┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Cirith Ungol - Paradise Lost + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Rls Date..2020-06-05 Encoder......LAME 3.100 ║ │ │║ Genre.....Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year......2016 Khz/Bitrate..44.1 / VBR kbps ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper....Anthem Songs........14 ║ │ │║ Source....CD Covers.......Yes ║ │ │║ Url.. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Cirith Ungol ║ │ │║ Album : Paradise Lost ║ │ │║ Label : Metal Blade Records ║ │ │║ Cat.No : 3984-15462-2 ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Whenever an unpopular stance is taken, it is necessary to ║ │ │║ lend at least some credence to the prevailing position and ║ │ │║ take a quasi-apologetic tone when making one's case. ║ │ │║ Wherein one of the most enigmatic bands of the early epic ║ │ │║ heavy metal movement is concerned, not to mention one ║ │ │║ highly regarded by a vocal subset of the community, few ║ │ │║ topics are as controversial as the status of the final ║ │ │║ studio offering of their original run. It is the textbook ║ │ │║ definition of swimming against the tide to heap praise upon ║ │ │║ an album that has been publicly condemned by one of the ║ │ │║ very musicians that helped create it, and drummer and ║ │ │║ co-founder Robert Garven was quite specific in his ║ │ │║ recollection of Paradise Lost, the long awaited and heavily ║ │ │║ delayed fourth LP of steadfast purveyors of things ║ │ │║ metallic, fantastical and retro Cirith Ungol. To state that ║ │ │║ this is an outlier in relation to its predecessors would be ║ │ │║ an understatement, much of it owing to a massive shakeup in ║ │ │║ the band's classic lineup, but different doesn't ║ │ │║ necessarily translate into bad and there is still enough of ║ │ │║ the band's signature sound in place to make it relatable to ║ │ │║ the raw, long-winded grandeur of King Of The Dead and One ║ │ │║ Foot In Hell. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Despite the past protests of Garven and the ongoing ones of ║ │ │║ this band's cult following, the chief flaw of this album is ║ │ │║ the year that it was released. Given that some of this ║ │ │║ material has been noted by the former as having been ║ │ │║ composed when classic era guitarist Jerry Fogle and bassist ║ │ │║ Michael "Flint" Vujejia were still in congress circa 1987, ║ │ │║ it logically follows that the original target date of this ║ │ │║ album's release would have been 1988 or '89, and the ║ │ │║ correspondingly compressed and slickly mixed sound ║ │ │║ definitely conforms more to a late 80s production as ║ │ │║ opposed to an early 90s one. Indeed, the often cited ║ │ │║ friction between the band and producer Ron Goudie would ║ │ │║ seem to indicate that the latter was attempting to pull ║ │ │║ things away from the band's looser, retro-70s rock-based ║ │ │║ feel towards something tighter and more in line with ║ │ │║ mainstream metal sensibilities, particularly that of ║ │ │║ certain thrash and power metal acts of the time such as ║ │ │║ Sacred Warrior, Vengeance Rising and Gwar, whom Goudie and ║ │ │║ his primary engineer Robert Feist were working with at the ║ │ │║ time. This also explains the approach of having each ║ │ │║ musician brought in separately and playing to a click-track ║ │ │║ alone, as it would work as a disincentive against the Ward ║ │ │║ and Butler-inspired jam-band approach that Garven was keen ║ │ │║ to take and force a more unified sound. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Be all of this as it may, the exodus of this band's seminal ║ │ │║ bassist and guitarist duo from the fold also speaks to a ║ │ │║ change in priority in songwriting and style that shines ║ │ │║ through in these songs regardless of the radically ║ │ │║ different production, a shift that brings things closer to ║ │ │║ where metal was at the time of its likely intended year of ║ │ │║ release. The entrance of guitarist Jim Barazza of the ║ │ │║ recently defunct and fellow Ventura, California-based metal ║ │ │║ outfit Prophecy brings in more of a flashy metallic ║ │ │║ flourish into the mix, not all that dissimilar to what ║ │ │║ Herman Frank brought to Accept back in 1983. He was ║ │ │║ originally intended to share lead Jerry Fogle to bring in a ║ │ │║ dueling soloist element, according to Garven's account of ║ │ │║ things, and even in their former ax-man's absence this ║ │ │║ approach is maintained in the studio via overdubs and ║ │ │║ occasional input by otherwise unknown session guitarist Joe ║ │ │║ Malatesta. Combined with a bass performance out of newly ║ │ │║ recruited Vernon Green that is highly reminiscent of Steve ║ │ │║ Harris, much of this album finds itself in territory ║ │ │║ comparable to the likes of Iron Maiden's Powerslave and ║ │ │║ Accept's Russian Roulette almost as much as it manages to ║ │ │║ maintain an affinity with the band's 70s roots. Even ║ │ │║ vocalist Tim Baker's flamboyant banshee howls have been ║ │ │║ notably toned down to a more measured roar, occasionally ║ │ │║ even morphing into something resembling a human singing ║ │ │║ voice. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ To state that this album comes off as more disciplined and ║ │ │║ more controlled may suggest that it is less intense, but ║ │ │║ the exact opposite proves to be the case when these songs ║ │ │║ rampage through the stereo speakers. Riff-happy, almost ║ │ │║ power metal-like crushers like "Join The Legions" and the ║ │ │║ gallop-happy epic "Heaven Help Us" don't pull any punches, ║ │ │║ employing recurring gang-choruses and layered vocal ║ │ │║ harmonies normally avoided on previous outings and balance ║ │ │║ this band's tendencies towards instrumental elaboration ║ │ │║ with some truly infectious hooks. The punchy grooves of ║ │ │║ "Before The Lash" lean to more of a Balls To The Walls vibe ║ │ │║ and see Baker's raw snarls melding perfectly with a ║ │ │║ mid-paced, catchy anthem. "Go It Alone", a song that was ║ │ │║ originally conceived for Barazza's previous band Prophecy, ║ │ │║ has a tad more of a happy-go-lucky, Twisted Sister/Quiet ║ │ │║ Riot feel to it, but maintains the heaviness factor ║ │ │║ sufficiently and proves to be only a slightly weaker link ║ │ │║ in an otherwise unbreakable chain. On the other hand, the ║ │ │║ harrowing stomp of "The Troll" and the metallic remake of ║ │ │║ The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown's "Fire" present a darker ║ │ │║ and more forbidding character more in line with what fans ║ │ │║ of Cirith Ungol's older offerings were likely expecting, ║ │ │║ albeit presented in a more powerful arrangement that could ║ │ │║ stand toe to toe with the likes of Crimson Glory and King ║ │ │║ Diamond. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Barring the previously mentioned longer offering "Heaven ║ │ │║ Help Us", much of what is brought to the table on this ║ │ │║ album is of a far more streamlined and symmetrical nature, ║ │ │║ but this changes during the final third of its duration. ║ │ │║ While the general air of tightness and organization ║ │ │║ persists, a sizable return to the more unconventional and ║ │ │║ doom-steeped days of yesteryear emerge with "Chaos Rising". ║ │ │║ This longer running composition spends much of its time in ║ │ │║ gloomy territory comparable to Candlemass, with Tim Baker ║ │ │║ even switching out his shrieks on occasion for a dreary ║ │ │║ baritone that's pretty close to Johan LΣngquist, though it ║ │ │║ kicks things up to a swift pace and peppers on the flashy ║ │ │║ guitar solos enough to make Tipton and Downing fairly ║ │ │║ quickly. A similar tale are told in the more consistently ║ │ │║ down-tempo yet still bombastic epic doom trudge of "Fallen ║ │ │║ Idols", which arguably veers the closest to being a ║ │ │║ holdover from One Foot In Hell with Green even channeling ║ │ │║ some of Flint's Geezer Butler influences amid a more ║ │ │║ heavily layered production. The closing hurrah and title ║ │ │║ song "Paradise Lost" sees things kicked back up to an ║ │ │║ faster, more power metal-like stride, with the riff set ║ │ │║ almost sounding like a more Sabbath-infused take on ║ │ │║ something Queensryche or Fates Warning might have done back ║ │ │║ in mid-80s, yet it still feels quite appropriate in the ║ │ │║ context of this band's previous works. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ The passage of time has an ability to heal most wounds, and ║ │ │║ with Metal Blade Records finally acquiring the publishing ║ │ │║ rights to this album in 2016 for a proper reissue, it is ║ │ │║ safe to say that bygones have become bygones insofar as the ║ │ │║ now reformed Cirith Ungol's attitude toward this album is ║ │ │║ concerned. Nevertheless, this album's greatest strength is ║ │ │║ that it defies the otherwise consistent underground ║ │ │║ demeanor of this band's sound and gives it a greater ║ │ │║ crossover appeal to those not bound to epic heavy metal ║ │ │║ purism. It shouldn't be regarded as a wholly commercial ║ │ │║ beast, though it is far more accessible, but rather as an ║ │ │║ accidental catharsis of a raw, untamed intensity with a ║ │ │║ forced sense of structure that emerges all the stronger ║ │ │║ despite the massive friction that existed during its birth. ║ │ │║ For those that it may lose due to its more polished and ║ │ │║ slick demeanor, it ought to gain two or three-fold that ║ │ │║ number among those who enjoyed the USPM with occasional ║ │ │║ progressive flashes that defined Crimson Glory and early ║ │ │║ Queensryche, alongside the grittier offerings of early Omen ║ │ │║ and Helstar. It may still be an acquired taste relative to ║ │ │║ a lot of the better known material of the 80s, but it is ║ │ │║ far easier to acquire while also possessing a greater ║ │ │║ degree of technical flair and staying power. Potential ║ │ │║ accusations of contrarianism and the contemptible practices ║ │ │║ of Restless Records aside, this is the best that Cirith ║ │ │║ Ungol has to offer, and it deserves far more credit than it ║ │ │║ has received. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 1. Join The Legion 4:32 │ │ 2. The Troll 3:51 │ │ 3. Fire 3:02 │ │ 4. Heaven Help Us 6:25 │ │ 5. Before The Lash 4:41 │ │ 6. Go It Alone 4:27 │ │ 7. Chaos Rising 8:43 │ │ 8. Fallen Idols 6:47 │ │ 9. Paradise Lost 6:15 │ │ 10. Join The Legion (Alt Mix) 4:32 │ │ 11. The Troll (Alt Mix) 3:52 │ │ 12. Before The Lash (Alt Mix) 4:34 │ │ 13. Chaos Rising (Alt Mix) 8:44 │ │ 14. Paradise Lost (Alt Mix) 6:12 │ │ │ │ │ │ Total Length : 01:16:37 │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘