Cirith Ungol (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1971 in Ventura, California, United States |
| Headquarters | Ventura , United States |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
| Website | www |
Cirith Ungol is a heavy metal band from the United States, established in late 1971 in Ventura, California. Recognized as an early influence in both doom and power metal genres, their lyrics frequently draw from fantasy themes, especially those involving sword and sorcery. The band's name is inspired by the Cirith Ungol mountain pass in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Throughout the 1970s, their style blended heavy metal with elements of hard and psychedelic rock. Their first album, Frost and Fire (1981), showcased a more intense sound often regarded as one of the earliest examples of American power metal. By the time they released their second record, King of the Dead (1984), they had refined a darker power metal approach, which is frequently highlighted as a foundational work in doom metal history.
Formation and early period
Greg Lindstrom, Robert Garven, Jerry Fogle, and Pat Galligan initially played together in a band called Titanic during their junior high years. Aiming for a heavier musical direction influenced by Mountain and Grand Funk Railroad, Galligan left, and the remaining members formed Cirith Ungol toward the end of 1971.
Their debut live appearance took place on January 1, 1972, at an event protesting the Vietnam War.
In 1980, Cirith Ungol signed with Liquid Flames Records and released their debut album Frost and Fire in 1981. The album featured Tim Baker on vocals and was primarily written by bassist/guitarist Greg Lindstrom. Despite receiving some harsh criticism branding it "The Worst Heavy Metal Album of All Time," it marked their entry into the heavy metal landscape.
The follow-up album, King of the Dead, came out on July 2, 1984, with lyrics mainly contributed by vocalist Tim Baker and drummer Robert Garven. Subsequent releases included One Foot in Hell (August 12, 1986) and Paradise Lost (August 23, 1991).
Hiatus and inactivity
Their last concert before an extended break was held on December 13, 1991. The group disbanded in 1992 due to dissatisfaction with their record label.
In 2001, Metal Blade Records issued Servants of Chaos in Germany—a compilation featuring previously unreleased demos and live recordings. With support from Lindstrom and Garven, this double-CD set sought to safeguard archival content before tape degradation occurred. It was later re-released globally alongside a rare live DVD from a 1984 performance at Wolf & Rissmiller's Country Club in California.
Currently, Greg Lindstrom plays with Falcon, a band that incorporates some Cirith Ungol tracks into its repertoire. Founding guitarist Jerry Fogle died from liver failure on August 20, 1998.
Reunion period
On October 8, 2016, Cirith Ungol reunited with Tim Baker, Robert Garven, Jim Barraza, and Greg Lindstrom at the Frost and Fire Festival held in Ventura, California. Throughout 2017, they appeared as headliners or co-headliners at various festivals across Europe and the United States including Keep It True (Germany), Up the Hammers (Greece), Defenders of the Old (US), Chaos Descends (Germany), Psycho Las Vegas (US), Days of Darkness (US), and Hammer of Doom (Germany). In April 2018, they played at Hell's Heroes Festival in Houston and NYDM Spring Bash in Milwaukee.
The band released the single "Witch's Game" in August 2018, followed by their full-length album Forever Black in 2020. Their subsequent studio effort, Dark Parade, was launched on October 20, 2023. Additionally, they issued a live album titled Live at the Roxy on April 25, 2025.
In October 2023, Cirith Ungol announced plans to retire from live performances by the end of 2024. Nevertheless, they toured South America during 2025 and intend to continue performing select live shows motivated by Robert Garven’s encouragement. The band is actively working on new material for their seventh studio release.
Name
The group derived their name from the mountain pass Cirith Ungol found in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. This term, from the Elvish language, translates to "Pass of the Spider." Although Tolkien’s original pronunciation is "kirith ungol," the band opts for "sirith ungol." Robert Garven acknowledged the literary roots of the name but also noted that it sometimes resulted in amusing mispronunciations and recognition difficulties. Greg Lindstrom mentioned that other Tolkien-inspired names were considered, reflecting their combined enthusiasm for Tolkien's works and Enzo Ferrari, both of which influenced their songwriting process.
Album cover art
Artwork for all their studio albums was created by Michael Whelan, featuring illustrations from DAW Books editions of Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné series.
Current
- Tim Baker – lead vocals, keyboards, backing vocals, touring member
- Armand Anthony – guitars, backing vocals
- Robert Garven – drums, lead vocals, backing vocals
- Greg Lindstrom – guitars, keyboards, bass guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals
- Jarvis Leatherby – bass guitar, backing vocals
Former
- Jerry Fogle – guitars
- Neal Beattie – lead vocals
- Michael "Flint" Vujea – bass guitar
- Jim "Jimmy" Barraza – guitars, backing vocals
- Vernon Green – bass guitar
Studio
| Year | Album | Album details | Chart performance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
CAN |
GER |
SWI | |||
| 1981 | Frost and Fire |
|
— | — | x | x |
| 1984 | King of the Dead |
|
— | — | x | — |
| 1986 | One Foot in Hell |
|
— | — | x | — |
| 1991 | Paradise Lost |
|
— | — | — | — |
| 2020 | Forever Black |
|
— | 130 | 11 | 25 |
| 2023 | Dark Parade |
|
— | — | — | — |
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart, were unavailable in that region, or lack certification. "×" signifies absence of chart data. | ||||||
EP
| Year | Album | Album details | Charts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
GER | |||
| 2021 | Half Past Human |
|
— | — |
Live
| Year | Album | Album information | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
GER | |||
| 2019 | I'm Alive |
|
— | 42 |
Compilation
- Frost and Fire / King of the Dead (One Way; 1995, Canada)
- Servants of Chaos (Metal Blade; 2001)
Box Set
- The Legacy (Metal Blade, 2017)
Mixtapes
- Untitled demo tape (self-published; 1978)
Singles
- "Witch's Game" (Metal Blade; 2018), featured in the motion picture Planet of Doom
- "Brutish Manchild" (Metal Blade; 2021)
Other appearances
- Metal Massacre (compilation album, 1982)
- The Metal Machine (compilation album, 1984)
- Best of Metal Blade, Vol. 2 (compilation album, 1988)
- Double Whammy (compilation album, 1999)
- Metal Blade 20th Anniversary (compilation album, 2002)
Bootlegs
- Cirith Ungol (unauthorized EP, 1979)
- Live (bootleg single release, 1996)