Cirith Ungol - London Review

Following a busy end to last week, it was good to spend most of the weekend at home. I essentially had one and a half days of rest, which included a roast out with family, but, as I previously mentioned, this past long weekend included three shows - so yesterday I headed back up to London for the second time in less than a week. I took an early train again, which meant that I had sometime to walk another of my favourite record/CD shopping routes via Notting Hill and Shepherd's Bush - before tubing out to the Hampsted/Belsize Park area of the city where I was staying. Following lunch in Franco Manca, I checked into the Premier Inn and ended up having something of an afternoon nap following a warm afternoon of walking around London - so I was feeling a little more refreshed by the time 6pm rolled around and it was time to think about heading out for the night. The reason for the trip to London was to catch a very rare UK appearance by the California-based heavy metal veterans Cirith Ungol. Last night's show in Camden was the band's second ever UK appearance - and it is also likely to be their last, as they are planning to retire at the end of the year. Despite the band's legendary status as one of metal's key underground acts, I only started to listen to them a few years ago - particularly around the time that Forever Black dropped in 2020. Whilst I am now pretty well versed in the band's catalogue, I would still consider myself something of a casual fan of Cirith Ungol. I like all of their six albums quite a bit, but they are not a band that I listen to all that often - but spinning one of their doomy and primal albums can really hit the spot when I am in the mood for such a thing. I think that it is fair to say that there is no other band out there quite like Cirith Ungol. Their brand of metal is hard to describe, apart from to say that it is raw and with an atmosphere unlike anything else. Much of this stems from the howls of frontman Tim Baker, but the band's somewhat bluesy, somewhat doomy, and somewhat NWOBHM-adjacent sound also helps - and it is great that the band have been active again in recent years. It seems a shame, then, that they are looking to retire - but this recent reunion has likely surpassed all of the band's expectations, so signing off on a high after two well-received albums and quite a few shows around the world seems only fair. The venue for the night was The Underworld in Camden - but it was originally supposed to take place at the O2 Academy in Islington, before being moved a few weeks ago. In truth, I would have preferred it if the show had taken place in Islington. I have grown to like The Underworld quite a bit over the years, but it can be an unpleasant place to be when it is overly full. Cirith Ungol attracted a large crowd by the venue's standards - which meant that views were poor and it was extremely hot. The O2 Academy is not perfect, either, but I feel it would have been more suitable given the healthy turnout - but I suppose a grimy band like Cirith Ungol suit a grimy venue like The Underworld.

Prior to Cirith Ungol's set, though, the large crowd were treated to sets from two support acts - both of whom received strong receptions. Up first, from Manchester, were old-school five-piece Heavy Sentence - who certainly have a retro NWOBHM-adjacent sound, albeit with a heavier edge and certainly an influence from more extreme music. This was evident in frontman Gareth Howells' voice, but his very gravelly and gruff delivery suited the band's grimy, yet melodic, sound - with guitarists Tim Orrocks and Jack MacMichael often teaming up throughout the set for some old fashioned harmony guitar leads. That being said, though, I do not think that it would be fair to say that Heavy Sentence's sound was purely a throwback. Their influences are clear, but they did not sound like another new band just playing songs that sound like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest - and there were clearly other influences at play including, perhaps, Cirith Ungol themselves. I had not heard of the band prior to the show, but I was generally pretty impressed with their set. At first I thought that Howells' voice would grate on me, but he turned out to be an engaging frontman and, despite his gravelly tones, adept at crafting a vocal melody. Many of the songs during the band's 30-odd minute set were pretty hooky, with old-school shout-along choruses which are clearly made to be heard live. Plenty of busy solos were thrown in, too, as is to be expected, but it never felt like the band were trying to be a guitar hero outfit - with the songs more about the whole package and vibe rather than individual moments. I got the impression that I was in the minority when it came to not being aware of the band, too, as they received a strong reception from the off. There were plenty in the crowd singing along to all of the big choruses, particularly near the front - and very little needed to be done to get those who had turned up early onside. I certainly enjoyed the band's set, more than I had suspected initially, and Heavy Sentence seem like a band that I need to delve into a bit more - as there is a lot to like in the band's gritty and melodic sound.

The evening's main support act, though, was the California-based three-piece Night Demon - who have often been seen as Cirith Ungol's sister band due to Jarvis Leatherby (vocals/bass guitar) being a member of both and, as a result, their regular appearances together on the same bill. With Armand John Anthony (guitar/vocals) also a live member of Cirith Ungol these days, two of the three members of Night Demon pulled double duty at the show - with only new drummer Brian Wilson not doing so. As is the case with Cirith Ungol, too, I would consider myself a casual, but interested, fan of Night Demon. The band's brand of old-school NWOBHM-influenced metal is certainly more traditional than what Heavy Sentence hit the crowd with previously, but the three-piece do it well - with Leatherby's voice reminiscent of the DIY frontmen of the NWOBHM era and Anthony a guitarist with plenty of flash in his playing. Night Demon are a band, though, where I tend to prefer their older material. Whilst I can appreciate the more progressive and atmospheric leanings of last year's Outsider, the band really shine when they just go for it. The title track from the latest album is a rocker, though, and it got the set off to a fine start - with older cuts like Screams in the Night and Dawn Rider also hitting the spot early on. The latter in particular was a real winner, with a shout-along chorus made for the stage which plenty sung along to. I do not think that Night Demon received quite as strong a reception as Heavy Sentence had done, at least early on, but there was still a lot of love in the room for the three-piece - as the plentiful singing suggested. I did feel, though, that the middle portion of the set got bogged down a bit with more atmospheric material. The Howling Man, an earlier attempt at a more slow-burning sound, Beyond the Grave, and The Wrath all in a row did see the energy levels drop somewhat - and the trio might have benefitted from being split up by something punchier. That being said, though, the final three songs of the night really got things back on track - with three faster and riffier songs to bring the band's 50-odd minute set to a powerful close. The anthemic Welcome to the Night got this final lap underway in fine fashion, but it was two cuts from the band's debut EP which were arguably the highlights of the night. The melodic The Chalice was a lot of fun, with a guy in a death costume taking the stage, whilst the band's self-titled track rounded out what was ultimately a bit of a mixed set in a powerful manner. There is certainly a lot to like about Night Demon, but they are definitely better at one type of material over another and, live at least, I think that they would excel if they really played to their strengths. The setlist was:

Prelude

Outsider

Screams in the Night

Escape from Beyond

Dawn Rider

The Howling Man

Beyond the Grave

The Wrath

Welcome to the Night

The Chalice

Night Demon

By this point the venue was extremely full and very hot - so I decided to stand 'upstairs' rather than down on the floor so that I could have a bit more space and feel less hemmed in. It meant that my views of Cirith Ungol's set were not always great, but I enjoyed it more that way, despite still being very hot, and the band's 75 minute set was a powerful one. Despite something of a compromised line-up, with Anthony the only guitarist given that Jim Barraza retired last year for health reasons and Greg Lindstrom was conspicuous by his absence, the four-piece rattled through a 13-song setlist with ease - with Baker and founding drummer Robert Garven bring all of their experience from the band's heyday. All six of the band's albums were represented in the set, although there was generally a focus on the classics. Four songs from the two reunion albums were present, though, but the crowd really wanted to hear the favourites - and the opening one-two punch of Atom Smasher and I'm Alive certainly kick started the set nicely. The former showcased the band's doomy weight, but it was perhaps the latter which really kicked the energy levels up a notch - with the crowd belting the chorus hook back at Baker. Despite his advanced years, Baker still sounds fantastic. His idiosyncratic voice still sounds as raw as it did in the 1980s, and he powered above the band in a mix that seemed to favour him. It was great to see one of the old masters at work - with the more melancholic Sailor on the Seas of Fate slowing things down somewhat early on to give his vocals even more room to breathe. It was a shame that the guitarists from the classic era were not present, but Anthony did a fine job on his own - and there were numerous lengthy solos during the night for him to sink his teeth into. He also riffed away like his life depended on it, with the faster Blood & Iron finding him in a particularly potent mood - whilst Frost and Fire slightly later saw the crowd really come to life as he peeled off the intro guitar leads. Garven may not hit his drums as hard as many metal drummers, but he still managed to get a big sound out of his kit - with punchy numbers like Black Machine benefitting from his light-touch approach to allow the drums to really crack through the mix. Of all the newer numbers played, Looking Glass and Forever Black were the highlights. Looking Glass contained one of Anthony's best extended solos of the night, whilst the somewhat anthemic and expansive Forever Black had plenty singing along despite it not being one of the band's classic pieces. Songs that did feature plenty more singing, though, included the later classic duo of Master of the Pit and King of the Dead - which proved something of a mix of up-tempo goodness and slower melodrama. This melodrama was then capitalised on with an atmospheric and slower moving rendition of the new cut Down Below - which brought the main set to a close as the curfew was approaching. I think that a song had to be dropped for this reason, but the band were allowed back on stage for a quick one-song encore - with the anthemic and faster-paced Join the Legion bringing the curtain down on a night of old-school metal with plenty more singing. The setlist was:

Atom Smasher

I'm Alive

Sailor on the Seas of Fate

Blood & Iron

Chaos Descends

Frost and Fire

Black Machine

Looking Glass

Forever Black

Master of the Pit

King of the Dead

Down Below

-

Join the Legion

Despite Cirith Ungol not being a particular favourite of mine, I nevertheless enjoy the band's work and have a huge amount of respect for them. Given that they are going to be hanging things up at the end of the year, getting the chance to see them live was a real treat - particularly as they had only visited the UK once previously. They are a band that deserve their place in metal history and in many ways they are the ultimate cult band. I enjoyed my time with the band despite the heat, and whenever I listen to their albums in the future I will always be grateful that I had the chance to see them live.