Some bands seem to have eternal life. One of those is CIRITH UNGOL. If you are wondering about this name, it is taken from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and means "Pass of the Spider". It was a high pass in the land of Mordor where the monster known as Shelob lurked. Founded in 1971 they were heavily into the path of BLACK SABBATH when it came to sound and music. it took them two demos before they got to release their debut album “Frost And Fire” in 1981. This one is still considered as one of the best Doom Metal albums ever made, and quite rightly so. Everything on that album fits, it all is extremely impressive. But then again, the same goes for the albums “King Of The Dead” (1984), “One Foot In Hell” (1986) and “Paradise Lost” (1991).

A year after their latest album they decided to split up, only to reemerge in 2015. Since then, they have given us a Boxed Set in 2017, a “Live” album in 2019 and the studio albums “Forever Black” (2020) and “Dark Parade” (2023). At the end of 2024 CIRITH UNGOL ceased to exist, but they needed to go out with another piece of legacy. This current one is playing its tunes through my speakers right now. It is a double live album with the very aptly name “Live At The Roxy”. It houses over 106 minutes of the very typical Old School Doom Metal tracks with the very distinctive voice of Tim Baker. He doesn’t just sing the lyrics; he is able to barf them out and make them sound even more menacing than you would get from just reading them. One thing to consider though is the quite high pitch he uses. You either love it or loathe it, there is no way in between. But then again, you could start with the second emotion and slowly turn to the first one, as I did.

As for the music and sound on “Live At The Roxy”, it is all impeccable. The songs chosen are from all over their career and are being delivered in a bloody impressive way. Little mishaps or mistakes have been left in, which only adds to the authenticity of what CIRITH UNGOL is all about. The production of the album is crisp, clear and very transparent, making sure that you hear every note the band is playing. “Live At The Roxy” is another piece of evidence that we have said goodbye to a very unique and extremely talented group of musicians. Thankfully their music will live on, and I suspect that a lot of fans will be cherishing this one for a long time to come. How do I know? Simple, I will be one of them. Oh, and if you’re wondering whether 106 minutes is too long for “Live At The Roxy”, forget it. CIRITH UNGOL just could have kept going, and I still would have been listening.