Throughout the 1970s, the band generally played a style of heavy metal heavily rooted in hard and progressive rock. The band's first studio album, Frost and Fire (1981), featured a heavier sound, generally regarded as an early example of American power metal. By the band's second studio album, King of the Dead (1984), the band had solidified their power metal style of playing while gravitating toward a much 'darker' sound, with many considering the album among the first doom metal releases. The band took their name from the mountain pass Cirith Ungol in J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The name is Elvish and means "Pass of the Spider." While the place in Tolkien's book is pronounced "kirith ungol," the band pronounced it "sirith ungol. Each studio album's cover art is taken from the cover of a DAW Books edition of a book in Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné saga; the art is by Michael Whelan.
Greg Lindstrom, Robert Garven, Jerry Fogle and Pat Galligan (later a guitarist in Angry Samoans) played in Titanic, their first band in junior high school. With a desire to play heavier music similar to that of Mountain and Grand Funk Railroad, the rest of the band parted with Galligan and founded Cirith Ungol in late 1971. After forming in late 1971, the band played their first gig on January 1, 1972 at an anti-Vietnam war peace rally.
In 1980, they were signed by Liquid Flames Records, and released their first album, Frost and Fire, with Tim Baker on vocals and songs written by bassist and guitarist Greg Lindstrom. Their second album, King of the Dead was released in on July 2, 1984 and contained lyrics primarily written by vocalist Tim Baker and drummer Robert Garven. The album was then followed by One Foot in Hell on August 12, 1986, and Paradise Lost on August 23, 1991.
They played their last live show on December 13, 1991 and disbanded in 1992, following frustration with their record label.
In 2001, Metal Blade Records released in Germany Servants of Chaos, a compilation album of unreleased demos and live songs. With old tapes and assistance from Lindstrom and Garven, it was an attempt to give fans a wealth of archival and previously unheard material before the tapes deteriorated beyond retrieval. This double-CD was later re-released worldwide, with a rare 1984 live DVD recorded at Wolf & Rissmiller's Country Club in California. Founding guitarist Jerry Fogle died from liver failure on August 20, 1998.
The band was reformed by members Tim Baker, Robert Garven, Jim Barraza, and Greg Lindstrom on October 8, 2016 at the 2nd annual Frost and Fire Festival in Ventura, California. Throughout 2017, the band had set out to headline and co-headline several European and US festivals, 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, Cirith Ungol performed at the Hell's Heroes Festival in Houston, Texas and at the NYDM Spring Bash in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In August 2018, Cirith Ungol released the single "Witch's Game". Their latest record Forever Black was released on April 24, 2020.
Before Tomorrow
Cirith Ungol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The rattle of their bones
The pounding of their will
Would turn lesser men to stone
A testament of fire
A testament of lies
A communion made with anarchy
Today we live in anger
Today we live in fear
Someday before tomorrow
Today the end is near
The chill of their intention
A savage fall from grace
A brutal congregation
The chill of their embrace
Today we live in anger
Today we live in fear
Someday before tomorrow
Today the end is near
The past is not forever
The future now remade
The call of ancient evil
Sounds a vicious masquerade
Someday a new beginning
Someday his will be done
Someday before tomorrow
The end has just begun
A testament of fire
A testament of lies
A communion made of anarchy
Too late to realize
Today we live in anger
Today we live in fear
Someday before tomorrow
Today the end is near
Today the end is near
The lyrics of Cirith Ungol's song "Before Tomorrow" convey a sense of impending doom and the inevitable end. The opening lines, "The rattle of their armor, The rattle of their bones, The pounding of their will, Would turn lesser men to stone," describe a group of savage warriors who strike fear in the hearts of their opponents. The use of "lesser men" suggests that the band of warriors is superior in some way, perhaps in strength, skill, or sheer brutality.
The second stanza continues with "A testament of fire, A testament of lies, A communion made with anarchy, Too late to realize." This stanza implies that the warriors' cause is based on deception and chaos, as they fight for a destructive ideology. The line "Too late to realize" suggests that the singer has seen through their facade, but others have not.
The chorus, "Today we live in anger, Today we live in fear, Someday before tomorrow, Today the end is near," is a repeated warning of the coming apocalypse. The song suggests that the world is on the brink of destruction and that it is too late to change course. The final lines, "Today the end is near," reinforce the notion that the end is imminent and unstoppable.
Line by Line Meaning
The rattle of their armor
The loud clinking of the enemies' armor can be heard
The rattle of their bones
The sound of the enemies' rattling bones echoes through the battlefield
The pounding of their will
The enemies' strong determination can be felt through their every move
Would turn lesser men to stone
Their intimidating presence is so strong that weaker individuals would be petrified with fear
A testament of fire
Their actions are proof of their destruction and chaos
A testament of lies
Their words are deceptive and misleading
A communion made with anarchy
They have joined together in a destructive and lawless union
Too late to realize
It is too late to understand the true danger of their alliance
Today we live in anger
Our current state is marked by strong feelings of rage
Today we live in fear
We are currently living in a state of fright
Someday before tomorrow
At some point in the near future
Today the end is near
We are quickly approaching the end of our current state
The chill of their intention
Their intentions are malicious and cold-hearted
A savage fall from grace
They have fallen from a place of humanity and morality to a place of savagery
A brutal congregation
Their group is violent and vicious
The chill of their embrace
Even their touch is cold and inhumane
The past is not forever
Our history does not determine our future
The future now remade
Our future is currently being rewritten
The call of ancient evil
A sinister force from the past is beckoning us forward
Sounds a vicious masquerade
It appears to be something harmless, but is actually very dangerous
Someday a new beginning
In the future, there will be a fresh start
Someday his will be done
In the future, someone's plan or desires will be fulfilled
The end has just begun
Our journey of destruction is only just starting
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Gregory G Lindstrom, James Gilbert Barraza, Jeffrey Hershey, Robert W Jr Garven, Timothy Allen Baker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mr. D.
This sounds good actually. It's also refreshing to see Metal Blade sign traditional metal bands instead of just extreme bands.
Mr. D.
@Robert Garven
I do remember that, sir! I was there in the beginning days of the scene. Actually the album I liked the best was 'King Of The Dead." I used to play that on my turntable quite a bit back then, it was a standout album from the 80's for me. Nice to see you guys back and strong :)
Robert Garven
We were one of the first bands on Metal Blade Records "Metal Massacre" 1982!
VINCENT FARRENTINO
Sounds good especially in 2020 they still have that 80s metal sound
If 6 was 9
Still got Frost and Fire on vinyl....🤘🤘🤘
Elric de Melniboné
By the lords of Chaos and Order, this sounds like this album will be exceptional.
Laynes awesome world
I cannot believe how good this is! This is phenomenal!
Notan M
This and another new song sound very much like the ones from Paradise Lost, heavy and doomy. Love it! Never thought I would be excited for their come back album.
Tino Arce
I have the Most Ultimate Respect for these True Epic Legends that are still producing Killer Classical Metal Masterpieces for us to enjoy! So I say,
Long live Cirith Ungol!!!
Ingvaeon
This sounds really good, such an oldschool sound.. damn!