If you ask seasoned heavy metal fans to name a band from the 1980s heyday that should have been bigger, you'll almost certainly hear the name Cirith Ungol. Taking their name from Lord Of The Rings and their artwork from the Elric Of Melniboné saga, the group released four albums over the span of ten years, before disbanding in 1992. After returning in 2016, Cirith Ungol unleashed "Forever Black" in 2020, their first album in twenty-nine years. Now, three years on, the cult heroes and epic doom pioneers are on course to release, their next record, "Dark Parade."

"Dark Parade" begins with an absolutely phenomenal song, "Velocity (S.E.P.)" which is a real blast from the past, taking the excitement and tone of classic '80s metal music and bringing it into the 2020s. Vocalist Tim Baker has a bit more of a raspiness to his voice, but if anything, it just gives the track more grit and edge and it's complimented perfectly by the guitar attack of Jim Barraza and Greg Lindstrom, who craft excellent riffs and wicked guitar solos. The buzz continues on the following song, "Relentless," which is a more doom metal affair, with a wonderful stomp to it and a Middle Eastern flavoured intro.

Unfortunately, "Dark Parade" takes something of a downturn after this. It doesn't become bad, but there's a vague formula that the band sticks to pretty much for the rest of the record and it gets tiresome. "Sailor On The Seas Of Fate" has quite a build-up before becoming akin to a Dio or Heaven & Hell song, which does offer glimpses of change but never follows through with them and doesn't need to clock in at eight minutes. "Sacrifice" also features an excellent Spanish guitar intro and section, but they're brief flickers of light on an otherwise very generic song.

The title track has a solid beginning and the finale, "Down Below" has some excellent mellow moments, but both steer themselves to familiar territory relatively quickly. There is a decent amount of riffs and passages to enjoy on the album but ultimately, a little like KK's Priest recent effort, "The Sinner Rides Again," it feels that most of the album was approached with the same structures and goals in mind, although "Dark Parade" certainly offers more. Everyone plays well, sings well, and performs well, there just isn't much to get excited about.

So all in all, Cirith Ungol fans will probably like this album a fair bit, and those who enjoy the old-school doom metal sound, a la Witchfinder General or Candlemass will likely get something out of this. It might not be a disappointment if it didn't begin so well, though it definitely has something to offer. It doesn't feel like Cirith Ungol has phoned it in like many of their peers do. They've put time and effort into "Dark Parade," but it just doesn't do much to light a fire in the minds of listeners. If you're eager for some old-school doom, give it a spin, but if not, it's not essential listening.