ALBUM REVIEW: Forever Black – Cirith Ungol

Those of a certain age would have thought this day would never come. The last time California’s CIRITH UNGOL released an album, METALLICA‘s self-titled was less than two weeks old, George H.W Bush was in the White House and Leeds Utd had just started their last title-winning season. Not long after Paradise Lost saw the light of day, CIRITH UNGOL were no more, gone from the world for nearly twenty-five years. A reformation in 2016, followed by a live album the following year, fuelled expectations that there may be new music on the horizon and tomorrow, those expectations are realised. Forever Black, the band’s fifth album and first in nearly three decades, is released via Metal Blade and is the first studio release to feature bassist Jarvis Leatherby.

To call CIRITH UNGOL ‘old school’ is like referring to the current global climate as ‘a bit of a nuisance’. Formed in 1971, these guys were four years ahead of IRON MAIDEN and MÖTÖRHEAD and on the other side of the world, becoming a godfather in the fledgling US metal scene that was soon to spread its wings properly and take flight With this in mind, it’s wholly unsurprising that Forever Black is lo-fi, raw and a massive throwback to yesteryear when a lot of metal records were recorded in this manner. That being said, the few years back from the wilderness have proved valuable – it doesn’t take much of Legions Arise to deduce that CIRITH UNGOL are not showing signs of rust at all. This is once more a well-oiled machine, albeit going a couple of notches slower than they have done, which is to be expected. However, the impact of The Frost Monstreme and The Fire Divine do not suffer; in fact, their progressive leanings suit them well in this day and age. In addition, vocalist Tim Baker is still in fine fettle, his best performance on the record coming with Stormbringer in the heart of the album.

So far, so good. But this isn’t the mid 90’s anymore – time has moved on, technology has advanced, bands have evolved. For all that CIRITH UNGOL provide a hearty warmth in terms of nostalgia, the second half of Forever Black suffers as the quality tails off. The production turns from a benefit to a burden, with Nightmare and Before Tomorrow sounding dated, whilst the consistency in the tempo begins to drift from progressive to ploddy. There’s nothing particularly terrible about the tracks, but they certainly don’t shine in the way the first half does. Thankfully, the title track stops the rot and brings the quality back up. All of a sudden, the band feel darker and somehow heavier, as if they too had noticed a dip and refocused their efforts on making sure their comeback doesn’t fizzle out. It works as well, with the final notes drawing Forever Black to a satisfying conclusion, albeit one that more simmers than sparkles.

If CIRITH UNGOL are planning a renaissance and opening themselves up to a new generation of fans, Forever Black is a step in the right direction, but will need improvement in terms of production and more variety in the songs, even if they’re all around the same theme. That being said, they’re probably just wanting to make more music again and for that, this is exactly what was required. Welcome back boys, you have been sorely missed.

Rating: 7/10

Forever Black is set for release April 24th via Metal Blade Records. 

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