CIRITH UNGOL: Cult Heavy Metal Outfit To Release New Full-Length, Dark Parade, October 20th On Metal Blade Records
Photo by Peter BesteCult heavy metal outfit CIRITH UNGOL will unleash their sixth full-length, Dark Parade, on October 20th via Metal Blade Records today unveiling the record’s cover art, track listing, and first single!
It is difficult to find a band with a story as uplifting, remarkable, or improbable as CIRITH UNGOL's in the history of the heavy metal underground. It was CIRITH UNGOL, founded in Ventura, California, in the early 1970s, that created an entirely new sound for the world. Apocalyptic and heavier sounds than their influences were forged instead of passively channeling them. Unfailingly, bone-crushingly, grotesquely heavy, dark, and doom-filled, it was obscure and arcane, mysterious and eccentric.
After releasing their studio comeback Forever Black in 2020, CIRITH UNGOL immediately started writing songs for Dark Parade. The global pandemic hamstrung CIRITH UNGOL during their quest to create dark, vibrant art, causing illness, seclusion, grief, and depression. In the same vein as the greatest warriors, they persisted, working on one song at a time in spite of distractions. The first track composed was the crushing “Relentless,” which reinforced their confidence and clarity of vision. The rest of the album came naturally, fueled by personal misery and the tragedy of worldwide collapse.
“Band members lost close relatives and we struggled as best we could through the pandemic which ravaged the earth’s population and economies. As horrifying as it was, it was the perfect backdrop for our doom-laden message of a world on the edge of destruction.”
With all eight demos finished -- which are included on the expanded edition of the album -- CIRITH UNGOL started recording Dark Parade in October 2022. The end result is an unrelenting triumph of pessimism and pain; a charred vista rooted in the crunch-and-crash templates of classic doom metal and NWOBHM but delivered with contemporary production and perspective. The album is propulsive and insistent, reflecting the band’s love for metal, instinct to destroy, and disgust for mankind.
From the majestic eight-minute-long “Sailor On The Seas Of Fate,” which starts with a reflective arpeggio and builds into a pounding, near-tribal volley before segueing into a bleak, slow burn of retribution and agony, to the final three movements of the “Dark Parade” saga (comprised of “Dark Parade,” “Distant Shadows,” and “Down Below”), CIRITH UNGOL’s latest album offers a metallic soundtrack of societal decay and environmental collapse that foreshadows nothing less than total extinction.
In setting the tone for most of the doom-laden album, the album's opener "Velocity (S.E.P.)" is a compact, mid-paced blast of crunching riffs and deft hooks.
“While talking with [vocalist] Tim [Baker] and Rob about what kind of song was needed, a decision was made to stop doing the galloping chugs, as done many times on previous albums, and start doing down-picking chugs while keeping some sort of tie to the CIRITH UNGOL sound. Straying toward a Sabbath or Priest vibe is not far off and happens subconsciously.”
There is a theme of promises made and debts paid in the track. In addition to great rewards, Faust and Johnson also faced great losses at the Crossroads. We will always be reminded of the earthly pleasures we seek come at a price when we read Dante's Inferno. Sell your soul, take the deal, suffer the consequences.
Dark Parade Track Listing:1. Velocity (S.E.P.) 2. Relentless 3. Sailor On The Seas Of Fate 4. Sacrifice 5. Looking Glass 6. Dark Parade 7. Distant Shadows 8. Down Below
Find preorders at metalblade.com/cirithungol.Dark Parade will be available on digipak-CD, digitally, and LP in the following color variants:• Special edition LP (slipcase w/ hot-foil embossing, 2xLP incl. demos of the entire album, 12” booklet, 2 posters, art print, tote bag – ltd. 1000)• 180g Black vinyl (EU excl.)• Olive Green Marbled vinyl (EU excl. – ltd. 700)• Charcoal Marbled vinyl (EU excl. – ltd. 500)• Pale Grey w/ Black Smoke vinyl (EU excl. – ltd. 500)• Gold "Black Dust" vinyl (Metal Blade Store EU excl. – ltd. 300)• Fog Marbled vinyl (US excl.)• Grey/ Black Marbled vinyl (US excl.)On October 20th, CIRITH UNGOL will play a special record release show at The Roxy in West Hollywood, marking the band's first Los Angeles live appearance since 1985. A full set of classic material will be played as part of the performance to commemorate The Roxy's 50th anniversary. A future live release will also be recorded and filmed. [Tickets]
CIRITH UNGOL:
Tim Baker – vocals
Jimmy Barraza – guitar
Greg Lindstrom – guitar
Rob Garven - drums
Jarvis Leatherby – bass
