Cirith Ungol — King of the Dead

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

39 years ago this week, the “King of the Dead” began his reign” with the “Atom Smasher” to do his bidding!

On July 2, 1984, Cirith Ungol released their second full-length studio album “King of the Dead”. It was self-produced by the band and released via Enigma Records. It was re-released in September 1999 on Metal Blade Records.

Background:

Band member Robert Garven declared in an interview;

"King of the Dead” was our best album, the reason was that we had total control over it. Every album could have been this good if we could have exercised complete control over its production and other things. This is the album which I feel is our best effort. The reason the long wait between albums is because when you are financing them yourselves, you have to come up with the money to pay for things like studio time. Plus being on all these independent labels their time tables are slower. I also did all the layout and design of the first three covers, all this while we were all working full-time trying to sponsor the dream."

Guitarist Greg Lindstrom, who left the band in 1982, two years before the release of this album, said;

"Atom Smasher,” “Cirith Ungol” and “Death of the Sun” were all songs we had written together in the mid 70's, and “Finger of Scorn” was one of my songs that the band used with my blessing."

The cover of Michael Moorcock's novel "Bane of the Black Sword" acts as the album's cover: it is titled "King of the Dead" and was painted by Michael Whelan.

Critical Reception:

In 2019, Metal Hammer ranked it as the 14th-best Power Metal album of all time.

In Decibel Magazine’s biweekly column “The Lazarus Pit”, Jeff Treppel retrospectively praised the album, saying;

“You can hear the legacy of “King of the Dead” today, in groups like The Gates of Slumber, Hammers of Misfortune, and even Boris (although I can’t think of anyone who screeches quite like Baker). And while Cirith Ungol never found the success they deserved (or even replicated the quality of this record), “King of the Dead” remains a perfect little diamond in the rough, waiting to be discovered… BY YOU.”

While Steve Huey from AllMusic was very critical of the album, saying;

“King of the Dead”, Cirith Ungol's second album, is actually something of a step backwards from “Frost and Fire”; the production sounds a little muddier, the song structures less focused, and the hooks less apparent. "Hooks," of course, refers mainly to the guitar riffs, because vocalist Tim Baker still hardly ever steps out of his shrill sing-speak delivery, which listeners generally find either deliciously evil or overdone and irritatingly silly. Cirith Ungol is actually a pretty ambitious band, but they're also somewhat amateurish and cartoonishly over-the-top. Those aren't necessarily reasons to dismiss their music, since bands like Venom and Celtic Frost -- who were generally critically reviled during their existence -- actually planted the seeds of the Death Metal revolution; however, Cirith Ungol doesn't have Venom's extremity or Celtic Frost's restless experimentation going for them, and they don't have the songwriting chops to make up for those deficiencies. It's apparent on “King of the Dead” that Cirith Ungol had a great deal of potential, but they don't bring it together here.

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “King of the Dead” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/king-of-the-dead-ultimate-edition/1215864858

Click this link to listen to “King of the Dead” via Spotify: King of the Dead https://open.spotify.com/album/6vGlda09oy3XWANPmXT35n

Click this link to follow Cirith Ungol on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cirithungolofficial

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Cirith Ungol — King of the Dead

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