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CIRITH UNGOL - Paradise Lost (1991)

Thee cult band to end all cult bands, Cirith Ungol had a sound that blended equal parts European proto-metal a la Thin Lizzy, Sabbath and Budgie as well as thee then-burgeoning NWOBHM sounds of Judas Priest, Angel Witch and Saxon. Their closest American contemporaries would be Manilla Road and Brocas Helm, though I find all three bands so unique it's difficult to lump any of 'em together without encountering serious stylistic road-bumps-- this ain't cookie-cutter swill, folks: this is a band that had a vision of heavy rock filled with now-classic swords & sorcery imagery backed with riffs as megalithic as Tolkien's "Pass of the Spider" from where they took their name.

Formed in 1972 in Ventura, California, with original moniker Titanic, they once counted future Angry Samoan Pat Galligan among their ranks (for all y'all trivia geeks). With his departure, their lineup solidified around guitarists Jerry Fogle and Greg Lindstrom, vocalist Tim Baker, drummer Rob Garven and thunderbroomer Michael "Flint" Vujejia. Scoring a deal with now defunct indie label Enigma in 1980, they unleashed "Frost & Fire" the following year to howls of derision from rockcrits and metalheads alike. In all seriousness, it's easy to understand why in hindsight: there were no masturbatory exhibitions of technical virtuosity or glossy radio-ready ditties that were hallmarks of mainstream metal at the time. There was quite simply no musical references to use to measure 'em by, and if you've got a fucking head half fulla gray matter, you've come to realize by now that 99 % of the entire human race has absolutely NO DESIRE to think for themselves. Tim Baker's smoker's cough rasp coupled with banshee shriek is often an obstacle for many as well, though I personally can't imagine another vocalist living or dead better suited to front this combo. Be that as it may, they soldiered on in virtual anonymity for three more LP's-- 1984's "King of the Dead," 1986's "One Foot in Hell" and this platter, their swansong.

Straight up, this is thee "worst" Cirith Ungol album; but saying that is akin to calling "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" the "worst" of that unfuckwithable sextet of early Sab Slabs (at least in thee JTP Pantheon). That is, it would be thee crown jewel of a mere mortal band's catalog. Lindstrom, Fogle and Vujejia had bailed by this point, replaced by Jim Barraza, Joe Malatesta and Vernon Green respectively. The majority of the material stands tall alongside early Ungol, with thee exceptions of some ill-advised wanderings into thee major key like "Heaven Help Us" and the almost-anthem, "Go it Alone." Such missteps are easily forgiven when skullsmashers like thee epics "The Troll," "Chaos Rising" and most surrealistically, a cover of Arthur Brown's "Fire" are included, however. For C.U. noobs, this is probably not the place to start-- that would be "King of the Dead," which is their magnum opus. It is easily available and should be a part of every collection of any self-respecting rocker.

In comments-- and leave one you ungrateful swine!