CIRITH UNGOL is a 5-Piece Doom Metal band from Ventura, California. This band was formed way back in 1972 and it's one of the earliest Heavy Doom Metal bands out there with BLACK SABBATH. This is their first album in almost 30 years. They were reactivated in 2015 with almost all of the original members! The only new member is bassist Jarvis Leatherby, the frontman for the killer NIGHT DEMON band, a very old school Heavy Metal band.

There are so many bands out there that were influenced by CIRITH UNGOL and the musical wealth they left behind when they first disbanded back in 1992 is amazing. Listening to this new album is like rediscovering yourself in the truest of forms. I had heard about the band for at least 20 years now but other than having a few songs on compilations, I never truly grasped their message, their sound. I was quite young back then and pretty much sticked to the basics of Heavy Metal and was not the open minded fellow that I am right now obviously.

The music on this album seems timeless in a way, like 30 years passed by swiftly. The music is very faithful to the style of Heavy Metal like early BLACK SABBATH but also sounds like ICED EARTH in the Matt Barlow era. Tim Baker sounds like a mix of Matt Barlow, King Diamond and Bon Scott, he has a distinct voice and his raspy screeching vocals on songs like ''Legions Arise'' are on point. The nasal voice just fits like a glove and he really has a unique style. His voice is like no other I have heard before.

The backbone of the band is still Robert Garven, the awesome drummer. In an interview he always said that other than ''Frost and Fire'', they have always wanted to do things their way, not trying to be someone that are not. I believe that this does mirror these comments quite well. It's unlike anything I have heard in the genre, you got some old school Heavy Metal mixed in with the Doom elements obviously. It's not easy to prove something after all that time gone and yet they were able to reinvent themselves and the album does not waste any time. It's not the longest album but it has that sheer consistency you are looking for. It's fast, it's gloomy and it's very diverse. They don't stray away from their roots yet the addition of Jarvis Weatherby gave them an added boost, his frenetic Bass work shines on this album.

Some fans will appeal more to their first few albums but this album is ambitious and musically it's the mark of accomplished artists and masters of their craft. CIRITH UNGOL are back and the monarchs of Heavy Doom Metal have come back to take their crown. The band is tighter than ever and still experimenting things even after all these years and thankfully the production was fine, not the best but it's adequate enough to even out this album and make it glow.