Legacy bands in heavy metal often struggle when deciding to release new material to their legion of followers – no matter how large or ‘cult’ they may be in numbers. Considering this California act who were a part of the 80’s underground scene released their last studio record Paradise Lost in 1991, Cirith Ungol’s appeal has only grown in the interim. Cut of a different cloth than the burgeoning thrash movement, between their Lord of the Rings inspired namesake and a style that fit more with heavy and doom metal fans, their fascinating artwork from Michael Whelan led many to take a chance on the band. After many reunion shows in the past few years in the US and abroad, the band hunkered down to record Forever Black – the fifth studio album. Fortunately for the diehards, it’s another testament to the band’s penchant for fantasy, mystery, stirring epic melodies and galvanizing rhythms and tempos. We reached out to bassist/manager Jarvis Leatherby for a talk about the events that took place to reach where we are at now, thoughts on maintaining the band’s integrity/legacy so many decades later, and of course a bit of talk on Night Demon to bring … Continue reading Cirith Ungol – Idols in Black