Cirith Ungol's 'Dark Parade' - Album Review

It is always great when bands who have been away for a number of years return with a bit of a bang. This is what the California-based heavy/doom metal band Cirith Ungol did in 2020 when they released their fifth studio album Forever Black (which I reviewed here). It was their first album since they reunited in 2016 (after breaking up in 1992) and their first since 1991's Paradise Lost. Given that it was released during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Forever Black became a real favourite during the summer of 2020 for me. I had only started to get into the band when Forever Black was announced, so when the album dropped I was not all that familiar with their back catalogue. I am now much more familiar with Cirith Ungol's classic 1980s output, but Forever Black might be my favourite thing that the band have done. It channelled the best elements of their classic albums, but the concise runtime and excellent production allowed the songs to really shine - and considering that it had been 29 years since their previous album the veteran band, which still largely consists of classic-era members, sounded immensely fired up. There is no-one else out there who sounds like frontman Tim Baker, and his trademark roars and howls sounded as good on Forever Black as they did in the 1980s - and the return of Greg Lindstrom, albeit on guitar rather than bass, certainly added a bit of a songwriting boost. The only new face was bassist and Night Demon leader Jarvis Leatherby, who I think was instrumental in getting Cirith Ungol to reunite in the first place in 2016, provided some relative youthful energy, too, and seems to also be pretty active behind the scenes - with his enthusiasm likely a big part of why the band's reunion has been such a success. It is easy to say this in the social media age, but Cirith Ungol genuinely seem more popular now than ever. They were always a bit of a cult band in the 1980s, but since reuniting they have been recognised for their influence on the overall 1980s metal scene - particularly in the doom genre. As such, then, it is sad that things seem to be coming to a close. Recently guitarist Jim Barraza left the band for health reasons and not too long after this news they announced that 2024 would likely be the last year in which they toured. They have not ruled out further new material, but that makes the recent release of the band's sixth studio album Dark Parade special. It could end up being the band's final album but, following on from Forever Black, Cirith Ungol have delivered another memorable collection of songs. Whilst I do not think that the album is as hooky or as strong as Forever Black, Dark Parade is heavier and denser overall. The previous album felt designed to be concise and anthemic, whereas this latest released is much more doom-inspired and bleak - so is perhaps more in-keeping with the band's classic sound. Despite his recent departure, Barraza contributed to the album - and the same five who played on Forever Black feature here, with Baker, Barraza, Lindstrom, Leatherby, joined as always by founding drummer Robert Garven. Dark Parade was produced by Leatherby's Night Demon colleague Armand John Anthony, who will likely fill Barraza's shoes live, and with another classic Michael Whelan painting adorning the sleeve it very much sounds and looks the part.

Whilst much of the album moves at a slower pace, Dark Parade kicks off with a bit of a bang in the form of Velocity (S.E.P.). I am not sure what the acronym in the brackets means, but the song is a relatively fast-paced and heavy track which recalls the more in-your-face moments of Forever Black. The opening crunching guitar chug is pretty energetic and Barraza's lengthy opening guitar lead is packed full of melody and neo-classical turns. The band do not stand on ceremony, then, and the album races out of the blocks - and the chugging pace means that the song will likely become a live favourite on next year's final tour. Given how unique his voice has always been, Baker still sounds fantastic here. He has lost none of his unhinged tone and he really whips up a storm during the verses here - with his howls and wails soaring above the palm-muted guitar riffing and Leatherby's driving bass. The song does not really have a chorus, with Barraza's guitar melodies generally returning to provide breaks between each verse. The lead guitar playing throughout the album is excellent, and a fitting way for Barraza to bow out of the band. Both his lead breaks and his lengthy solo in this song are memorable and filled with catchy licks - and his melodic, old-school lead playing contrasts nicely with Baker's abrasive vocal style. The pace never really slows, either, and the burning song is a great way to kick things off. The album never really reaches such speeds again, though, with much of the rest of the material here being more mid-paced and ponderous. Relentless epitomises this, and the crunchy opening riff recalls early Black Sabbath somewhat - before another tight guitar lead provides an early melodic hook. Like the previous song, though, there is a lot of lead guitar playing from Barraza throughout. Some of his melody lines here take on more of a Middle Eastern feel, whilst the riffing overall is more slab-like - with him and Lindstrom chugging away nicely throughout, whilst occasional more arpeggiated melodies add depth. Garven's drumming adds a punchy, Vinny Appice-esque groove to the whole thing - and Baker sounds as good as ever whilst belting out the subtle chorus hooks. The main guitar solo here is another lengthy one, too, and the song also closes out with some great lead guitar playing. It may not be as hooky as some of the band's best tracks, but the overall grooves and the excellent guitar playing make it stand out. Sailor on the Seas of Fate is a bit more of a dynamic piece, as it opens with some delicate acoustic guitar melodies backed by the sound of wind and rain - before another lumbering riff kicks in, which slowly builds up whilst Baker adds some distant howling to create a haunting atmosphere. Once the main verse kicks in, though, the song sounds quite similar to the previous one - but it feels more doomy overall, with more space in the mix, and the guitars are less Eastern-tinged here. The riffing is less chugging, which allows a doomy atmosphere to settle in, and there are shades of the rawer end of Candlemass here - albeit with wilder vocals. The chorus feels pretty hooky despite its slow pace and strange vocal arrangement - but once again the guitars provide many of the main melodic hooks. There lead playing is less dominant here, but there are still some memorable sections, plus there is also a quite lengthy riff-based instrumental which sees the pace upped somewhat to add to the song's overall dynamic arrangement.

Sacrifice also starts as if it intends to be a bit more dynamic, with its brief flourish of opening classical guitar, but this vibe is short lived - and another lumbering riff soon kicks in, and the song morphs into probably the most out-and-out doom piece on the album up to this point. The classical guitar does occasionally resurface to act as a break when needed - but on the whole this piece is a slow-burning doom anthem with a main riff that has plenty of room to breathe and quite a few hard-hitting drum breaks. Garven might not be the flashiest of drummers, but there are a few moments in this song where he puts his stamp on it. A few unaccompanied drum breaks punctuate the riffing and he actually utilises quite a few different beats throughout - which is surprising given how straight ahead the song is arrangement-wise. Given the slower riffing here, Baker's voice has a bit more room to breathe - so he sounds more powerful than ever as he wails over the slow-burning grooves. Barraza's guitar solo seems to channel the melodic style of Tony Iommi, too and, whilst the lead guitar moments are fewer here, the lengthy solo part-way through the song is another excellent guitar moment. Looking Glass picks up the pace again somewhat following two much doomier pieces. It does not feel as energetic as the album's opener, but it feels more mid-paced and energetic overall - with the chugging riffing throughout having a bit more of a potency to it, which encourages Baker to sing with a bit more bite and energy. Arrangement-wise, though, the song is a bit of a strange one. It does not really have a defined structure, with one early lengthy vocal-led section soon giving away to what is easily the album's best guitar solo. There are lots of candidates for such here, but this song seems built to showcase this elongated guitar showcase. Barraza has really outdone himself on this album and this guitar solo is truly excellent. Is is a slow-burner and never really speeds up, but those who love more progressive and emotional guitar solos will love the melodic choices made here - and it turns the song from being somewhat strange to being one of the overall highlights here. More vocal-led sections follow the guitar solo and they generally follow the pattern of the opening moments - although there are a couple more twists and turns in the form of some interesting guitar riffs which break up the main vocal chunks. The album's title track follows, and it opens with a pretty memorable riff - with the song feeling more riff-based overall than the doomy chug which has characterised many of the other pieces here. There is still plenty of doom to be found, though, with much of the verses being pretty slow-burning, but the arrangement is a bit more dynamic overall. The main guitar riffing is interesting and the way that knotty little riffs break up each vocal line of the verses makes the song a bit more engaging than it may otherwise have been. I prefer my doom to be a bit more interesting overall, as otherwise it can get a bit monotonous for me. Cirith Ungol generally come up with ways to break up the status quo, though, and the riffing throughout this track does that - especially when the song speeds up right at the end.

Distant Shadows opens with what sounds like is going to be the most basic riff on the album, but the song soon grows around the chugging guitar pattern - with pulsing bass and drum accents opening things up nicely. Despite this, though, the song is one of the simpler pieces here from an arrangement perspective - and it is a pretty typical doom track overall. The main riffing throughout is heavy, yet there space in the mix again which allows the vocals to soar, whilst Garven's drumming is more percussive to create something of a strange groove. Given the relative simplicity of the guitar riffing, though, the song feels much more vocal-led. Baker always shines on the album, but I feel that the guitar playing throughout often steals the spotlight. This song firmly places the attention on Baker during most of its runtime, although there are still some strong guitar moments. A couple of harmony guitar riffs inject some power into the verses, whilst the expected guitar solo is a bit faster-paced than has been typical on the album - with Barraza including some flashier neo-classical runs and melodies throughout his expressive showcase moment. The doomy song then segues nicely into the album's closing number Down Below - which opens surprisingly slowly. Acoustic guitars and some subtle gothic backing vocals back Baker as he sings the opening lines. This creates a strong atmosphere early on, but once the song gets going it feels more typical of the rest of the album. I would have actually liked this intro section to have been expanded on somewhat - as it sounds quite different for the band. They are the sort of band who could likely pull of a lengthy track which incorporates lots of gothic, ballad-esque moments - and it would have helped the final song here stand out somewhat. The acoustic guitars do briefly return just before the wah-drenched guitar solo, but I feel their use could have been expanded upon further - particularly with how effective the choral vocals are during the song's intro. That being said, though, the song still does the band's classic doom sound proud. The aforementioned guitar solo sounds very bluesy and 1970s inspired thanks to the liberal use of effects and wah - whilst the mix of percussive drumming and punchy grooves keeps the song feeling heavy. It ends the album on a familiar note, then, but I do feel that the song was a bit of a missed opportunity to go all-out at the end - as there was the potential to create a much more lengthy and dynamic arrangement using the atmospheric moments teased throughout. If Dark Parade does end up being the band's last album, though, then Cirith Ungol will go out on a high. As I said earlier I prefer Forever Black due to its concise nature and bigger emphasis placed on anthemic choruses, but the doom and pace of this album feels more akin to the band's classic albums - and it certainly creates the intended atmosphere. It is a shame that it looks as if the band are winding down - but considering that no-one genuinely expected them to reunite in the first place this second era has been welcomed by metal fans - and I hope that they come back to the UK as part of their final round of touring so that I can get to see them live.

The album was released on 20th October 2023 via Metal Blade Records. Below is the band's promotional lyric video for Looking Glass.