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.
War Eternal
Cirith Ungol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As you stand before the gates of hell the devil draws you near
War Eternal
The doomed one slowly beckons and draws you to his side
He speaks the curse to take your soul along the midnight ride
When he looks into your eyes the skin melts off your back
And when he gets you all alone you know he'll soon attack
War Eternal
He starts to rob you of your soul you're trying to fight back
Curse the beast and raise your sword to launch the first attack
War Eternal
The war that stands eternal the battle you can't win
He'll rule the world and if he can't he'll burn it down with him
Cirith Ungol's song War Eternal is about standing on the brink of evil as one is drawn towards the gates of hell. The future is uncertain and the devil's lure can be felt as he slowly beckons his prey towards him with his powerful and terrifying presence. The curse he speaks is meant to take the soul of the doomed one and carry it along the midnight ride, where there may be no turning back.
The lyrics of the song are mainly focused on the theme of war that is eternal, never-ending, and the battles one can never win. As the devil draws closer to his prey, he starts to rob the victim's soul and attacks with no mercy. The only option one has is to curse the beast and raise the sword to launch the first attack, preparing for the long-lasting war.
The song speaks about the potent understanding of the hellish realm and the doomed one's state of being in the never-ending war. The devil's power is such that when he looks into his victim's eyes, the skin starts melting off their back. It shows the supremacy of the devil over his victims and his rule over the world - even if he can't rule over it completely, he will burn it down with him. The lyrics provide an interesting take on the idea of evil and the battles that are waged against it.
Line by Line Meaning
As you stand before the gates of hell the future so unclear
Standing at the gates of hell, uncertain of the future
As you stand before the gates of hell the devil draws you near
Being lured by the devil at the gates of hell
War Eternal
The endless battle against evil
The doomed one slowly beckons and draws you to his side
Being slowly drawn to the side of the doomed one
He speaks the curse to take your soul along the midnight ride
The cursed words that take you on a journey to damnation
When he looks into your eyes the skin melts off your back
The terrifying gaze that strips the flesh off your back
And when he gets you all alone you know he'll soon attack
The inevitable attack when left alone with the evil entity
He starts to rob you of your soul you're trying to fight back
Struggling to fight back as the entity steals your soul
Curse the beast and raise your sword to launch the first attack
Defying the beast and fighting back with a sword
The war that stands eternal the battle you can't win
A never-ending battle that cannot be won
He'll rule the world and if he can't he'll burn it down with him
The entity's destructive mission to rule or burn down the world
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JERRY FOGLE, MIKE VUJEA, ROB GARVEN, TIM BAKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
noisefarm
The best song on their best album -- there was and is NO band even remotely like Cirith Ungol.
maziku
i just love that finishing solo. such feel.
Brian Reddish
Another of the all time great and legendary Heavy Metal bands! 1000 HAILZ TO THE MIGHTY CIRITH UNGOL!!!
maziku
wow! im impressed. this is the first song ive heard by these guys and i loved it. the singer has a great voice and that solo at the end was tight.
Leves D
The guitarist was a fucking genius! R.I.P.
Gary Hair
so good to hear this again i used to have the album got lost along with countless others i really have to get some of my collection back, ive never heard another band quite like them a real shame that they never made it bigger but there legacy as they say lives on.
einaroneeye
Yeah, old school and heavy as hell. This is good stuff! Keep on rockin'...
Timiath 666
Love their music with my whole heart(many years ago)...Cirith Ungol.
Escape Plan
The Riffs + demonic vocals + quality of kicks + solo = made my filthy soul bathed with hell fire. This is why i stopped here stranger, this is why i love metal \m/
Atmost11
One who hears this song just once in sincerity, pleases all the Gods, Devils, Christs, and Antichrists