CIRITH UNGOL - Dark Parade review

 

CIRITH UNGOL - Dark Parade

Metal Blade Records

For years I've always said I like CIRITH UNGOL but the vocals were hard to handle. I always thought that on their early albums vocalist Tim Baker was out of sync with the music. Still they were good records but for me their comeback album Forever Black from 2020  has become my favorite album by em.

So here we are a few years later and CIRITH UNGOL are back with another installment in their career comeback. Some years ago I compared CIRITH UNGOL to an Americanized version of MERCYFUL FATE / KING DIAMOND albeit less satanic, less ghost stories but more sword & sorcery. To me that analogy applies to Dark Parade. 

As always with CIRITH UNGOL they were a band that never quite fit in any specific metal genre style. I've always called em metal despite everything but years ago I saw one of their early albums included in a classic doom metal listing. And on here well yeah it's obviously evident. Dark Parade is musically more in the epic doom realm than their previous works. 

With the exception of opener "Velocity (S.E.P.)" the lions share of this album in a slower doom tempo. But instead on concentrating on distinct heavy riffs it's more about the arrangements in melody as well as the relentless guitar soloing which the band is known for. The riffs are straight up gritty. The drum work is perfect as always and never over done. And of course Baker's vocals are in sync and screechy. 

I also like how the acoustic guitar parts work themselves into the electric sides perfectly like on the epic (and longest track on here) "Sailor on the Seas of Fate" as well on the finale cut "Down Below". The same can be said with "Sacrifice" which features some Flamenco guitar style. 

Not long ago I read something to the effect that this was going to be CIRITH UNGOL's final album. I believe guitarist Jimmy Barraza left the band after this was recorded. Personally I hope it's not the case. I mean sure these guys are slightly older than me (aka: mid-60's). But hey they can still play well and write music far better and interesting than their peers. So yeah if this is their swan song that it's a great one to go out on.

 

https://www.metalblade.com/us/

LISTEN HERE:

https://cirithungol.bandcamp.com/album/dark-parade