When Cirith Ungol returned from the happy defunct in 2020 with a new scorcher, we were torn. Forever Black had this oldish vibe, true. This metallic gene whence great Heavy Metal records spring. Yet again, at times, the piece sailed a tad too close to the age-old tropes Judas Priest and Rainbow pursued back in the ’80s. And that – with the monotonous and screamy vocal delivery – led to some discord over at the RMR review desk. But – CU‘s wares had a knack for keeping us fascinated to a point despite those annoying little elements that didn’t quite sound right. And still don’t, by the way.
Now, after some three years of fumbling about their fantasy world, the olde metal masters are back at it yet again. And – lo and behold – Dark Parade fucking rocks. Never in my life would I have imagined an age-old band slapping on a few additional layers of meatiness and kicking it up a few notches. Those bands usually revert to reaping the harvest of past decades’ hard work and – produce the same garbage all over again year after year. But adding more excellence onto an already remarkable track record by an old established band is of course entirely possible. Just as some of the unwilling participants of our 2023 lamestream series just demonstrated.
This is ’80s Heavy Metal that didn’t quite grace our earphones that way for a long time. For major stretches, Dark Parade prances about the soundstage with the youthful energy of some 35 years ago. Fueled by a bunch of old geezers on a roll, out to shame all of them youngsters trying themselves at good ol’ Heavy Metal? Quite so.
Velocity (S.E.P.) – the first track – already takes off into the black-blue yonder with burly riffs, new-found oomph, and some energy to spare. And it does this at a lusty pace that got me good old Saxon vibes but with some extra spice. Now, the riffs might already be a rhythm guitar fan’s wet dream. But the solos on this first track clearly blew us away. And all that in a record that positively gorges with them at every corner of the tracklist with the bluesy one on Looking Glass taking it all away. In fact, the often deliciously meandering melodic solos proved to be the backbone, the glue holding the record together. And that’s pretty wild in and of itself.
Also, let’s not forget the ambient openers and expertly placed samples that will keep the juices up and the tune interesting. On Sacrifice – for instance – with its Spanish vibes in full acoustic mode and hard-hitting chugging riffs. One of the best tracks on Dark Parade, by the way. But there’s more. Some real hypnotic groove appears on Distant Shadows with a smooth flow and seamless transitions from one mode to another. Some slight Iron Maiden vibes permeate Down Below. A complex track that mixes acoustic licks with wah-wah-laden solos, I kid you not. In other words, CU performed some serious metallic wizardry here.
In the end, Cirith Ungol have again scored the prize of the weirdos of the realm. Dark Parade is as pig-headed as it is outstanding. Tim Baker‘s strange trademark hollers, the down-to-earth rough-hewn riffs of the rhythm section, and the aforementioned otherworldly solos, all come together in the end. An excellent, meaty construction of an exceptional brand of Heavy Metal. And frankly, for a while, I feared that something was going to break and the whole chebang would disintegrate into utter friggin’ chaos. But I stand corrected. Instead, we found an aggressive and rebellious full-blooded slab of juicy metal that stands loud ‘n’ proud. Up a few notches from their 2020 piece, as well as it should be. Well done, you geezers, you taught them youngsters some new tricks, methinks.
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: Metal Fucking Blade1 | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 20 October 2023
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