When we last heard from Cirith Ungol, they’d just released their sixth and what was then supposed to be their final album, Dark Parade (2023). They also swore that after 2024, they were over, at least as a live act. And much like every band in the history of mankind who have made similar promises, these claims proved to be false. 2024 turned into 2025, and 2025 into 2026. As it stands now, Cirith Ungol have dates both in America and abroad well into 2027, and wouldn’t you know it; they have a new album to back said dates up. Now look, as cynical as I sound, I’m NOT complaining. Unlike a Mötley Crüe or a Ministry who should’ve packed it up multiple farewells ago, Cirith Ungol are a band who were still on top of their game. However, the CU we hear on their latest album, All the Shadows, is not the same CU as even that on Dark Parade.
For one, Paradise Lost era guitarist, Jim Barraza, was dismissed (or parted ways, depending on who you ask) from the fold mere days before Dark Parade‘s release. Founding guitarist Greg Lindstrom followed suit, holding true to the band’s proposed 2024 expiration and retiring upon the fulfillment of said dates. This left founding drummer Robert Garven and wildman singer (or rather shirker) Tim Baker, who together with Night Demon bassist Jarvis Leatherby and guitarist Armand Anthony, have spent the past few years unleashing those classic CU hymns on the festival circuit, because why not? While there’s no shortage of great new bands out there today, nobody’s going to reach the heights of “Atom Smasher”, “Black Machine”, or “I’m Alive”.
So after a few years of appeasing the denim and leather-clad legions, this latest iteration of Cirith Ungol have decided to give it the old college try in the studio. I will admit, with not one but two core members gone, I did go into this newest affair with a healthy level of skepticism, which was all but washed away come the opening romp that is the title track. Bold and unrelenting, these veterans coming storming out of the gate with a power-doom barrage. We’ve got crushing riffs, colossal atmosphere, and of course, the soul-scorching signature vocals of Tim Baker, which somehow continue to grow even more impactful with age.
Like Dark Parade before it, All the Shadows is very much rooted in the epic doom vein, emphasizing plodding tempos and dismal guitar riffs, particularly on cuts like “Shadow Reflection”, “On Broken Wings”, and “Venus in Thirds”. And like every CU release before it, the band manages to utilize this sound without ever coming off as boring or uninspired. Each song manages to stand on its own, and I must give newcomer Anthony kudos for doing his homework, conjuring riffs, melodies, and leads that hold true to the CU tradition. Speaking of said tradition, the USPM derived brazenness of “This Mortal Strain” and “Turning Blind” throw things back to the band’s Metal Blade heyday, while the opening Sabbathian grooves of “Hollow Nimbus” wouldn’t be out of place on 1981’s Frost and Fire. Keep in mind, this band DID form in the ’70s!
With Forever Black (2020) and Dark Parade (2023) being two of the finest albums of the ’20s thus far, topping their respective year-end lists on this here webzine, All the Shadows keeps the Cirith Ungol hot streak going, serving as a worthy successor to not just these two modern monoliths, but one of the most beloved catalogs in metal history. If a well-intended farewell fake-out was what it took for us to get to this point, I can’t complain. The frost and fire still burns inside of the now 70 year old Baker and Garven, as well as “youngsters” Leatherby and Anthony. May these epic doom warriors continue to wield their steel for years to follow!
10 out of 10
Label: No Remorse Records
Genre: Epic Doom Metal
For fans of: Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Smoulder
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