Cult heavy metal band CIRITH UNGOL will release their sixth album «Dark Parade» on October 20, 2023 via Metal Blade Records and today revealed the cover, tracklist and first single!
Few bands in the history of the heavy metal underground have a story as remarkable, unlikely and uplifting as that of CIRITH UNGOL. Formed in Ventura, California in the early 1970s, CIRITH UNGOL created a sound the world had never experienced before. Rather than passively channeling their influences, the band was driven to forge an overall heavier, darker, more apocalyptic sound. It was obscure and mysterious, mysterious and eccentric, epic and expansive, but above all, unrelenting, bone-crushingly heavy, dark and doomy.
CIRITH UNGOL wasted no time in riding the molten wave they started with their 2020 studio comeback “Forever Black” and began writing songs for “Dark Parade” as soon as “Forever Black” was released. Then CIRITH UNGOL, like everyone else, were paralyzed by the global pandemic, fighting through illness, isolation, grief and depression in their quest to create dark, vibrant art.
And like the greatest warriors, they persevered and worked on one song after another – distractions or no distractions. The first piece they composed was the crushing “Relentless,” which boosted their confidence and clarity of vision. The rest of the album emerged organically, fueled by personal misery and the tragedy of global collapse.
“The band members lost loved ones and we fought as best we could through the pandemic that devastated the world’s population and economy”explains drummer Rob Garven. “As horrific as it was, it was the perfect backdrop for our grim message of a world on the brink of destruction.”
After all eight demos were completed – which are also included on the expanded edition of the album – CIRITH UNGOL began recording “Dark Parade” in October 2022. Das Albel says: “The end result is an unrelenting triumph of pessimism and pain; a charred vision rooted in the crunch-and-crash templates of classic doom metal and NWOBHM, but delivered with a contemporary production and perspective “The album is driving and haunting and reflects the band’s love of metal, their instinct for destruction and their disgust for humanity.”
The first single from “Dark Parade” is the opening track “Velocity (SEP)”, a compact, medium-paced blast of crisp riffs and clever hooks that acts as a microcosm for much of the doomy album. Listen here:
“While we’re with [Sänger] Tim [Baker] and Rob talked about what kind of song we needed, the decision was made to stop with the galloping chugs, as was often done on previous albums, and instead start with downpicking chugs, having some connection to the CIRITH UNGOL wanted to keep the sound”reveals guitarist Jimmy Barraza. “The path to a Sabbath or Priest vibe is not far and happens unconsciously.”
The track is about promises and debts made. Faust and Robert Johnson both knew what awaited them when they visited the intersection – great reward and great loss. A little suffering in Dante’s Inferno will always remind us that the earthly pleasures we seek always come at a price. Sell your soul, accept the deal, face the consequences.
“It’s about what happens when we sell what we hold dear”Baker said. “Our soul – if there is such a thing – our dignity, our pride and everything else that helps us seal the deal in an endless pursuit of money, power, fame and domination over others.”
«Dark Parade» Tracklisting:
01. Velocity (S.E.P.)
02. Relentless
03. Sailor on the Seas of Fate
04. Sacrifice
05. Looking Glass
06. Dark Parade
07. Distant Shadows
08. Down Below
2023-09-21 06:47:09
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