#cirithungol — Public Fediverse posts

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #SeekAndDestroy

Cirith Ungol:
🎵 All the Shadows

#CirithUngol
#newRelease 🆕 single

https://cirithungolofficial.bandcamp.com/track/all-the-shadows

https://open.spotify.com/track/3miRVv7wDkqEhz0Md2tvk2

🎶 show playlist 👇
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1uZ3GLf6lDtDqJSQrY0lMU

🎶 KEXP playlist 👇
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6VNALrOa3gWbk794YuIrwg

I did a hard thing today. I ignored a DM (image).

"This is my 🪓 There are many like it but this one is mine. My 🪓is my best friend, it is my life. I must wield it before I am struck down. I will"

@[email protected] #middleearth #orcs #CirithUngol

Dragon Skull – Chaos Fire Vengeance [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Baguette of Bodom

Greece is a surprising hotbed for power metal-adjacent sounds, providing recent gems such as Sunburst last year and Sacred Outcry’s 2023 masterpiece.1 Dragon Skull is a newcomer to these fields of glory, introducing their burly heavy/power style on their promising self-titled EP as recently as 2022. Now, three years later, they were finally ready to unleash their debut Chaos Fire Vengeance on the world. And oh my, what an entrance it is.

Dragon Skull know how to riff like hell and craft anthemic, cataclysmically heavy tunes. In addition to the fist-pumping Manowar feel the band is going for (“Brethren,” “Skull Crusher”), the songwriting is further guided by the spirit of German power metal, something like Brainstorm further reinforced with later Blind Guardian bombast (“Nampat,” “Blood and Souls”). But what makes the instrumentation incendiary is how guitarists Panos Wallach and Chris Brintzikis take influence from several directions at once. This guarantees plenty of variety through the album’s eight tracks, ranging from the dual-harmonized NWoBHM of “Brethren” to the melodeath/meloblack-informed tremolos on “Shield Maiden.” To top it all off, the pummeling war drums of Teo Stamatiadis and gargantuan vocals of Aris Labos lend maximum grit to an already muscular record.

Chaos Fire Vengeance offers a refreshing mixture of ’80s heavy metal and ’00s power metal. Slower, anthemic annihilation is counterpointed by thunderous fury, often during the same song (“Dragon Riders,” Shield Maiden”). The extra melodic death metal DNA brings with it a welcome burst of harsh vocals as well (“War Drums,” “Skeleton Hand”), and the way it all gels effortlessly is impressive. Despite the amount of various elements and influences in the album, the end result is deceivingly simple and effective. It makes Dragon Skull’s style stand out in a similar way Triumpher’s shtick does, but the increased mass and grit of Chaos Fire Vengeance improves the formula from good to face-melting. Though the first half of the album is already potent, the second half is where the band’s ambitions are fully realized. The hooks in “Nampat” and “Skeleton Hand” are immense, and the gargantuan epic “Blood and Souls” is a serious Song o’ the Year contender. I mean, how can you not love a song with Elric and Tanelorn-themed lyrical homages to Cirith Ungol and Blind Guardian?2

Dragon Skull is single-handedly carrying the power metal torch this year. Sure, it might be more heavy/power, but who’s counting? The songwriting is superbly anthemic, and the band knocked it out of the park on their first try in 42 brief minutes. I’ve had some trouble getting all my writing done late in the year for countless reasons, and this album in particular felt difficult to write deeper analysis for. But maybe it’s not necessary. After all, what is a TYMHM but a long-winded way to say “this album rocks, go check it out?” Sometimes it’s just better to keep things short and simple, and all Chaos Fire Vengeance needs is a damn strong barrage of eight massive tunes. Better yet, it’s a brilliant blueprint Dragon Skull can use to further refine their songcraft.

Tracks to Check Out: “Nampat,” “Skeleton Hand,” and “Blood and Souls.”

#2025 #BlindGuardian #Brainstorm #ChaosFireVengeance #CirithUngol #DragonSkull #EpicHeavyMetal #GreekMetal #HeavyMetal #Manowar #PowerMetal #SacredOutcry #SelfReleased #Sunburst #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025 #Triumpher #TYMHM

Dolmen Gate – Echoes of Ancient Tales [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Baguette of Bodom

You can never have too many swords. This has always been the truth, and Portugal’s Ravensire was well aware of it, following in the triumphant heavy metal footsteps of fellow countrymen Ironsword for three albums. Even when fate would strike down Ravensire in 2020, drummer Alex and guitarist Nuno1 remained undeterred. They formed a new lineup under the Dolmen Gate banner and got to work immediately. Debut EP Finis Imperii released in 2023, debut album Gateways of Eternity followed last year, and now they are already up to second album Echoes of Ancient Tales merely another year later. While this could seem like rushing things to some, it’s clear to me Dolmen Gate is striking while the iron is hot, and they’re just getting warmed up.

Echoes of Ancient Tales is a direct upgrade over an already strong debut. The core of their sound still channels the epic, riff-forward demeanor of Manilla Road and early Manowar. If you’re familiar with other swordy revival acts like Gatekeeper and the aforementioned Ironsword, you’ll have a good idea of what you’re in for. NWoBHM gallops (“The Maze,” “The Prophecy”) in the vein of Satan further refine the album, increasing its variety and olde cred. Alex furiously pounds the drums while Kiko and Artur duel out riffs for days, utilizing both speedy (“Carthage Eternal”) and stompy (“A Tale of Time’s End”) songwriting philosophies in Cirith Ungol fashion. Ana’s vocals deliver the same smoky, subdued tone that enhances the music and gives the band even more of a standout personality. Better yet, Echoes of Ancient Tales fixes the only real problem I had with the debut: buried vocals. Not only does Ana sing with more confidence and power, her role is also more central and upfront—justifiably so.

Dolmen Gate’s songwriting is growing in strength, and the band is only getting heavier. The early one-two punch of “Souls to Sea” transitioning into “The Maze” alone makes their direction loud and clear, and it shows the band isn’t satisfied just sitting in one corner musically. As always, authenticity is the key factor in revival-style music, and Dolmen Gate passes the test with flying colors. They sound like they have the same influences as their favorite bands but are also aware of their musical surroundings in less olde times. The almighty riff is the most important building block here, and the band knows this well. Guitar and drum patterns from many varieties of heavy metal—and some of its heavier offshoots too—help to craft both catchy anthems (“The Maze,” “Carthage Eternal”) and epic long-form tunes (“Souls to Sea,” “Afore the Storm” into “We Are the Storm”) without missing a beat.

Echoes of Ancient Tales is, without questio,n the best pure heavy metal record of the year. A lot of newer epic heavy metal bands have popped up during the past decade, and many of them have the right idea. But it feels like the change of bands and lineups was the kick the ex-Ravensire folk needed to take that next step. Dolmen Gate is one of the best and most authentic so far, both songwriting and production-wise, while also doing something that’s uniquely theirs. Raise your swords and enter the gate!

Tracks to Check Out: “The Maze,” “A Tale of Time’s End,” and “We Are the Storm.”

#2025 #CirithUngol #DolmenGate #EchoesOfAncientTales #EpicHeavyMetal #Gatekeeper #HeavyMetal #Ironsword #ManillaRoad #Manowar #NoRemorseRecords #PortugueseMetal #Ravensire #Satan #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2025

Montagsblues? Wie wärs mit Metal-Nostalgie und einem Bericht zum Deaf Forever Birthday Bash?

https://andwil.de/weblog/deaf-forever-birthday-bash-2024

#metal #deafforever #asphyx #cirithungol #hamburg #markthalle