and did so even at the time when they were at their ║ │ │║ creative peak. Though presenting largely as an early 80s ║ │ │║ epic heavy metal act with an eye for literary fantasy that ║ │ │║ dovetails quite closely with the seminal works of Manilla ║ │ │║ Road, Brocas Helm and even Manowar at times, theyÆve always ║ │ │║ stood apart by having far more of an overt 70s rock ║ │ │║ character that points noticeably to the exploits of Black ║ │ │║ Sabbath, Thin Lizzy and Dio-era Rainbow. The release of ║ │ │║ their newly forged LP Forever Black sees this tendency not ║ │ │║ only continued, but accentuated to the point of sounding ║ │ │║ even more 70s-influenced than their 1981 debut Frost And ║ │ │║ Fire. While much of this owes to vocalist and over-the-top ║ │ │║ impresario Tim Baker unleashing a truly wicked performance ║ │ │║ still indicative of that exaggerated Brian Johnson ║ │ │║ rendition he brought forth in the old days, the ║ │ │║ re-acquisition of original mastermind and ║ │ │║ multi-instrumentalist Greg Lindstrom is the most auspicious ║ │ │║ element in play, and his impact on the songwriting is ║ │ │║ impossible to miss. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Everything about this album speaks to a quintet of ║ │ │║ musicians who are still living in the same era that birthed ║ │ │║ them; a fitting eventuality given that the past several ║ │ │║ years has seen the ongoing rise of a number of prominent ║ │ │║ retro bands sporting a similar sound. From the very onset ║ │ │║ of ôThe Callö, the visual of a lone, sword-wielding warrior ║ │ │║ trudging the endless wastelands becomes apparent as a lone ║ │ │║ horn call and distant wind gusts give way to a march of ║ │ │║ military snare rolls and haunting guitars, and the promise ║ │ │║ of a mighty sonic battle isnÆt far behind. Firing on all ║ │ │║ cylinders emerges a galloping fit of old school rage in ║ │ │║ ôLegions Ariseö that listens like a more amped up ║ │ │║ descendant of ôBlood & Ironö with a slightly less shrieking ║ │ │║ vocal display. This riff-happy and fairly compact anthem ║ │ │║ points to the more streamlined version of this band that ║ │ │║ emerged on One Foot In Hell, and is not alone as driving ║ │ │║ yet slightly less chaotic anthems such as ôThe Fire Divineö ║ │ │║ and ôBefore Tomorrowö see a fairly straightforward rocking ║ │ │║ formula with some catchy hooks carrying the day. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Then again, Cirith Ungol is not a band that lives only by ║ │ │║ moderate length bangers alone, and makes a few auspicious ║ │ │║ occasions to mix things up and bring their epic side to the ║ │ │║ fore. True to their affinity for classic doom tropes, the ║ │ │║ slower paced ôThe Frost Monstremeö proceeds from a dank ║ │ │║ march of heavy guitar work into an up tempo homage to ║ │ │║ ôElectric Funeralö, complete with a correspondingly retro ║ │ │║ bluesy lead guitar display. A similar, more mid-paced nod ║ │ │║ to Black Sabbath is found in the title track ôForever ║ │ │║ Blackö, resting somewhere between a slower ôChildren Of The ║ │ │║ Graveö and a quicker ôSnowblindö. Truth be told, the vast ║ │ │║ majority of the guitar solos found throughout this album ║ │ │║ have a far more blatant Toni Iommi vibe to them than this ║ │ │║ bandÆs seminal 80s offerings. Even lofty semi-ballad ║ │ │║ offerings like the Manowar-tinged ôStormbringerö see this ║ │ │║ traditional blues rocking sentiment permeate its dense, ║ │ │║ atmospheric fringes. When this tendency is deviated from, ║ │ │║ it is often in favor of fleeting harmonized leads ║ │ │║ reminiscent of a UFO and Thin Lizzy as occur on the ║ │ │║ otherwise stomping doom machine ôNightmareö. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ItÆs a given that the small yet very committed flock of ║ │ │║ core fans that were hoping for the Cirith Ungol of the ║ │ │║ mid-80s to make another appearance before all was said and ║ │ │║ done will be quite satisfied with this, as it all but could ║ │ │║ have been released a year or two after One Foot In Hell hit ║ │ │║ the shelves in 1986. The formula is one of unapologetic ║ │ │║ nostalgia, and is sure to be a welcome listen to the ║ │ │║ growing number of traditional metal enthusiasts in the ║ │ │║ current generation who proudly showcase their Slough Feg ║ │ │║ and Eternal Champion t-shits and patches. Likewise, much of ║ │ │║ what is heard on here could pass for the album that Black ║ │ │║ Sabbath should have released back in 1998 when they ║ │ │║ originally reunited with Ozzy and opted to keep everyone in ║ │ │║ suspense for 15 years before finally offering up a tired, ║ │ │║ bland rehash of their glory days. The decade may change, ║ │ │║ but the golden glow of a classic array of Michael ║ │ │║ Moorcock-inspired heroic tales set to heavy metal music ║ │ │║ with the art of Michael Whelan along for the ride will ║ │ │║ never lose its luster. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Originally written for Sonic Perspectives ║ │ │║ (www.sonicperspectives.com) ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 1. The Call 1:04 │ │ 2. Legions Arise 3:19 │ │ 3. The Frost Monstreme 5:15 │ │ 4. The Fire Divine 3:51 │ │ 5. Stormbringer 5:58 │ │ 6. Fractus Promissum 4:08 │ │ 7. Nightmare 5:59 │ │ 8. Before Tomorrow 3:57 │ │ 9. Forever Black 5:34 │ │ │ │ │ │ Total Length : 00:39:05 │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘