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.
I'm Alive
Cirith Ungol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The things that I have seen
I know the light, I know the Night
I have walked with things unseen
I have been a king invincible
I've been the poorest of the poor
I've pulled the mighty from their thrones
And laughed at Death's own door
Cause I'm alive, I'm alive
I'm alive, I'm alive
I roamed the world in search of life
Death followed in my wake
I searched for truth, I want the truth
And learned more than I could take
I've walked the roads of mystery
And it's aged me much too soon
I've paid the piper and I've paid him well
But he still calls the tune
I'm alive [Repeat x4]
I shiver when I remember
The shadow of the past
The lonely ways, the lonely days
When every breath might be my last
I lost my heart, I lost my soul
By every hand betrayed
But I've still got strength, I've still got life
And that will never change
Cause I'm alive, I'm alive
I'm alive, I'm alive
I'm alive [Repeat x5]
The lyrics to Cirith Ungol's song "I'm Alive" convey a sense of struggle and perseverance in the face of adversity. The first verse describes the singer's experiences with both light and darkness, having walked with "things unseen." This could refer to spiritual beliefs or metaphysical experiences. The singer also claims to have been both a powerful king and a poor pauper, having pulled down the mighty and laughed at Death's door. This indicates that the singer has led a varied and tumultuous life.
The second verse delves further into the singer's search for truth, which has brought with it the inevitability of death. Despite this, the singer claims to have learned more than he could take, indicating that the journey has been worth it. The roads of mystery have aged him too soon, but he has still paid the piper his due. The repetition of "I'm alive" throughout the song reinforces the idea that the singer has faced danger and death many times, but has always come out alive.
The final verse reinforces the sense of struggle and possible betrayal that the singer has experienced, with references to losing both heart and soul and every hand betraying him. But despite this, the singer claims to still have strength and life that will never change. The repetition of "I'm alive" at the end of the song signifies the singer's unwavering determination to keep on living, despite the challenges he has faced.
Overall, the song "I'm Alive" presents a powerful message of endurance and resilience in the face of adversity, with strong themes of spiritual exploration and personal growth.
Line by Line Meaning
I shiver when I remember
The memories of my past experiences make me feel a sense of fear and discomfort
The things that I have seen
I have witnessed events that have left a lasting impression on me
I know the light, I know the Night
I have experienced both the good and bad aspects of life
I have walked with things unseen
I have had encounters or experiences with entities that are not visible to the naked eye
I have been a king invincible
There have been times when I felt powerful and unbeatable
I've been the poorest of the poor
I have also experienced extreme poverty or financial difficulties at other times
I've pulled the mighty from their thrones
I have been responsible for overthrowing or leading a revolution against those in power
And laughed at Death's own door
I have narrowly avoided death or have been in situations where my life was clearly at risk and I found it amusing in some way
Cause I'm alive, I'm alive
Despite all of my experiences, I am still alive and kicking
I roamed the world in search of life
I have traveled extensively in search of purpose or meaning
Death followed in my wake
As a result of my travels and experiences, I have come face to face with death on numerous occasions
I searched for truth, I want the truth
One of the main reasons for my travels was to seek out the truth about life and my place in it
And learned more than I could take
However, the truth was often more painful or overwhelming than I could handle
I've walked the roads of mystery
I have journeyed through unknown or mysterious territories, both physically and figuratively
And it's aged me much too soon
As a result of these experiences, I feel as though I have aged or matured beyond my years
I've paid the piper and I've paid him well
I have taken responsibility for my actions and have faced the consequences, whether positive or negative
But he still calls the tune
However, these experiences have left me with a sense that fate or destiny still has a hold on me
The shadow of the past
The negative experiences from my past continue to cast a dark shadow over me
The lonely ways, the lonely days
I have experienced periods of extreme loneliness and isolation as a result of my travels and experiences
When every breath might be my last
In these moments, I have felt as though my life was in danger and that each breath could be my final one
I lost my heart, I lost my soul
At times, my experiences have left me feeling emotionally or spiritually drained
By every hand betrayed
I have also been let down or betrayed by those who I trusted
But I've still got strength, I've still got life
Despite all of this, I continue to find a way to persevere and push forward
And that will never change
Regardless of what happens in the future, I will always have the will to survive and thrive
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GREG LINDSTROM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
HAUNTED
I love this stuff it brings tears to my eyes,this is when metal was exciting and innovative
Call Me Snake
Hanoi Rocks
Nikhil Srivatsa
same, i can't help but tear up as well.
HAUNTED
Cesar Benavides I know of them but not familiar with their music
Cesar Benavides
adam gheen Do you remember tygers of the pangtang. Good band too!
paradisebeyond METAL CATALOG
One of the unluckiest metal bands ever, they had to go through very difficult circumstances even despite of being so talented. And criminally under-rated by many people, even on Metal-Archives . com. Drummer Robert Garven himself posted reviews to some albums there, check them out. The latest to be released was an album with demos and b-sides and the likes. I don't think they play anymore... Sigh. Check paradise lost, their final album. Masterpiece.
Nemamka
They do play! I'm here checking their setlist for 2022 :DD
kakolykia
I do not consider them very talented, but I'm Alive is really good one.
AUTOPSY666
They are playing shows in 2018.
Imptheshrimp
Holy shit. This band is fucking incredible. Just found this album at random and am completely blown away.