I Just Want A Little Fire

REVIEW:
Cirith Ungol - Frost and Fire, 1980












Michael Whelan painting originally for the cover of Stormbringer, book 6 in Michael Moorcock’s Elric saga.

Personnel:
Tim Baker - Vocals
Jerry Fogle - Guitars
Robert Garven - Drums, Vocals
Greg Lindstrom - Guitars, Synthesizer, E. Bow, Vocals
Michael "Flint" Vujea - Bass (joined after recording)

Bass written and played by Greg Lindstrom (A big thank you to Perry for clearing that up for me)










(try as I might, I couldn't find a picture of the F&F line-up and I don't have a scanner)

Frost and Fire is Cirith Ungol’s 1980 debut, but their second LP (1984’s King of the Dead) was the first I heard for a couple of reasons: 1) almost everything I read said it’s the best CU album, 2) I saw it described more than once as “more metal” than Frost and Fire. Well, maybe it isn’t as heavy as King of the Dead, but it’s certainly metal and it’s certainly heavy...both in 1980 and 2008.

A few weeks had passed by the time I got a hold of Frost and Fire, so King of the Dead had already settled into a steady rotation when the killer intro to “Frost and Fire” pounded out of my speakers. A straightforward, yet superbly memorable riff is undercut by Greg Lindstrom’s punchy bass playing, which carries throughout the length of the album definitely adding to its 70s vibe.

After about ten seconds comes a heavy dose of Tim Baker. Baker’s vocals are a nuisance to some, and I was a bit hesitant after reading a couple of reviews, but as soon as I heard them on “Atom Smasher” (first track from King of the Dead) I loved them. They’re scratchy, raw, distinct, and they compliment the darkness and mystery of Cirith Ungol perfectly. I probably shouldn’t have been hesitant at all because I’ve read numerous warnings/decries against Mark Shelton’s vocals and he’s been a favorite vocalist of mine for some time.

“Frost and Fire” displays a level of playing that’s so catchy, crisp, and together it gets stuck in my head multiple times a day. Normally I hate when things are stuck in my head, but I have no problem walking down the street inwardly shouting:

“I feel it burning and I feel the freeze
The frost, the fire, it burns inside of me, yeah.”

I’ve chosen these lyrics, not only because they’re the ones usually rattling around my brain, but because they also describe my relationship to the record, heavy metal, and all the music I love. Heavy metal, krautrock, Sibelius, whatever, it all flows through me as something much deeper than entertainment or escape. Music is not a passive/aggressive affair with me, it is completely aggressive. My search for new music is never-ending and when I come across a gem like Frost and Fire, I not only feel vindicated, I feel an even stronger urge to find MORE.

It may seem ridiculous to talk or write so seriously about music, but I don’t mean it’s something I base life decisions around -- I am not who I am because of the music I listen to. I listen to that music because of who I am. I like to read, watch, and listen to things that make me think or that touch at something inside of me. Music wouldn’t have this affect on me if I formed my life around liking particular things for whatever liking that particular thing entailed. If that were the case, my love and appreciation for it would be as hollow as an empty trashcan.

Now that I’ve strayed a bit from my original intention, I’ll get back on track by saying it’s no surprise the musicianship is top-notch, as the band had been playing together for 8 years by the time F&F was released. How’s that for developing a sound.

Given that those 8 years were from 1972-1980, it’s also no surprise the album has a distinct 70s hard rock edge. Supported by Lindstrom’s bass, the sound is further accentuated by the use of synthesizers throughout. I’m no enemy of synth, so something like that isn’t an immediate turn off to me, but I’ve come to the conclusion that synthesizers, especially in heavy metal, are either excellent (Cirith Ungol, Dawnwatcher, Hell, etc) or atrocious (pretty much anything under the “symphonic ______ metal” tag).

The keys are most prevalent in “What Does it Take” -- a song that also features my favorite bass playing on the album, and that sounds like a cross between Thin Lizzy and early Alice Cooper. Maybe being an intense Alice Cooper fan has me hearing that influence. Neither of these take away from the “metal”-ness of it, however (how could Thin Lizzy make something less metal?), but the guitars certainly do take a backseat here.

Not to worry, as the axes are back in full swing on side 2 with “Edge of a Knife”, which probably me least favorite. It’s a good sign when the weakest point is a ripper like “Edge of a Knife.” The rock and roll attitude is quite in clear in the song’s chunky chorus, lyrics, and Baker’s lower singing in some parts, which gives him more a snarl. While it’s a straightforward tune, I was never ambivalent toward it like I was to another rocker, “Better Off Dead.”

My first reaction to “Better Off Dead” was similar to my reaction when first dropping the needle of Status Quo’s Piledriver....”Oh, shit.” Both start off in ways that immediately turn me off: groovy/boogie and utter blues rock, respectively. Luckily, “Better Off Dead” and Piledriver both progress into some choice cuts.

The track in question began to grow on me after a couple of minutes, just in time for the nice minute of metallic fury before breaking back down again into the intro/verse part. I think the grooviness of it caught on so quickly because the guitar work is great (both the licks, and the almost buried leads and bends poking through at different points), and of course the actual part I originally didn’t like is short and fits well into the song.

“Better Off Dead” isn’t the last song on the album, but it’s a fitting one to end the review with because it sort of sums up the album as a whole: it’s well written and performed, a little weird, memorable, and left me a little confused after the first listen. Not confused in a bad way, but in the best way -- I knew I liked it, but I couldn’t exactly figure out why.

Well, I know why now. It’s a superb piece of music, recording by superb musicians that appeals to so much more than my auditory senses. It’s dated in the best way, in a way that almost makes it timeless. There are things that sound dated to me in the sense that I think to myself “maybe I’d like this if it were 1984” and there are things that sound dated that make me think “this SOUNDS like the late 70s” and I can almost FEEL the late 70s when I’m listening to it.

There you have it, I love the music, I love the lyrics, I love the feel of it, and I love the cover art.

-Zach

NOTE: I tend to shy away from writing “song by song” reviews because I don't particularly like reading them myself. Some reviews may have more breakdowns and analysis than others, but for the most part I’ll talk about a couple of songs and the feel of the album as a whole.