Album Review: Cirith Ungol – All The Shadows (No Remorse Records)

Californian heavy metal band Cirith Ungol will release their seventh studio album, All The Shadows, on 30th October via No Remorse Records.

Formed in Ventura, California, in the early 1970s, Cirith Ungol built a reputation for their distinctive take on heavy metal, combining darker, doom-laden sounds with epic themes and a style that helped establish them as a cult name in the genre. After releasing four studio albums, including Frost And Fire, King Of The Dead and Paradise Lost, the band split in 1992. They reunited in 2015, returning with Forever Black in 2020 and Dark Parade in 2023. Now, with All The Shadows, Cirith Ungol continue that second chapter, with eight tracks recorded at The Captains Quarters in Ventura and cover artwork once again provided by acclaimed fantasy artist Michael Whelan.

Speaking on All The Shadows, vocalist Tim Baker states:

“All the Shadows is the latest step along the twisted journey that defines Cirith Ungol. Tales of blackened hearts and broken dreams. Echoes of madness, corruption, sin, demented visions and unspeakable horror. Man’s dystopian future laid bare… The continued saga of our never-ending descent into the dark parade.”

Cirith Ungol is Tim Baker on vocals, Armand John Anthony on guitar, Jarvis Leatherby on bass, and Robert Garven on drums and percussion.

All The Shadows gets underway with the title track, and it takes very little time to get into thanks to an intro that combines all the best elements of the epic doom and traditional heavy metal styles Cirith Ungol are renowned for. Strong riffs and rolling drums lead us in, while the verses bring the vocals into play, with lots of echo but plenty of power too. Lead guitars fill the spaces, and there is a glorious solo breaking up the slow, stomping rhythm around it. It’s a strong start that continues into This Mortal Stain.

A song that will grab you within the first 10 seconds thanks to its stunning, stompy intro, the slow tempo has your head banging as we get led through the verses. Again, the vocals are strong and helped by a lot of echo. The chorus sees the lead guitars drop some melody and I must admit, in the chorus, the echo gets a bit much and covers some of the excellent guitar melody. It fits their style, of course, but could maybe do with being reined in a tad here and there.

If you listen hard, behind the echoing vocals there is some really cool lead guitar melody that feels fantastical, atmospheric and very epic. It’s a good song, with the echo just being a little distracting and stopping it from being a great song. Turning Blind picks the pace back up a touch. Well, it’s pacey for traditional doom, with some really strong riffs and drum patterns that are just comfortable to listen to. The vocals are still strong and still echoing, but the melody on either end of the vocal lines means the echo doesn’t bury it. Some sinister spoken word adds even more atmosphere in a song that’s one of my favourites on All The Shadows.

That statement is confirmed as the pace and tone shift wonderfully to something more melodic, with the lead guitars lighting the path forwards. Moving on, Shallow Reflection keeps the quality bar at its highest with another strong track and a stunning intro.

The bass bangs out a catchy rhythm while the drums lay down the beat. I love how clearly the bass rings here, even as the guitars join in, dropping layer after layer on top of it. There is a slower tempo and more impassioned feel to this song, which is a sensible change-up on the album and keeps things feeling fresh. The verses are good, catchy and well sung, but it’s the guitar hooks that bookend the verses that absolutely grab my attention. It’s a very well-written track, and it flows so smoothly, even with quite a few transitions in pace and style across its runtime.

Empty Tomb kicks off the second half of the album with a bit more energy and plenty of attitude. The quick and catchy start drops down into that slower, stomping beat for the verses, then picks back up in pace for the chorus. I really like these pace changes a lot. The solo is brief but fiery in a song that really captures that epic doom/traditional metal style perfectly and joins my list as one of my favourites on All The Shadows.

On Broken Wings then gives us a bit of variety with a very slow, acoustic melody leading us in. There’s a lot of atmosphere here in a very beautiful, very melancholic start. The subdued vocals, sung with lovely harmonised backing, work so well and set you up nicely for a sudden build-up as the electric instruments join in and the vocals turn to that more shouted style.

Again, the lead guitars absolutely mesmerise as the pace gently drops back down to the fantastical, acoustic start. This is a phenomenal song. I found myself so hypnotised by the beautiful instrumentation, the melancholic and intense feel, and the changes in pace. Amazing track.

I don’t really want to move on from that, but this review isn’t going to write itself, so the difficult job of following On Broken Wings falls to our penultimate track, Hollow Nimbus. It’s an impossible task, but it tries its best, delivering another very good song that combines that epic doom and heavy metal style nicely. Moments of energy bring strong riffs and drums to the forefront, with the bass sounding loud and proud in the mix too. Slower, stomping sections get your neck working, and there is plenty of lead guitar work to get excited about, as well as yet another superb solo.

Cirith Ungol bring All The Shadows to a close with Venus In Thirds, and I was a tad surprised to see it was only a three-and-a-half-minute song. I think I’m still in love with On Broken Wings and wondering why you wouldn’t end on something as epic as that. Anyway, as far as creativity and variety go, this closing track delivers massively, with some really cool tones and a very catchy rhythm. Strong vocals, drums, riffs and bass will definitely have your headbanging along nicely, and a punchy solo adds a bit of flair to a decent closing track that is maybe just a touch underwhelming for the big closer.

I like All The Shadows a lot. It has so many top-quality songs, with a couple of real stunners and On Broken Wings really standing out to me. It’s not without fault, though, with a slightly run-of-the-mill track closing the album and moments where the heavy echo on the vocals becomes distracting. But this is a very strong album from a band who are rightfully categorised as legendary and who still obviously have plenty to offer. Cirith Ungol have the skill and determination to deliver quality heavy metal their way, and All The Shadows is further proof of that.

Track List

1 – All The Shadows
2 – This Mortal Stain
3 – Turning Blind
4 – Shallow Reflection
5 – Empty Tomb
6 – On Broken Wings
7 – Hollow Nimbus
8 – Venus In Thirds

 Cirith Ungol Links

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