Ever since their surprise 2015 reunion, there has been no stopping Cirith Ungol. After a string of heralded festival gigs, the epic metal legends retreated to the studio to write and record the undisputed number 1 album of 2020, Forever Black. Despite being their first album in nearly three decades, they hadn’t missed a beat. The lyrics were packed with fantastical imagery, the riffs could bring down mountains, and Tim Baker’s signature banshee shriek was deadly as ever. It begged the question: How will CU follow this up? That is assuming they’d even try to do so. With such a muscular back catalog, they could’ve easily resorted to playing the lion’s share of King of the Dead (1984) nightly. That would’ve been more than enough to appease the fans.
Yet it turns out that Cirith Ungol’s future lies within their past. Their latest EP, Half Past Human, is a collection of new old songs…or is it old new songs? Despite not recording any demos until the latter half of the 70s, and not putting out their debut full length (Frost and Fire) until 1981, CU’s history goes as far back as 1972. It was in these formative years that they wrote the crude, prehistoric slabs of proto-epic metal heard on this release. Have you ever wondered what CU would’ve sounded like had they exploded full throttle onto the scene in 1976 alongside Judas Priest and Scorpions as opposed to 1981? Half Past Human is a rock solid indicator of what could’ve been.
From the opening engine rev and gargantuan riffage of “Route 666”, it’s made abundantly clear that this is Cirith Ungol, albeit with a 70s twist. The guitars have a hard rock edge and the atmosphere is reminiscent of the pseudo-prog explored on Frost and Fire. “Shelob’s Lair” doubles down on these prog tendencies. Folksy melodic leads collide with doom laden power chords to create pure 70s metal magick. In other words, imagine Wishbone Ash meets Black Sabbath.
“Brutish Manchild” was originally released last year as a Decibel flexi exclusive. The music within is as peculiar as the song title itself. It pains me to say, but it might be the only song in the entire Cirith Ungol catalog that I don’t care for. There’s some fancy fretwork and a powerful aura which recalls early Pagan Altar, but as a whole song, it’s too all over the place for my taste. In case you needed a reminder that the songwriting within this EP is reflective of a young band still trying to find their way, “Brutish Manchild” is that reminder. Indeed, it stands in stark contrast to the closing title track. This lengthy, intense epic boasts all the classic CU traits we know and love. Close your eyes and you’re transported into a Michael Whelan painting. “Half Past Human” is so excellent that I’m surprised it wasn’t featured on Forever Black, or any 80s releases for that matter.
Half Past Human shouldn’t be viewed as a continuation of the ongoing Cirith Ungol saga, but rather a companion piece or prequel. Even though not all the songs are winners, I appreciate their place in CU history, and therefore metal history. After all, they had to write these songs to get to “Black Machine” and “Atom Smasher” and “Master of the Pit” and “I’m Alive” and…you get the idea. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was “Cirith Ungol, Tower of Fire”.
6 out of 10
Label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Epic Heavy Metal
For fans of: Manilla Road, Black Sabbath, Pagan Altar