Cirith Ungol - Forever Black

Vinyl LP pressing. 2020 release from the iconic metal band. Cirith Ungol first appeared on the scene with their self-financed debut album, Frost and Fire, via their own Liquid Flame Records imprint in April 1981. It was obscure and arcane, mysterious and eccentric, epic and expansive, but most of all unfailingly, bone-crushingly heavy, dark and doom-filled. Now, as the Cirith Ungol resurrection enters it's fifth year, the band proudly presents Forever Black, Cirith Ungol's first collection of all-new material in 29 years! Make no mistake: Forever Black is a classic Cirith Ungol album in every sense of the word. The trademark dark and foreboding riffs, pounding rhythms, and soul-searing vocal attack are instantly recognizable as the Kings of the Dead. From a songwriting standpoint, Forever Black touches on all of the elements that make Cirith Ungol revered, from the exhilarating uptempo call to arms that is "Legions Arise" to the clever incorporation of past glories in "The Frost Monstreme" to the somber and dynamic "Stormbringer" to the primal chest-beating epic finale of the title track. Lyrically, Forever Black explores topics ranging from high fantasy themes to rallying cries for the legions to apocalyptic visions of burning fires, incarnate evil and jet- black darkness. The icing on the cake is the striking cover painting by Michael Whelan, whose magnificent visuals remain inextricably associated with Cirith Ungol.