Customer Reviews

King of Dead

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As co-founder and drummer of Cirith Ungol for 22 years I feel I can say without a doubt that this was our best effort. A previous reviewer mentioned that "Frost & Fire" sounded thrown together. The real truth is that we had been in the band for 9 years already and "Frost & Fire" was our attempt to get airplay and find success with what we considered some of our more accessable music. When the local LA station KLOS played it once and considered it too heavy, we decided to go for broke with our second album. I disagree and think Tim singing is not only excellent and that "Frost & Fire" has some of his best vocals. "'Im Alive" was one of our all time best songs, which we started almost every set with. The LA Times said that Pearl Jams "Alive" was a blatant rip off of our song, which is debatable. Considering we produced, self recorded and paid for the entire project and that we were one of if not the first independent band to put out their own album during the wave of indie productions during that time, I think F&F and KOTD is a mandatory listen.

That said "King of the Dead" is my favorite and the last album which we had total control over. I am proud that we are mentioned in the same breath as bands that were epic and hope you all appreciate what we were trying to acomplish at a time when only big label bands had any chance of distribution or airplay.

Rob Garven
May 2007

Cirith Ungol's second effort, King of the Dead, displays far more of what your average fan of heavy metal is looking for than did their first album, the sub-par Frost and Fire. King is much darker, much louder, and much better.

Actually, King's chief advantage over Frost is that the songs on King actually sound planned out, whereas the songs on Frost sound like something the band threw together to fill out the album. Everything improves from Frost to King. The guitar solos from Jerry Fogle highlight the album, and backing them up are the superb bass riffs of "Flint" Vujea, adding that extra depth and heaviness that make Cirith Ungol the excellent band they came to be. Highlighting the album are the tracks "Atom Smasher" "King of the Dead" "Finger of Scorn" (upon which you will hear one of the few examples of Cirith Ungol unplugged) and "Cirith Ungol" itself.

Don't let the band's obscurity keep you from getting this CD. If you like early Black Sabbath, you will almost certainly like King. But be warned: Tim Baker is the worst lead singer of all time. His "vocals" rarely rise above the virtuosity of two-note shrieks.

Let's make no mistake about it, Cirith Ungol is one of the greatest heavy metal bands ever. Ever (even though they were terribly short lived in the sense of getting any respect from a sorry ass record company). There is a lot of talk about the lead singer - if you like Halford, you will have no problem here. People just seem to get hung up on the singer and I don't quite get it because I think he is great. Since we are on the subject, the vocals are high pitched. What a concept for metal! He also has a doomy, dramatic singing style that fits their sound (subsequently Saint Vitus captured a similar vocal style with several singers). It's not death metal. It is clear, fantastic metal, but they don't tune low so it's not the crushing sound - it's "brighter" if that makes any sense. They capture an "epic" sound; a "majestic" larger than life sound - I'm no musician but it seems to have some roots in the anthemic sound of classical music but without sounding silly when played. It is just hard to describe; it's almost operatic (sorry, is that a word) at times. They take metal and introduce a larger than life science fiction sort of feeling to their music. But it is NOT power metal; it is HEAVY METAL that makes you want to grind your teeth and take prisoners. Now, lets talk about bass playing. You will not hear better bass playing. It is that simple, the bass is magnificent. And the lead guitar, well, it is magnificent also. This is Metal. It is not mean, ugly metal, it is pure and amazing. Buy this, it is fantastic. As Robert Garvin states it is their best effort in every way. Oh, and I know I'm going on but he drums his ass off on this album. Cheers!

Mention the music of Cirith Ungol and most people will give you a vacant stare, but hard core metal aficionados will know exactly what you're talking about. Cirith Ungol never achieved any lasting fame...in fact they were never more than an underground band in their prime. It's not difficult to understand why they always remained a niche band: weird vocalist, dungeons & dragons imagery and no desire to write commercial music. Vocalist Tim Baker has a totally unique singing style (some listeners find him absolutely excruciating to listen to), a kind of bark/scream delivery. Those willing to give Cirith Ungol a chance will find a lot of rewarding material on "King Of The Dead." Standout tracks are "Atom Smasher," "Black Machine," the fantastic "Finger Of Scorn," and "Master Of The Pit." This is a good album that deserves to be heard by all lovers of metal that enjoy classic Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Great bass lines...good guitar...memorable vocals. Start with this album, and then pick up "Paradise Lost," One Foot In Hell," and "Frost & Fire."

As far as doom metal is concerned, Cirith Ungol is one of the ultimate bands of all time. Back in the day, metal was not supposed to be "pretty" or completely melodic ballads. It was like going to a horror movie on friday night, there's no doubt about it Tim Baker's voice heard for the first time will definitely "scare" you! I bought this album when it was released in 1984 (damn i'm getting old!) and I still play it today.It's coming up on 20 years old! A solid must for any metalhead from "the old school".

This was the album where it all came together musically and creatively for Cirith Ungol. It seemed that "Frost and Fire" was a learning experience for the band, but by the time they got into the studio to record "King of the Dead" the learning was over. Musically, the album boasts numerous compositions that are simply amazing. Excellent riffs and wonderful guitar work, along with the driving rythyms behind them. I absolutely love the heavy riffs, combined with the fuzzy guitar sounds. Lyrically, Tim Baker is at his best, singing about the familiar themes of doom, death and all things bleak. The entire album is excellent, one of the best 'pure' heavy metal albums ever recorded.

Standout tracks are 'King of the Dead', 'Master of the Pit', 'Death of the Sun' and the incredible 'Finger of Scorn' which contains excellent acoustic guitar parts.

Cirith Ungol is one of those bands that differs so much from the norm, some people may dislike their music at first. if you listen to albums like King of Dead with an open-mind, you will soon realize Cirith Ungol is one of the most underrated bands out there.

You gotta get this if you don't have it. There was nothing like it in the day and there is nothing like it today. Awesome vocals, ripping guitar solos, unimagined bass lines, and top notch drum rolls. This album is heavy doom at its tastiest. Progressive metal before there was such a thing. My personal favorite is "Master Of The Pit". With a searing opening guitar intro and one of the best solos ever in metal history at the end. This album is sophisticated,complex,moving and incredible. If you've never heard it. Take a listen. If you"ve heard it and don't have it..get it. If you want something different This is the one. No disappoinment here. A+++ rating.

this is quality metal,thru and thru.not speed metal or thrash,think more along the lines of mercyful fate.not that they sound like fate,that is just a point of reference.
this album has great tempo changes,memorable riffs,classic raspy/high pitched vocals(no cookie monster death grunts here....)i am serious,if you have never heard this album and consider yourself a lover of heavy metal,consider this a mandatory purchase!

This is VERY high quality album. For pure, uncommercial metal, it can't be beat, and most people haven't even heard of it! The music is terrific, the riffs are fresh and memorable, the solos are almost unfathomably beautiful, and the vocals... well, they're awesome, if likely to be a bit unpalatable to modern music consumers. Highly recommended. After 20 years, it's still one of my favourites.