Reviews list for Cirith Ungol - King of the Dead (1984)

I feel dirty rating this so low. I do not like Cirith Ungol, and I never have even after trying so many times over the years with this band. But I can't in good conscience rate this better than I truly feel. The vocals don't work for me. The instrumentation seems lacking, and this is all my opinion and you can entirely disagree with me if you want, but the guitar sound is generic to me and when I do find a good lick or riff in there it changes or gets drowned out by the vocals or drumming or something else. Drums don't stand out, but I also tend to not always notice drums unless they're really good. This is not what I want to listen to, but I respect those that do. Variety is the spice of life, and we need this to bring out others to use this and take the style and run with it. I'm not trying to be down on this too hard, but it's not for me but I also think there always does need to be a counterpoint when necessary. I would perfectly accept someone taking one of my favorite albums and rating it low because it didn't work for them. Your opinion is still valid, and if you are also one that will still try Cirith Ungol and not like it either know you are not alone. 

Cirith Ungol's second album, King of the Dead, is often cited as their masterstroke, and what really helped cement them as a quality lesser-known heavy metal band. But I've got to be honest, on revisiting it for this review, it doesn't do a whole lot for me.

I'm a big fan of the band's debut, Frost and Fire (and their recent comeback material is solid too), but a lot of the energy and verve I felt there is missing here, traded in for what feels like an attempt at more refined song-writing. And while that is an admirable aim (and, judging by this album's usual reception, one many feel they hit), more often than not it feels like King of the Dead is lacking in hooks and memorability.

Too often this album plods when it should stride, meanders when it should charge onwards. There are longer, slower-paced numbers here in contrast to the quick punch of the debut, but too often they plod and meander when they should be striding and pounding. The remaining punchier tracks are decent ("Death of the Sun" is especially catchy, and despite being a longer track, "Master of the Pit" does what "Atom Smasher" tries to, but better), and there are some quality solos throughout. It's just a shame they're often buried amid too many forgettable riffs and melodies.

Still, King of the Dead is far from unpleasant. It has a good vintage feel to it, it's obviously made with passion rather than a desire to just churn something out, and I still think Tim Baker's vocals have a fantastic narm charm about them. But there's just not a lot to grab onto here.

Choice cuts: Master of the Pit, Death of the Sun

I remember checking this album out with excitement because I love fantasy-themed heavy metal and I was drawn in by the amazing album cover. It looked like serious shit was about to go down between the knight and the skeleton, and I wanted to hear the soundtrack to the duel! Safe to say, the music didn't quite live up to its art. King of the Dead  is a stale and outdated fossil of 80s metal. This premise would be executed better by other bands like Manilla Road, Coven (US) and even modern retro bands like Visigoth.