Cirith Gorgor

I have a rather nostalgic relationship with Cirith Gorgor. They were a band I came across very early in my introduction to black metal, when I stumbled upon their Myspace profile (yep, that long ago) as an early teenager and heard a collection of songs from their first 3 records in the playlist. I immediately loved what I heard, found this album and loved it too, and became an instant fan. But while my interest in them waned when their most recent couple albums lost me, they never truly fell off my radar. Every now and then I'd browse their socials and see what they're up to, with a curiosity if I'd ever see them play a gig here in Toronto and check-off a band that played a role in my formative years as a black metal listener.

And every now and then, there would be a day - like yesterday - where I'd scroll through my iTunes looking for something to listen to, see Cirith Gorgor pop up, hit play on this self-titled album and be immediately reminded how FUCKING AWESOME this record is.

You see, what made Cirith Gorgor such a special band to me was how incredibly catchy all of their songs were, without coming across as corny and without sacrificing any sense of extremity or energy. I would dare say this album is 'hooky', but not in the poppy sense the word; more-so that you have very well crafted, elaborate and dynamic melodies that are pleasing to the ear, are memorable and distinguishable from one another, and are fucking addictive and tough to get out of your head once you've heard them. Playing-wise, while the guitars are conventionally black metal in their execution, they make an effort to not resort to solely tremolo-picked leads. Yes, they're there, but these melodies are also highlighted in picking patterns, solo-y leads and the occasional full-blown guitar solo, ample voice-leading within the chord progressions, or they're traded back and forth between the 2 guitars or even contrapuntally arranged (for those who don't know, counterpoint refers to 2 different melodies played at the same time and complimenting each other, as opposed to totally joining forces and harmonizing a single theme). But even if they take the typical arrangement of 'rhythm guitar - lead guitar', they're harmonically rich enough show that Marchosias and Inferno placed a great importance on writing hooks that truly sink in, and made an effort to play them in ways that keeps them excited - even if that means playing the occasional major chord (*GASP*). And yet, absolutely none of it feels whimsical or cheesy at all.

But as truly sing-able as much of this album is, it is as equally violent, explosive and goddamn ferocious. The energy behind every moment of this record is unrelenting. Levithmong always brought a good amount of energy to Cirith Gorgor's overall sound, but the fury displayed in his drumming on this record ended up influencing the rest of the band to perform with the same vigor and turn the band into a completely catastrophic force that is nothing short of an absolute onslaught. Seriously, this album will rip your balls off. And while there are indeed times where the band foregoes melody in exchange for complete and utter savagery (such as the 3:40 mark in Demonic Incarnation, the verses in The Black Hordes or the beginning of Total Annihilation), much of this cataclysm is seamlessly fused with the utterly remarkable melody writing to the point where they truly are in complete unity. While there's no shortage of menacing black metal bands, and although other bands - both before them, and since - have reached greater heights with their melodicism, I can't think of many other bands in all my years of listening to black metal that have melded melodic beauty with sheer ballistic ferocity quite like Cirith Gorgor did here, this self-titled record perhaps being the apex of it all.

Vocally, it's a bit of a different story. If you're famliar with the band's history, you may recall that in the years since this album came out, Cirith Gorgor chose to re-record the vocals for a few of these songs as bonus tracks to the remaster/reissue of the Firestorm Apocalypse record (performed by their original vocalist Nimroth) and last year as a full-blown redo with their current singer Pestus. It's not hard to see why - Levithmong's vocals sound overly throaty to get a tone very similar to what Ihsahn sounded like on Emperor's In The Nightside Eclipse, except with hardly any lung power behind it at all. I'll give Levithmong the benefit of the doubt though because with having just lost Nimroth on lead vocals, he probably decided "fuck it, I'll do it myself". I don't hate his vocal sound; I don't think it's bad in itself, and I've grown to tolerate it, accept it and find a certain level of enjoyment in it. I just think it would have been worth it to delay the vocal recordings a little bit to either give him more time to practice and work on his overall power, or to get someone else to do it. So props to Levithmong for having the balls to step up to the plate and get the job done, but I can also understand why this band remained unsatisfied to the point of redoing the vocals later (for some songs, twice).

The only other fault I can find with this record is that while individual songs can indeed be addictive, listening to the whole album in one sitting can be a little daunting. Partially because even if there are moments where the band breaks from the blast beats and starts to groove, the album rarely feels like it 'lets up' due to how incredibly loud the the production is and how incredibly far forward the guitars are in the mix (they could be brought down at least a bit to make room for everything else, though this admittedly does contribute to the vicious energy the songs have and when they remastered this later on, they went too far with lowering the guitars and as a result the album feels a bit neutered - even if it has a better vocal performance). The other reason is because while "Der Untergang... / Победа !!!" isn't a bad song in itself and has its high moments, it's overall not as strong as the rest of the album and the marching vibe it has - while obviously playing into the war theme of the song itself - is the only part of this record that feels forced. I would have been okay with scrapping this song and ending the album on "Warcry Of The Southern Lands" which emotionally captures the "closing track" vibe way better and is just a fucking spectacular composition in general. That would bring the album to roughly 42 minutes, a perfect length for a record this destructive, and rather than feeling like I need a nap afterwards, I'd feel more compelled to play the album in 1 full sitting, go right back to the beginning, and repeat.

....so that's basically what I do, and it works like a charm. What you're left with is a fucking great black metal record that is as beautifully melodic as it is fucking ferocious, written by a great band that I'm amazed seems to still reside in the deep underground as opposed to being more widely known and praised. Because while they're not perfect, Cirith Gorgor still rival many of their peers, and in some cases outclass bands that seem to get significantly more recognition, and that's a fucking crime.

...this does not keep going and going. Cirith Gorgor is a strange album for me. When I first heard it, I really loved it. The sheer aggression gripped me and I found my adrenaline rising. It truly seemed to be a call to war. However, with each listen, the charm has dissipated. This is exactly the opposite of Cirith Gorgor’s debut album, which I like even more. Perhaps as I spend more and more time absorbing the masterful, early works of Emperor, Immortal, and Gorgoroth; Gorgor just seems less consequential.

But let’s begin with some of the good. The guitar riffs here are above average. I like how they manage to bury some really catchy and well-crafted melodies into the otherwise dissident and chaotic tremolo. Prime examples include “Demonic Incarnation” (probably my favorite song on the album), and the particularly epic-sounding “Warcry of the Southern Lands.” There is not much variety in the overall guitar approach, but the tremolo formula they have here works fairly well and manages to still distinguish each song from the last.

The drums fit the mix nicely and are played well. There is a little more variety to be found here. D-beats, blastbeats, fills, mid-tempo, and double-bass. Again, I think “Warcry of the Southern Lands” showcases these the best. This guy knows his way around the kit and is good at seamlessly changing tempo and beat. The vocals are nothing too impressive, but work rather well throughout. They are somewhat similar to Ihsahn’s early work with Emperor, both in the sound and way they are melted into the mix. Delivery is pretty strong, but don’t expect much variety.

As you can see, a lot of things work for this album, but it just doesn’t come together and provide the staying power I am always looking for in albums I add to my collection. For one, the songs linger around too long. This is a consistent problem on even the best songs here. I am perfectly fine with sitting through an Opeth tune for 15 minutes or a 10 minute Burzum drone. Those songs work because they have pretty strong dynamics and varied orchestration. On this album there is some of that, but not enough to warrant each track hovering around the 7-8 minute mark. I think they would have a bit more impact if they ended even just 2 minutes earlier.

The other major problem is that of redundancy. As I mentioned before, compared to their peers, Cirith Gorgor aren’t really bringing anything new to the table. They play well, but no better and without the gift of influence. Riffs are very similar to the cold, thrashy licks of Immortal, drumming is reminiscent of Gorgoroth, and the overall production and presentation sound like Emperor. For a new BM listener, this may be a good starting point, and they will likely be impressed with what they hear. But I am willing to bet that as time wears on and they delve deeper into the genre, this album will collect more and more dust.

Overall, this is a good album, but I’d recommend any of the other bands I mentioned in a heartbeat over this one. If I were to turn someone onto Cirith Gorgor, I would recommend their debut instead. As always, I encourage you to give this a listen and make up your mind for yourself.

Hailing from the Netherlands, Cirith Gorgor is one of those bands without a lot of coverage and attention which is nothing to complain about. Their latest self titled effort reeks of epic and inspiring melody, not too different from their other works yet the band still manage to capture something fresh here. Since the departure of vocalist Nimroth, drummer Levithmong has stepped up for the vocal duties and he plays the part quite well. Although Nimroth’s vocals were a lot harsher and aggressive sounding Levithmong is still not a disappointment, his vocals give a more epic feel towards the music. However his capabilities as a drummer are more prominent and essential to the band, his control of rhythms, blast beats and fills are outstanding.

The guitarists on this album give the band the most sense of originality with their melodic lines and short passages. Never at anytime do they begin to sound repetitive they give the music a feel of constant movement, flowing from riff to riff. Cirith Gorgor succeed in creating quality black metal without relying on keyboards for atmosphere or dominating the song structure with needless repetition and guitar wankery seen in so many of today’s melodic black metal bands. The songs all have a distinctive sound which unifies the album without making every track sound the same. Such variation keeps the listener interested and wanting more. Personally I can listen to this album from start to finish several times without it feeling like a menial task, such expertise with this band makes it hard to change the CD or skip tracks.

The lyrics are obviously anti religious but are done in an intelligent manner without rely on a satanic theme which is bonus. They are well written and bring to mind of a call to arms against oppression at times.

Overall this is a great album and is essential to anyone who is a fan of any form of black metal. It is simply outstanding, original and full of atmosphere.

Favourite Tracks:
The Black Hordes
Ritual

This is the latest album of the "melodic" black metal giant from The Netherlands. This album is filled with several dark, epic compositions. Personally, I think this is their best album yet. It is absent of the cheese from other albums. There melodies are not cheap, single-minded hooks that you would find in bands like The Covenant (Kovenant), Naglfar, Old Man's Child, etc; the melodies on this album are found through harmonic counterpoint and are extended and developed throughout the song.

The album, while having a clearly cold atmosphere and hateful tone, also has a majestic and confident sort of atmosphere. This is appropriate seeing that the album is rather praising the ensuing war against the ruling theocracies, in particular Christianity. It is a robust "we shall prevail" kind of album, which makes sense since this band likes to sing about war every now and then. I give this a thumbs up, especially for not being shitty, cheesy melodic crap like the above mentioned bands, or even like brothers Liar of Golgotha or Dark Fortress.