A Tribute To Cirith Ungol (Fanpage)

Cult is a word, which is used respectively is abused almost inflationary in the music business. Nevertheless there is no better description for the works of the band ‚Cirith Ungol'. This was found 1971 in Ventura near L.A by Robert Garven and Greg Lindstrom. After years of touring through almost all live clubs in L.A. eventually the debut album was recorded (after more than 8 years). 1993 ‚Cirith Ungol' was unfortunately conquered by the Hordes of Chaos.

Thematically the troop, as the name of the band (Cirith Ungol: a tower of evil, which arose Tolkiens world) reveals, was committed to the fantasy genre. So every album is graced by a bombastic fantasy cover of Michael Whelan, and because of this, they outstand from the mass of metal records.

Commercially viewed Cirith Ungol sadly never had success. It seems that most of the people can't do anything with it or at least not much with the 'Sword & Sorcery Metal' (Epic Metal). You will be overwhelmed by the depths of the several masterpieces - as like many brilliant songs - not until multiple hearings. Therefor the reward is so much the sweeter, at the numerous soli and the unique characteristic riffs of the exception guitarist Jerry Fogle, some (high priced) guitar player still can learn something. The singing of Tim Baker also helps anchoring the combo rock-solid into the auditory canal of the listeners. A Progressive-Metal fan and editor of the legendary German Metal Fanzine ‚Giants Lore' *1) describes his voice as follows: '… which shrieks and howls through the songs as if the last prophecy already arrived and god's wrath is near."

Right these vocals make the songs so unique, and fit 100 per cent to the atmosphere, which it radiates. The music is just better as it sounds (firstly!) ;-) Seriously this kind of metal doesn't thrill the most spontaneously. But, if you figured it out, after intensive engagement, the music will remain unforgettable. Anyway I for myself can hear the music after all these years still enthusiastic, which I can say only of some bands.

The main reason for the financial problem of the inconvenient combo was, that they haven't found a label, which wanted to support them adequate. So all of the albums were recorded in own direction and were distributed over several companies. But without the otherwise usual support. It makes sad, that no band can have success without promotion, even if it's very good.

The big mass demands for, from the big music companies, industrial manufactured mainstream-rock, which is amplified by the hype, staged by marketing-stretegists (see Giants Lore Mag No. 2: Thoughts of an Unknown)

Thomas Becker describes the misery accurate in the last Escape Magazine No. 9: "… for most of the people music has no other function as a car or a tv set, it doesn't depend on emotion, it depends on image,…"

Well, none of the old works is available as original now. A first ray of hope was a, of the label ONE WAY RECORDS in 1995 released double album, which contained the first two albums as digital-remastered re-releases. In the meantime needless to say, not in stock anymore. A new push happened 1999, when METAL BLADE RECORDS published the first three masterpieces again, whereas "Frost and Fire" and "King of the Dead" glared with additional bonus material. In 2002 finally a dream of many Cirith Ungol-disciples came true, when METAL BLADE RECORDS released the Double-CD "Servents of Chaos", which certainly is due to the engagement and the immoveable will of the band founder Robert Garven. On it real delicacy, from live-recordings over recordings in Rob's house to versions of songs ‚as they should have been released'. Additionally each (!) track has a multiline comment of Greg (CD1) or Rob (CD2). The first three discs (re-released) and the phenomenal "Servants…" are still available, so everyone, who hasn't knocked down, should do this absolute.

*1) A Progressive-Metal-Fanzine, which was published in the end of the Eighties by two private persons.

The albums:

(with short demos, all 32kbit/s, mono, each appr. 1 min. playing time)

"Frost and Fire", 1981, Liquid Flames Records, Re-Released 1999 Metal Blade Records (my fav. songs: I' m alive, What does it take, Edge of a knife ...) Excerpt from "I'm alive" Available as METAL BLADE RECORDS re-release

"King of the Dead", 1984, Electa, Enigma, One Way Records *2, Roadrunner Records, Re-Released 1999 Metal Blade Records (King of the dead, Master of the pit (one of the most ingenious soli at all), Finger of scorn..) Excerpt from "Master of the pit" Available as METAL BLADE RECORDS re-release

"One Foot in Hell", 1986, Metal Blade Records, Re-Released 1999 (Nadsokor, Blood and iron, War eternal...) Excerpt from "The Fire" Available as METAL BLADE RECORDS re-release

"Paradise Lost", 1991(1988), Restless Record (Chaos rising ...) a little different in style Excerpt from "Chaos rising" Not available anymore

"Servants of Chaos", 2002, Metal Blade Records (Master of the pit, King of the dead ...) Available at METAL BLADE RECORDS

Lyrics-Excerpts

(complete lyrics by clicking the corresponding cover)

In their own Words..

Letter to a "priest of chaos" from Bamberg (Bavaria) , ~1991, each appr. 70 kByte

Members:

	Tim Baker, vocals 1981 -
Robert Garven, drums 1981 -
	Jerry Fogle, guitars - 1986, deceased at 20.08.98
Micheal (Flint) Vujea, bass -1986
	Greg Lindstrom, bass 1971-1980, 2nd guitar, Synth, E.Bow 1980-1982 -1982

Jim Barraza, guitars 1991-

Vernon Green, bass 1991-

This homepage is a pure fan-page, without any commercial interests. Text, as well as pictures and sound fragments shall merely illustrate, what the band and its workings embodied.

We would be happy about proposals, qualified critics or just friendly emails from like-minded people.

Contact:

gunther@chaos-lords.de

rudi@chaos-lords.de

You could also send a mail to Robert Garven himself: robertgarven@earthlink.net

The rights to the fantasy-cover underlie exclusively Michael R. Whelan.

The rights to the pictures underlie Greg Hazard.

"Cirith Ungol" is a trademark of Tolkien Enterprises.

This page is dedicated the memory of a great guitar-player,
who tragically died 1998:
Jerry Fogle